Hockey Today: Holy Family Battles Breck Tuesday Night

WINTER PARK, Fla. - (December 2, 2014)-- The No. 13-ranked Holy Family Catholic Fire (2-1) host No. 5 Breck (1-1) Tuesday evening at 7 PM from the Victoria Ice Center in Victoria, Minnesota.

Will Garin and the Fire look for their first win in school history against Breck 

#5 Breck Preview: The Mustangs enter tonight's game 1-1 after defeating Delano 6-1 and falling 2-0 on the road to Duluth Marshall. The Mustangs are led by Grant Parrish and Chase Ellingson. Ellingson enters the night with three points, all assists against Delano. Parrish also has three points, 1g, 2a against Delano.

Against 2a section rival Delano, Breck had six different goal scorers including Will Blake, Carter Breitenfeldt, Grant Parrish, Mitchell Machlitt, Dalton Weigel and Tyler Lindstrom.

Fun Fact: HFC's Brady Ziemer will face long time De- partner sophomore Josh Strom in this game.

#13 Holy Family Preview: John Peterson enters the night with 193 career points, seven short of a monumental high school achievement 200 points (John Mayasich type numbers). UConn-commit Will Garin leads the team with 5 points, 2 goals, 3 assists.

The Fire are 2-1 after falling to Edina 11-0, then bouncing back with 4-2 wins over No. 14 Maple Grove and No. 15 Stillwater. Holy Family's schedule remains difficult with a trip to Moorhead Dec. 13 and the school's first ever Holiday Tournament in the St. Louis Park Classic (hosted by Benilde) Dec. 29-31.

Previous Meeting(s)- Breck leads the series 1-0-1

2013- Holy Family 2, Breck 2-- Golden Valley, Minn.- Breck led HFC 2-0 but the Fire came back with goals by Will Garin and Joey Marooney to end the game in a 2-2 tie. Current Fire players Will Garin, Matt Anderson and Matt Runyon each had one point.

2012- Holy Family 4, Breck 5-- Golden Valley, Minn.- In an offensive outburst Garrett Riebling tallied two goals while Max Mork and Shane Gersich each added one goal but the Fire fell after leading 4-2 in their first ever meeting with 1a powerhouse Breck.


Holy Family 4, #15 Stillwater 2-- Victoria, Minn.- The Fire defeated No. 15 Stillwater 4-2 from Victoria last week. Matt Runyon tied the game up in the first period on the power play with an assist to Will Garin. Entering the second period the game was tied 1-1 until at 2:56 Tyler Rock scored an even strength goal with an assist from John Peterson as the Fire led 2-1. HFC answered once more with Peterson tallying his first goal of the night on the power play with assists granted to Garin and Matt Anderson.

In the third period at 6:49 the Fire received one more goal from Runyon with assists going to Brady Ziemer and Hunter Ruschmeyer. The Ponies tallied one late goal but the Fire held on to a 4-2 victory. Goaltender Gabe Heifort won his second game of the season in net.

Goals- Matt Runyon (2, 3), John Peterson (1), Tyler Rock (1)
3 Stars- #1 Matt Runyon, #2 Will Garin, #3 John Peterson

Holy Family 4, #14 Maple Grove 2--- Plymouth, Minn.- Holy Family took third place in the 2014 Turkey Trot Tourney by defeating the No. 14 Crimson of Maple Grove 4-2 two weeks ago. The Fire were led by Will Garin who tallied three points on the night, including two goals.

HFC took a 1-0 lead at 13:47 as Will Garin scored his first goal of the year with assists to Ben Wilson and James Marooney. Maple Grove's Sam Franta tied the game up less than a minute later as both team's headed to the locker room 1-1.

In the second period Matt Runyon scored his first goal of the year to give the Fire a 2-1 lead with the assist going to Garin. In the third period, Garin scored once more, this time on the power play at 3:46 to give the Fire a 3-1 lead with an assist to Ben Almquist. The Crimson cut the deficit to 3-2 with a goal by Sam Huff short-handed, but the Fire answered over a minute later with Matt Anderson tallying his first of the year on the power play with assists going to Almquist and Runyon. Holy Family won their first game of the year and second all-time against the Maple Grove Crimson at the Turkey Trot.

