2018–2019 HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEYPREVIEW

Duluth East Greyhounds

Coach: Mike Randolph, 30th season

2017-18 record: 25-3-3

Conference: Independent

Section: 7AA

Roster

2E.J.Hietala DSr.

9Jayson Hagen

Finn Hoops

Jack Fellman

Ryan Cummings

David Holliday

Ricky Lyle

Charlie Erickson

21 Carson Cochrane

Mitchell Sutherland

Key departures: DWillFisher (3-16—19); FAustin Jouppi (1119—30); GParker Kleive (1.51 goalsagainst average, .916 save percentage); DLuke LaMaster (4-41—45); FIan Mageau (19-38—57); FGarrett Worth (47-24—71)

Key returners: Jr. FLogan Anderson (10-20—30); sr. FBrendan Baker (9-15—24); sr. DCarson Cochran (2-11—13); sr. FRyder Donovan (14-48—62); sr. FJack FitzGerald (8-9—17); sr. FRicky Lyle (20-15— 35); sr. DFrederick Paine (5-22—27)

Loose pucks: How loaded were last year’s Greyhounds?After reaching the Class AA championship game, a5-2 loss to Minnetonka, East bid farewell to apair of Mr. Hockey finalists and NCAA Division Icommits in LaMaster (Wisconsin)and Worth (Arizona State), plus another first-liner in Mageau, as well as starting goalie Klieve. And yet theGreyhounds and Andover are widely considered to be the section frontrunners.That’s because a deep group of forwards is headlined by Donovan, the puck-distributing North Dakota commit. Nine East players were chosen for the fall Elite

League. While the potent WMD line of Worth, Mageau and Donovan, which accounted for 190 points, is no more, Donovan is expected to center skillful wings Baker and Lyle, at least early. FitzGerald, the son of former East and Minnesota Duluth standout Rusty FitzGerald, broke his left forearm and right collarbone over the offseason, but doesn’t expect to miss too much game action. Kleive assumed the starting goalie job midway through the season and finished with six shutouts.LaMaster won the Reed Larson Award as the state’s top senior blueliner, making him the third straight Northlander to do so —Hermantown’sWyatt Aamodt (2016) and Dylan Samberg (2017) were the others. The Greyhounds started 9-0-3, with a9-3 thumpingofAndover in December doubling as Randolph’s 600th career victory. He sits at 622 through 31 totalseasons, atally that ranks third all-time in Minnesota. East’s rematch with the Huskies wasn’t nearly as lopsided. Baker and Donovan scored third-period goals as the Greyhounds rallied from a2-0 deficit in the 7AA final at Amsoil Arena, and Anderson punctuated the 3-2 comeback in overtime. They went on to defeat St. Michael-Albertville in the state quarterfinals, then doubled up rival Edina in the semis, only to suffer another title-tilt letdown, their fourth since winning it all in 1998.

Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers

Coach: Bill Owens, first season

2017-18 record: 17-8-2

Conference: Lake Superior

Section: 7AA

Key departures: GCam Brandt(2.28 goals-against average, .898save percentage); FGeorge Grannis (2926—55); DPeter Hansen (11-16— 27); DNolan Krenzen (11-15—26); FLeviStauber (20-26—46); DWilly Stauber (10-21—31)

Key returners: Sr. FAiden Bachand (4-14—18); sr. FKeelan Golat (4-15— 19); sr. FCarter Sullivan (9-12—21)

Loose pucks: Owenssteps in for Brendan Flaherty, who was diagnosed last April with throat cancer. This would have been his 23rd season guidingthe Hilltoppers.Owens had been on Flaherty’s staff for three years. Previously, he was an assistant at St. Thomas Academy and the head coach at St. Paul Academy and Summit,wherehecoachedMinnesota Duluth recruit Devlin McCabe. Owens faces atall task in what will be a drastically remade roster. Gone is Mr. Hockey finalist Grannis and fellow NCAA Division Icommit Levi Stauber. Grannisand Staubereventually will play collegiately at Clarkson and Michigan Tech, respectively. Willy Stauber (Levi’s cousin), aReedLarson Award finalist as the state’s top senior defenseman, is with the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League. Meanwhile, Krenzen, who would have been aMarshall junior, opted instead to play for the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League. And Hansen, a senior, has decided to focus on baseball this winter —hehas signed to play that sport at Division IBradley University. Add it all up, and the Hilltoppers lost their top five scorers and No. 1goalie. Marshall has improved in each of its first three seasons in Class AA. The Hilltoppers won nine games in 2015-16, then 13, followed by 17 last year, including aplayoff victory at Cloquet-Esko-Carlton and aspot in the section semifinals at Amsoil Arena, where they were unceremoniously ousted by Duluth East, 9-1. Marshall had taken the Greyhounds to overtime in December, losing 3-2. Grannis had 16 goals through the first four games of last season as the Hilltoppers started 5-0 before dropping a5-3 affair to eventual state champ Minnetonka. Alex Busick, a6-foot-6 senior, takes over for Brandt in goal.

