Feature Story
St. Paul
Hampered by a slow start to their season,
the St. Paul Lakers have shown continued progress in recent weeks, which has
led to more consistent efforts and, consequently, more wins.
“We weren’t competitive early on and now we’re
competing with any team on any given night,” said Lakers head coach Dan Strot. “I’m pleased that
all of the players have accepted the challenge to improve their skill levels
and play as a team versus individual players.”
The Lakers latest triumph – their sixth
of the season – came on Friday, against the Minnesota Wildcats. Brandon Boyd’s
hat trick, including the overtime game-winning goal, propelled
Strot was also encouraged with his team’s performance the next
night, a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Ice Hawks in which the Lakers fell just
short of sending the game into overtime.
“We didn’t quit on either of those
nights,” said Strot. “We played as a team and
committed to winning, and that was the difference.”
The Lakers have been brought to life with
the emergence of a number of newcomers, among them Boyd, who was recently
acquired from the Central States League’s Dubuque Thunderbirds. The 18-year-old
from
“
A number of other players who started
their seasons with other MJHL teams have also found a home with the Lakers,
including Cody Essel and Ryan Anderson, who were
picked up in trades with the Wildcats, and Garret Ahlgrim
and Tony Scheid, both former Ice Hawks.
Defensemen Andrew Kryzer
and David Croonquist have also been brought on to the
scene and are making positive contributions in short time.
“We started the season with most of our
players coming from other teams’ tryouts,” said Lakers president Ralph Hayne. “Coach Strot has done a
great job improving their skills and raising their confidence individually.
“And when you
couple that with the acquisition of a few more skilled players, we’re now being
competitive and looking forward to a statistically better last half of the
season.”
Of the original Lakers, versatile Matt
Kaufman, a natural forward who selflessly moved back to defense, has impressed.
The 18-year-old from
“Matt continues to show great improvement
and has really stepped up his performance in the last 3-5 games,” said Strot. “And that goes for all of our original players; I’ve
seen significant progress and a strong commitment to our program.”
Including Sean Randall, a 19-year-old
forward from
“Sean has been excellent for us,” said Strot. “He brings a great attitude to the rink everyday and
there’s no question he’s a valued part of this team.”
Between the pipes, the Lakers, who have
auditioned six goaltenders since the start of the season, have settled on a
formidable tandem of Jake Dargis and Longren. Strot has confidence
that the pair is up for the team’s second-half resurgence.
“Both are keeping us in games,
contributing to our wins, or at least giving us a chance to win on any given
night,” said the coach. “I look forward to their continued hard work and
commitment to excellence.”
Despite a last-place position in the
nine-team standings, the atmosphere is nothing but positive in Lakers camp.
With its recent success, both the coaches and players are eager to turn the
tables in 2009.
“Based on the attitude and environment of
our locker room, you wouldn’t know we had a slow start,” said Strot. “The players are having fun, working hard, look
forward to practice, getting better and enjoying the junior hockey experience.
We’re all looking forward to a strong second half of the season and moving up
the league standings.”
And that continued success will undoubtably lead to advancements on the ice and in the
classroom for a number of players.
“Based on our improving skills and work
ethic, I’ve had several inquiries about players and their possible interest in
playing in the higher junior or collegiate levels,” said Strot.
“I feel very confident we’ll be moving some players from the Lakers to other
programs for the 2009-10 season.”
Around the league, five second-period
goals lifted the Ice Hawks to a 6-3 victory over the Wisconsin Mustangs on
Friday. Bryce Stevens connected for a goal and an assist in the win, and netminder Alex Bjerk stopped 15
shots.
The next night, K.C. Kranz
recorded a hat trick, including the game-winning goal, as the Ice Hawks downed
the Mustangs, 6-1. Adam Wiesner and Issei Kashima both added a goal and an assist in the
victory, and Bjerk steered aside 27 shots.
Shaun Walters, Morgan Sanchez and Bryce
Stevens scored for the Ice Hawks in their win over the Lakers on Sunday. Netminder Sam Hingtgen made 21
saves for the Ice Hawks.
Kevin Bergquist
rang up two goals and assisted on Nick Buchholz’s game-winning marker as the
Minnesota Flying Aces outlasted the Hudson Crusaders on Friday, 7-6. Buchholz
added two assists of his own, and goaltenders Jake Vatnsdal
and Aaron Carter combined to stop 38 shots.
Carl Lindblad
(hat trick), Brady Borer (two goals), Matt Johnson (two) and Shane Doerfler (two) all registered multiple-goal games as the
Granite City Lumberjacks blitzed the Wildcats on Sunday, 12-2. Goaltender Tyler
Venne stopped 28 shots between the pipes for the
Lumberjacks.
The Lakers fell to the Twin Cities
Northern Lights on Saturday, 5-2. Tyler Pace connected for two goals for the
Lights, with Jordan Gates notching the game-winning marker. In goal, Brian
Nelson made 18 saves.
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