Goals- Will Garin (1, 2), Matt Runyon (1), Matt Anderson (1)
3 Stars- #1 Will Garin, #2 Ben Almquist, #3 Gabe Heifort

Game Four: No. 5 (A) Breck (1-1-0) vs. No. 13 Holy Family Catholic (2-1-0)
Dates	Tuesday, December 2 (7:00 p.m.)
Location	Victoria Ice Center | Victoria, Minn.
Postgame Stats	MN Hockey Hub
Social Media	Twitter | Instagram
Follow the Puck	Holy Family Hockey

Potential HFC Fire Lines: (prediction)
F Wilson Jones, C John Peterson, F Matt Runyon
F Jaedin Ness, C Will Garin, F Tyler Rock
F James Marooney, C Ben Almquist, F Pat Reddan
D Matt Anderson, D Ben Wilson
D Brady Ziemer, D Hunter Ruschmeyer
D Bennett Hanson, D Devon Olson
G Gabe Heifort

#MNHSPuck Top-15 (December 1, 2014)

1. Lakeville North (1-0). The Panthers faced a stiff challenge from their section rival Farmington, defeating them 6-5. This week it is a state championship rematch for the ages as North hosts Edina Thursday night.

2. Edina (3-0-1). Edina is Edina. They have not lost and their only blemish is a tie in the Turkey Trot to Wayzata. They face their toughest road test of the year, IMO, at Lakeville North Thursday at Ames Arena.

3. St. Thomas Academy (0-0)

4. Benide St. Margaret's (2-0)

5. Hill Murray (1-0)

6. Elk River (1-1)

7. Wayzata (3-1-1)

8. Eden Prairie (2-0)

9. Grand Rapids (2-0)

10. Burnsville (1-1)

11. Duluth East (0-1)

12. Farmington (1-1)

13. Holy Family (2-1)

14. Bloomington Jefferson (2-0)

15. White Bear Lake (1-0)

HOCKEY TODAY: Top-10 Teams Faceoff Friday as Hockey Begins

Holy Family Begins the 2014-15 Season Friday. Will Garin (left), John Peterson (center), Matt Runyon (right)

PLYMOUTH, Minn. - The two-time defending state champion and preseason No. 3-ranked Edina Hornets begin the season against the No. 8 Holy Family Catholic Fire on Friday, November 21 at 5 p.m. in the 2014 Turkey Trot Tournament, hosted by Wayzata High School. Game two of the Turkey Trot Tournament features No. 5 Wayzata and No. 11 Maple Grove beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ct).

No. 3 Edina Preview: The two-time defending champions won the State Title in impressive fashion over Lakeville North, but it came with losing key talents early on the roster for this season. The Hornets were hit hard losing Boston U-commit Kieffer Bellows and defenseman Ryan Zuhlsdorf. Notre Dame-commit Dylan Malmquist is the leading candidate for Mr. Hockey as he'll try to help Edina win their third straight title, which hasn't been done since the Bloomington Jefferson teams of the early 90's. 

Remaining on Edina's roster are more Division I future talents, junior forward Garrett Wait (Minnesota) and senior forward Henry Bowlby (St. Lawrence). The Hornets lost leading scorer Miguel Fidler, Cullen Munson and Ohio State-commit Tyler Nanne. Andrew Rohkohl is also gone so filling in for him will be either senior goalies Kobi Boe or Andrew Enriquez.

No. 8 Holy Family Preview: The Fire are coming off their first 20-win season, back-to-back Wright County Conference championships and their best postseason finish in school history after making it to the Section 6AA Semifinals at Braemar Arena last year. This year they look to take it another step closer with goals of reaching Mariucci Arena and the Xcel Energy Center. Helping them achieve those goals is the school's all-time leading scorer, senior center/forward John Peterson. Peterson has 191 career points, 62 last season, with the majority of those points coming as a freshman and sophomore when he combined forces with North Dakota-commit and Washington Capital draft pick Shane Gersich. University of Connecticut-commit Will Garin will also need to score and help replace some of the offense that graduated last year. 

The Fire lose the state's leading scorer on defense from last season, Ryan Swanson and it will be impossible to replace him. However, the Fire hope that sophomore defenseman and Minnesota-Duluth commit, Matt Anderson can help fill that void. Holy Family also loses forward Joey Marooney (Alabama-Hunstville-commit), defenseman Dylan Woolf and both goalies Derek LaCombe and Dayton Rasmussen. 