Cloquet-Esko-Carlton’sAaron Moore (right) moves the puck while being chased by Duluth Marshall’sWilly Stauber during aSection 7AA quarterfinal lastFebruaryinCloquet. DaveHarwig/CloquetPineJournal

Schedule

At 7:30 p.m., unless noted

Nov. 24 —Mounds View, 3p.m.

Nov. 30 —atRochester Century, 7:15 p.m.

Dec. 1— at Rochester Mayo, 2p.m.

Dec. 6—atCambridge-Isanti, 7p.m.

Dec. 8—atMinnetonka, 3p.m.

Dec. 11 —atHermantown

Dec. 15 —Holy Angels Academy, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 20 —Duluth East

Dec. 22 —atBenilde-St. Margaret’s, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 27-29 —Hilltopper Holiday Classic

Jan. 3—Superior

Jan. 8—Cloquet-Esko-Carlton

Jan. 12 —Andover, 3p.m.

Jan. 15 —Champlin Park

Jan. 17 —Proctor

Jan. 22 —atGrand Rapids

Jan. 25 —Eagan, 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 1—atChanhassen, 7p.m.

Feb. 2—atSt. Thomas Academy, 2p.m.

Feb. 5—Forest Lake, 7p.m.

Feb. 9—Hill-Murray, 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 —St. Francis, 7p.m.

Feb. 14 —Duluth Denfeld

Duluth Marshall goaltender

Cam Brandt deflects ashot from Duluth East’sBrendan Baker during agame last season at Heritage Center.

ClintAustin / caustin@duluthnews.com

ROSTER

2Matthew Scribner DSo.

3Charlie Kleinschmidt DJr.

5Dakota Oman FJr.

6Danny Klatt FSr.

8Griff Pichetti DJr.

9Samuel Aamodt FFr.

10 Xavier McNulty FJr.

11 Jeremiah Lebsack FSr.

12 Aiden Bachand FSr.

13 Keelan Golat FSr.

14 Carter Sullivan FSr.

17 Carson Mehling DSo.

19 Christian Hoyum DJr.

21 Luke StauberFSr.

22 Cole Maccoux FSr.

23 Karter McKinzie FJr.

24 Maddux Baggs DSr.

26 Brendan Pfahl DJr.

27 Vance Johnson FSo.

28 Blake Bachand DJr.

29 Hunter Ciskie FJr.

30 Alex Busick GSr.

Ely Timberwolves

Coach: Ben Johnson, fourth season

2017-18 record: 6-14

Conference: Independent

Section: 7A

Key departures: F Gage Merhar (15-10—25); F Thomas Montana (14-17—31)

Key returners: Sr. F Nick Mattila (27-14—41); jr. F Luke Olson (20-13—33); jr. F Dalton Schreffler (3-11— 14)

Loose pucks: Six wins might not sound like a reason to celebrate, but simply being able to field a squad in 2017-18 was welcome news for Johnson and the Timberwolves. Ely nearly had to forfeit its season before enough players materialized to give it a go. There were hiccups — such as being outscored by a combined 43-7 over a three-game stretch in January — but the Timberwolves were able to get a roster of 22 players valuable experience. Many were new to the sport and only three or four, Johnson said, had ever played varsity hockey. Before the backslide, Ely won seven games in 2015-16 — its most victories since 200809 — and a robust 13 in 2016-17. Johnson is confident the Timberwolves can get back to that level, and hopefully beyond, by building a strong youth program. He’s always maintained that this is a long-term project. And while this winter again could be a grind, there’s hope on the horizon. The current Timberwolves can build around Mattila and Olson, last year’s leading scorers. As a junior, Mattila registered at least a point in 16 of Ely’s 20 games. He had four hat tricks. The Timberwolves went 4-4 over their final eight games of the regular season. Former multi-sport Ely standout Louie Gerzin is an assistant coach.

Schedule

At 7 p.m., unless noted

Nov. 23 — at Kittson County Central

Nov. 24 — at Kittson County Central, 1 p.m.

Dec. 1 — Wadena-Deer Creek, 2 p.m.

Dec. 6 — at North Shore (Two Harbors)

Dec. 7 — MayPort (N.D.)

Dec. 11 — Eveleth-Gilbert

Dec. 14 — at Moose Lake Area, 6 p.m.

Dec. 15 — Southwest Christian, 3 p.m.

Dec. 21 — at Lake of the Woods, 6 p.m.

Dec. 28-29 — North Shore Holiday Tournament

Jan. 4 — International Falls

Jan. 5 — Lake of the Woods, 2 p.m.

Jan. 11 — Bagley-Fosston, 6 p.m.

Jan. 18 — at MayPort (N.D.)

Jan. 19 — at Red Lake Falls, 1 p.m.

