Duluth East Greyhounds

Head coach: Steve Pitoscia, first season

Key departures:

Coach Mike Randolph; F Zarley Ziemski (2-3—5); D Matthew Locker (0-5— 5); D Garrett Johnson (1-5—6)

Key returners:

Sr. F Kaden Nelson (9-11—20); sr. F Lars Berg (3-2—5); jr. F Cole Christian (4-13—17); soph. F Wyatt Peterson (3-0—3); jr. D Grant Winkley (4-5—9); jr. D Henry Murray (2-1—3); jr. G Zander Ziemski (3.32 GAA, .897 save percentage)

Outlook: For the first time since 1989 — long before any current players were born — the Greyhounds will have a new coach on the bench this season.

Coach Mike Randolph left the program after 32 seasons this year and Steve Pitoscia was chosen as the successor.

Pitoscia takes over a Duluth East program that won just six games in 2021 but also returns its two leading scorers from last season in Kaden Nelson and Cole Christian.

“We’re going to try to be a possession-based team and hold on to the puck and make our own plays,” Pitoscia said. “We’ll have to be sound defensively in our own end as well. We just want to play an all-around 200foot game.”

Section 7AA won’t make it any easier on the Greyhounds with powerful contenders.

“We’ve got a pretty tough section — Andover’s going to be dynamite and Grand Rapids is going to be good with 12 or 13 seniors coming back,” Pitsocia said. “But we’ve got some pretty good talent, too, and we’re going to do our best to go out there and make

Duluth East

2021-22 SCHEDULE

Nov. 26 — at White Bear Lake anybody we play against earn it against us.”

Nov. 27 — at Chaska, 3 p.m.

Nov. 30 — GRAND RAPIDS, 7 p.m.

Dec. 2 — BEMIDJI, 7 p.m.

Dec. 4 — at Wayzata, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 7 — FOREST LAKE, 7 p.m.

Dec. 11 — EDEN PRAIRIE, 2 p.m.

Dec. 16 — CLOQUET-ESKOCARLTON, 7 p.m.

Dec. 21 — at Andover, 7 p.m.

Dec. 23 — at Brainerd, 7 p.m.

Dec. 31 — at Blaine, 3 p.m.

Jan. 4 — at Rock Ridge, 7 p.m.

Jan. 6 — at Grand Rapids, 7 p.m.

Jan. 8 — STILLWATER, 7 p.m.

Jan. 11 — at Centennial, 7 p.m.

Jan. 15 — MINNETONKA, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18 — at Duluth Denfeld, 7 p.m.

Jan. 22 — MOORHEAD, 2:15 p.m.

Jan. 29 — MOUNDS VIEW, 7 p.m.

Feb. 5 — at Elk River/Zimmerman, 3 p.m.

Feb. 7 — at Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 10 — at Champlin Park, 7 p.m.

The Greyhounds will play the Thunderhawks in their third game of the season, but Pitoscia said the only game he’s got circled on the schedule is “the first one” at White Bear Lake Nov. 26.

Feb. 12 — at Rogers, 4 p.m.

Feb. 15 — ST. CLOUD, 7 p.m.

2020-21 RESULTS

RECORD: 6-8-2

Jan. 14 — DULUTH DENFELD, T, 4-4

Jan. 16 — at Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, W, 2-1

Jan. 21 — SUPERIOR, W, 5-0

Jan. 28 — at Grand Rapids, L, 3-0

Feb. 1 — CLOQUET-ESKOCARLTON, W, 5-1

Feb. 5 — BRAINERD, W, 4-2

Feb. 9 — HERMANTOWN, L, 1-5

Feb. 11 — at Minnetonka, L, 2-4

Feb. 15 — at Duluth Marshall, W, 9-1

Feb. 18 — at Virginia/MIB, W, 2-1

Feb. 23 — at Moorhead, L, 6-0

Feb. 27 — at St. Thomas Academy, L, 7-1

March 2 — GRAND RAPIDS, L, 3-1

March 4 — CLOQUET-ESKOCARLTON, T, 2-2

March 6 — ROSEAU, L, 6-3

March 8 — at Hermantown, L, 4-1

Jamey Malcomb, News Tribune