Holy Family brings back 58% of the team's scoring (206 points out of 356) as they scored the fifth most goals in the state last season with 125 and allowed just the fifth least amount of goals with 48. The Fire also play in their first Holiday tournament in school history this year playing Wayzata, Prior Lake and Benilde St. Margaret's from the St. Louis Park Community Center.

Edina's Dylan Malmquist (left) and HFC's John Peterson (right) faceoff for the final time on Friday

Series History: Edina holds a 2-0 series lead. 

2013- Edina 8, Holy Family 0. 2012- Edina 7, Holy Family 2.

Potential Lines (predictions):

Edina

C Dylan Malmquist (captain), F Garrett Wait, F Henry Bowlby

C Sam Walker, F Parker Mismash, F Matt Masterman

C Casey Dornbach, F Ben Copeland, F Patrick Haug

D Ben Foley, D Paul Meyer

D Sam Fuss, D Clayton Phillips

D Jack Foley, D Luke Perunovich

G TOSS UP- Andrew Enriquez, G Kobi Boe

Holy Family

C John Peterson (captain), F Will Garin, F Matt Runyon

C Ben Almquist, F Pat Reddan, F Tyler Rock 

C Wilson Jones, F Ben Wilson, F Jaedin Ness

D Matt Anderson, D Hunter Ruschmeyer

D James Marooney, D Bennett Hanson

D Brady Ziemer (Bantam Elite), D Devon Olson

G Gabe Heifort (High School Elite, Team North), G Jaxson Stauber

Game One: No. 3 Edina (0-0-0) vs. No. 8 Holy Family Catholic (0-0-0)
Dates	Friday, November 21 (5:00 p.m.)
Location	Plymouth Ice Center | Plymouth, Minn.
Watch Online	TurkeyTrot Channel 12
Social Media	Twitter | Instagram
Game Two	No. 5 Wayzata (6AA) vs. No. 11 Maple Grove (5AA)

WAYZATA- 2013-14 Record: 20-6-1, Section Semifinalists

Conference: Lake 

Youngsters You Should Know: Griffin Ness, Grant Anderson

Last State Title: N/A

Top Returning Scorers: F Max Zimmer, Mark Senden, Alex Stevens, Luke Paterson, Billy Duma, Hank Sorensen

Key Losses from last season: Matt Freytag, Jack Sorensen 25 ponts, Chandler Lindstrand 13 points, Chad Olson 14 points, Brian Machut 8 points, Chase Heising 8 points, Alec Hemenway 11 points, GK Vaughn Arehns

Potential Lines:

C Max Zimmer, F Nate Dingmann, F Luke Paterson

C Mark Senden, F Billy Duma, F Jack Fetrow

C Griffen Ness, F Davis Kirkendall, F Erik Branyon

D Alex Stevens, D Hank Sorensen

D Carter Spindler, D Jake Moelk

D Tristan Moss, D Grant Anderson

G Alex Schilling

BENILDE ST. MARGARET'S- 2013-14 Record: 15-9-3, Section Finalists

Conference: Metro West

Youngsters You Should Know: Zach Risteau, Jordan Roo and Goalie Ryan Bischel

Last State Title: 2012

Top Returning Scorers: F Carter Roo 35 points, Ben Newhouse 33 points, Chase Jungels 32 points, Mark Kaske 19 points, Nick Austin 15 points, Jack Lawton 14 points

Key Losses from last season: Spencer Naas, Johnny Austin, Evan Fleming, Nate Meyer, Zach Hale

Potential Lines:

C Carter Roo, F Chase Jungels, F Mark Kaske

C Auggie Moore, F Will Duda, F Zach Risteau

C Jordan Roo, F Jerry Calengor, F Luke Horton

D Ben Newhouse, D Peter Heimbold

D Jack Lawton, D Nick Austin

D Cade Gleekel, D Connor Mayer

G Jalen Long 10-6-1 3.48 GAA, .865 SV/G Ryan Bischel 3-1-2, 2.93 GAA, .845 SV

HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC- 2013-14 Record: 20-6-1, Section Semifinalists

Conference: Wright Co.