Jan. 22 — at Proctor

Feb. 5 — at North Shore (Two Harbors)

Feb. 8 — Moose Lake Area

Roster

1 Chase Sandberg G Fr.

2 Jeremiah Kaercher F Sr.

3 Nick Mattila F Sr.

4 Sawyer Klingsporn F So.

5 Austin Meskill F Sr.

DONOVAN continued from page 2

“He’s a very unselfish player.”

Players getting goals off Donovan passes was a common theme last winter. He centered Garrett Worth and Ian Mageau, and the wings were on the receiving end of the bulk of Donovan’s 48 assists. Worth finished with 47 goals and Mageau 19 as the WMD line accounted for 190 points.

Donovan, who was an eighth-grader on the East team that fell to Lakeville North in the 2015 state championship game, admits he’s always had a pass-first mentality. That worked just fine in 2017-18 when he was surrounded by scorers, but now the challenge is to be “a little bit more selfish,” as Randolph put it, and get to the net.

“With my size, it’s tough to be a completely skilled puck-distributor when you’re 6-4,” Donovan said. “You have to be around the net and score, too, so that’s what I have to work on.”

To do that, a player needs the puck on his stick. Randolph is happy to oblige.

Donovan is expect- ed to center Lyle and Brendan Baker on East’s top line. The Mr. Hockey hopeful played in the Elite League this fall; Dubuque wouldn’t accommodate the standard “before and after” setup in which a high school player competes in the USHL before and after the prep season.

The happy-go-lucky Donovan wasn’t about to change his mind and forego his last hurrah with the Greyhounds. He said that decision was recently reinforced while listening to the News Tribune’s “Bulldog Insider” podcast in which Minnesota Duluth’s Riley Tufte, a first-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 2016, touted his staying at Blaine as a senior. He ended up claiming the Mr. Hockey award.

Tufte said it was important for him not to rush college, a point that resonated with Donovan, who knows this sport becomes a business after high school.

And North Dakota, Donovan said, will be able to live with his decision if he continues to improve.

“They don’t really care as long as I’m the best player I can be when I go in,” he said.

EVELETH-GILBERT GOLDEN BEARS

Coach: Jeff Torrel, eighth season

2017-18 record: 13-11-2

Conference: Iron Range

Section: 7A

Key departures: DAdam Erie (1-1— 2); FPayton Gregorich(5-3—8); F Cody Hendrickson (31-27—58)

Key returners: Jr.DNick Beaudette (8-12—20); jr. DGage Everson (6-17—23); sr. FJosh James (7-10— 17); jr. FBryce Kopp (10-5—15); sr. F Gavin Maki (6-9—15); jr. FNathan Tassoni (7-8—15); jr. DWill Troutwine (8-23—31)

Loose pucks: The Golden Bears are tasked with replacing one of the Northland’s top scorers. Hendrickson had at least one goal in all but four games last season. He is now playing at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Mont. After Hendrickson,

SCHEDULE

At 7:30 p.m., unless noted

Nov. 23 —atRed Wing

Nov. 24 —atMinnehaha Academy

Nov. 29 —Chaska

Dec. 4— at International Falls

Dec. 7—atNorthern Lakes, 7p.m.

Dec. 8—atPrinceton, 2p.m.

Dec. 11 —atEly, 7p.m.

Dec. 14 —Holy Angels Academy

Dec. 15 —Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl

Dec. 18 —Greenway

Dec. 20 —atProctor

Dec. 28 —atThief River Falls

Dec. 29 —vs. Crookston (Thief River Falls), 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 8—Hibbing-Chisholm

Jan. 10 —Proctor (Hoyt Lakes)

Jan. 12 —Hopkins, 2p.m.

Jan. 15 —International Falls (Hoyt Lakes)

Jan. 22 —North Shore (Hoyt Lakes)

Jan. 26 —atVirginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl

Jan. 29 —atDuluth Denfeld (Heritage Center)

Jan. 31 —atGreenway

Feb. 7—atHibbing-Chisholm

Feb. 8—Hermantown

Feb. 12 —Duluth Denfeld

Feb. 14 —atNorth Shore (Silver Bay) the top ninepoint producers return. Indeed, Eveleth-Gilbertwill boast improved depth and experience in 2018-19, according to Torrel, who hopes amore challenging slate will have the Golden Bears battle-tested come playoff time.

Sophomores checkered the roster last winter, many of whom assumed key roles. Chaska and Holy Angels Academy are among the schedule additions. Eveleth-Gilbert has finished above.500two years in arow following an 8-18-1 mark in 2015-16. The goal now is to carry that success into the postseason, earn atop-four seed and appear in the section semifinals, Torrel said. Kodi Intihar saw the bulk of the time in net as ajunior, when he finished with a4.33 goals-against average and .850 save percentage. After droppingthe opener of its holiday tournament last December,the Golden Bears went 5-0-2 over their next seven games.

Roster

Eveleth-Gilbert players celebrate agoal against Duluth Denfeld during Hockey Day Minnesota in February 2016. File /News Tribune