Red Robin skaters hit the ice tonight, will challenge top-ranked Wausau West Dec. 1, 2009 One thing is certain about Antigo boys hockey coach Caleb McPhail. Numbers do not scare him.
Finishing second in the Great Northern Conference with a record of 10-4, 13-8 overall last season, the Red Robins now find themselves with only 22 skaters on the roster. But McPhail can find plenty of quality athletes to carry the Robins through for the 2009-10 season.
"The skill level that we have this year, especially with the large junior class, is going to help to put us in a position to fight for first place in the GNC," McPhail said.
Noting the similarities by other schools in the league after having lost productive players through graduation, the Robins will definitely miss aggressive all-conference skaters like defensemen Mike Wolter and forward T.J. Christensen in addition to Mitch Easker, Josh Lewis, Andy Will and Megan Madeson. Also missing from this year's lineup is Ezra McPhail, who is spending his senior year playing for the Marquette Electricians Midget AAA Hockey.
"A lot of the people we relied on last year are gone, but I am finding that this year's seniors and juniors are stepping up to the task," McPhail said. "This might appear to be an enormous amount of pressure to put on their shoulders, but they seem to have been waiting in the wings for their chance, and have proven that they can earn the spot."
Senior Class
Kyle Matucheski should prove to be one of the best defensmen on the ice for Antigo. He is a quick skater who is good with the puck. Forward Dustin Lund is known as a hard worker and will be good for the penalty kill.
McPhail is expecting a lot of playing time from forward Dakoda Zamora, noting he is good with his hands.
Dylan Johnson, another defensive athlete, played on a triple A team over the summer and has greatly improved his skills.
Junior Class
Receiving GNC honorable mention in 2008-09, Kyle Geiger, great shot and has the ability to be this season’s leading scorer. Caleb Schneider, Scott Suick, Caleb Stolzman and Zane Waldvogel make up the remaining skaters returning from last season.
"These players are true leaders on the team—both on and off the ice," McPhail said. "They carry a ton of talent and have been great with the younger or inexperienced teammates."
New to the squad are Zach Kiper, Kaleb Lawton, Jordan Sorano, Brennan Henricks and Aaron Kakes.
Sophomore Class
Chris Eckerman, the only sophomore on the ice, returns in the goaltender slot after taking over last year for an injured Madeson.
"I really do not expect any scoring from this class," McPhail said. "But I do expect him to stop the puck. After spending over half of our games in front of the net last year, I believe that Eckerman has gotten out all of the normal first year nervousness."
Freshman Class
Two freshmen to keep your eye on this season are Justen Wegter and Zach Fleischman.
"During our scrimmages with SPASH and Pacelli, we received three goals from two of the freshmen. Wegter scored two while Fleischman chipped in one," McPhail said. "Typically they (freshmen) are hesitant, but that is not visible with this group. It is an adjustment from Bantams to the high school level, but this group has worked hard."
Antigo's remaining lineup consists of Andrew Guenther, Dan Will, Erik Schielke, Brandon Ojala and Jacob Sennholz.
"Overall the team gets along. The older ones bring the younger ones along," McPhail said. " We have support all the way through. The new skaters have worked hard, learned a lot and progressed faster than expected. The attitude these kids have is something that you can't teach or force upon a squad."
Expectations
In looking to what lies ahead, coach McPhail noted that the "first month is the hardest December schedule I have seen in a long time."
Opening up the 2009-10 season with a four game home stand, Antigo will play host tonight at 7 p.m. to the No. 1 team in the state, Wausau West.
"They will be a challenge for us. West (17-3 overall in 2008-09) will bring in some ringers that were not on last year's team," McPhail said. "I expect them to be on top in the Wisconsin Valley Conference all year."
The Robins will face Waupaca (10-10-1) on Thursday. Northland Pines (5-15-1) will make the trip here on Dec. 8 while parents night is set for Dec. 10 against Mosinee (12-9-1). Antigo's next two games find them on the road. On Dec. 12 the Robins head to Greenheck Fieldhouse where they face D.C. Everest. Dec. 15 finds the Robins in Minocqua skating against the conference reigning champ, Lakeland (21-2).
Antigo heads into its holiday vacation with a trip to Madison. In the tournament hosted by Monona Grove, the Robins will play Fond du Lac in the Madison Ice Arena.
"In this tournament, we will face four of eight teams which are ranked," McPhail said. "December will be a test of who we are, where we are at, and how we react to the other teams."
Other teams in the GNC are Tomahawk (8-13-1), Merrill (4-16-1) and Medford (2-19-0).
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