Youngsters You Should Know: James Marooney, Ben Almquist, Brady Ziemer, Jaxson Stauber

Last State Title: N/A

Top Returning Scorers: F John Peterson 62 points, Will Garin 36 points, Matt Runyon 21 points, Patrick Reddan 20 points, Tyler Rock 17 points, Matt Anderson 14 points

Key Losses from last season: Ryan Swanson 51 points, Joey Marooney 46 points, Dylan Woolf 29 points, Jake Dickison 24 points, Derek LaCombe 9-4-1, 2.44 GAA, .914 SV, Dayton Rasmussen 10-1

EDEN PRAIRIE- 2013-14 Record: 18-10-3, Section Winner

Conference: Lake 

Youngsters You Should Know: Casey Mittelstadt, Nolan Sullivan

Last State Title: 2011

Top Returning Scorers: F Riley Argetsinger, F Michael Graham, D Brady Schoo, D Andy Aguilar, D Marc Sullivan

Key Losses from last season: Steven Spinner 39 points, Luc Snuggerud 38 points, Colton Schmidt 18 points, Harry Pajor 3 points, Michael Parrish 11 points, Jack Keeley 14 points, Jack Sullivan 17 points, Jesse Niederer 5 points, Jack Claeys 9 points, Erik Evers 2.35 GAA, Jake Gerdes 2.75 GAA, .897 SV,

Potential Lines:

C Riley Argetsinger, F Casey Mittelstadt , F Michael Graham

C Charlie Lawrence, F Cole Lawrence, F Carter Pattison

C Nolan Sullivan, F Matt Hastings, F Spencer Steen
C Wesley Young, F Alex Pezon, F Evan Cocallas

D Brady Schoo, D Andy Aguilar

D Marc Sullivan, D Brett Boldenow

D Nicky Leivermann, D Louie Roehl

G Shaun Durocher OR Nick Wiencek

MINNETONKA- 2013-14 Record: 8-18, Section Quarterfinalists

Conference: Lake 

Youngsters You Should Know: K'Andre Miller, TJ Rogers

Last State Title: N/A

Top Returning Scorers: F Gavin Payne, F Nick Greene, D John Schuldt, Sam McNeil, Jacob Klein

Key Losses from last season: AJ Klein 12 points, Jack Kuehn 8 points, Jacob Nelson 6 points

Potential Lines:

C Gavin Payne, F Nick Greene, F Brendan Skarda

C Jacob Klein, F Max Cavanaugh, F Dominic Picciano

C K'Andre Miller, F TJ Rogers, F Jack Bowman
C Brendan Ryan, F Pierson Pass, F Mario Bertogliat

D John Schuldt, D Pieter VonSteinbergs

D Zachary Van Sant, D Ty Cousineau
D Jack Kuzma, D Ben Hersman

G Jacob Berger 7-11, 2.98 GAA, .898 SV, GK Thomas Hanson

6. Hopkins, 7. Robbinsdale Cooper/Armstrong (Trey Rooney SR returns)

MNHSPuck Top-20

1. Lakeville North (1AA) 

The Panthers return nearly the entire core of last year's state runner-up team and they should only be better this year. The three Poehling brothers give them one of the top lines in the state, and on the blue line, Jack McNeely and Jack Sadek are excellent defenders, and two of only a handful of players still playing high school hockey that will be considered as potential NHL Draft picks this summer.

College commitments: Jack Poehling(St. Cloud), Nick Poehling(St. Cloud), Ryan Poehling(St. Cloud), Jack McNeely(Omaha), Jack Sadek(Minnesota), Ryan Edquist(Minnesota)

Newcomer to Watch: The Panthers lost star freshman goalie Jake Oettinger to the NTDP, but found a pretty solid replacement. Minnesota commit Ryan Edquist returned home from Shattuck-St. Mary's to give Lakeville North one of the top goalies in the state.

2. St. Thomas Academy (3AA)

The Cadets lost their top forward in Tommy Novak, but return one of the most dynamic duos in the state in Odeen Tufto and Christiano Versich, and Alec Broetzman adds some muscle and scoring punch. Their defense, which was a weak point last year should be much stronger with senior Seamus Donohue and sophomore Brian Hurley, both top-end talents, with an extra year of maturity.

College commitments: Seamus Donohue(Air Force), Christiano Versich(Colorado College), Brian Hurley (Ohio State).

Newcomer to Watch: Sophomore defenseman Robbie Stucker played sparingly with the varsity squad last year, but spent the majority of the season on the JV squad. Stucker is a big kid that was a bit overlooked because of a late birthdate, but impressed Waterloo of the USHL enough over the summer to earn a spot on their affiliate list despite being undrafted.

3. Edina (2AA)

The late departures of Ryan Zuhlsdorf and Kieffer Bellows were a huge blow to the Hornets--Zuhlsdorf especially as depth on defense always seems to be a concern for Edina. But it's just hard to pick against the depth Edina has year after year. There's not another school in the state that can roll three lines like Edina can.

College commits: Garrett Wait(Minnesota), Dylan Malmquist(Notre Dame), Henry Bowlby(St. Lawrence)

Newcomers to Watch: Sammy Walker, the brother of former Hornets Ben and Jack is a small, speedy forward that should make an immediate impact. Fellow freshman Clayton Phillips can be one of the most dynamic skaters in his age group when he's playing well.

4. Elk River (7AA)

The Elks will rely heavily on the duo of Jake Jaremko and Reggie Lutz, who combined to tear up this fall's Elite League. Veterans like Dylan Bouten and Ben Johnson just missed out on playing in the Elite League this year, but had strong fall seasons elsewhere and should be great contributors. Matt Kiersted gives them one of the most exciting offensive defensemen in the state. The big question will be in goal, where they will likely have to rely on Ben Meyers in a goal, a sophomore that is talented, but untested at the high school level.

College commitments: Matt Kiersted(North Dakota), Jake Jaremko(Minnesota State)

Newcomers to Watch: Jax Murray and Jensen Zerban formed one of the best Bantam duos in the state last year, and should add some offensive punch behind Jaremko and Lutz this year.

5. Wayzata (6AA)

Every year, Wayzata is one of the toughest defensive teams in the state. They lost star goalie Vaughan Ahrens juniors over the summer, but his replacement, Alex Schilling, should fill that role very effectively. The defense in front of him is very deep too, led by Alex Stevens and Hank Sorenson. Junior Max Zimmer can be one of the most electric forwards in the state and the duo of Mark Senden and Luke Paterson should have breakout seasons after being solid contributors last year as rookies.

College commitments: Mark Senden(North Dakota), Max Zimmer(Wisconsin)

Newcomers to Watch: Freshman Griffin Ness made big strides over the fall Elite League season and should make an immediate impact for the Trojans.

6. Hill-Murray (4AA)

The Pioneers lost a lot of talent off of last year's squad, including NTDP forward Joey Anderson, but that's not unusual for Hill-Murray, and they always seem to find a way to reload with talent. Their defense has a great mix of physicality with Jacob Olson and Mikey Anderson and finesse with Casey Staum and Davis Zarembinski. The offense isn't as explosive as last year, but there are some very good young players that should become more effective as they gain experience throughout the year.

College commitments: Jacob Olson(Harvard), Mikey Anderson(Minnesota Duluth)

Newcomers to Watch: '99-born forwards Dylan Mills, Kyler Yeo, and Marko Reifenberger all have the potential to be solid contributors this year and will be closely watched by scouts this year. Though he'll likely at least start the season as the back-up, sophomore goalie Jake Begley has lots of potential.

7. Benilde-St. Margaret's (6AA)

As usual, there are a lot of offensive weapons for Benilde-St. Margaret's. Seniors like Mark Kaske and Chase Jungels are backed up by talented youngsters like Zach Risteau and Auggie Moore. Keeping pucks out of their net will be the big challenge. They have a very mobile blue line, but a lack of shutdown defenders may hurt them against better teams.

College commitments: Ben Newhouse(Union)

Newcomers to watch: Power forward Cade Gleekel followed in the footsteps of former Knights Spencer Naas and Johnny Austin in transferring in from Blake. He should be an immediate contributor. Sophomore defenseman Connor Mayer is a very skilled offensive defenseman that will make a big impact.

8. Holy Family Catholic (6AA)

Holy Family is coming off their first 20-win season in school history and have climbed in the Section 6AA rankings every season since they came in to Class 2A. In 2011-12 they debuted at No. 6 losing to eventual state champion Benilde. In 2012-13 the Fire were the No. 5 seed losing to No. 4-seeded Eden Prairie. In 2013-14 Holy Family hosted as a 4-seed as the Fire defeated Minnetonka and lost in the semifinals to Eden Prairie.  

College commitments: Matt Anderson(Minnesota Duluth), Will Garin(Connecticut), John Peterson (To Be Announced in the near future).

Newcomers to Watch: Senior goalie Gabe Heifort transferred into Holy Family from Bemidji last year, giving Holy Family a strong, experience replacement after Dayton Rasmussen left the school to play AAA hockey in Colorado over the summer. Sophomore goalie Jaxson Stauber (son of Hobey Baker Award winner, Robb Stauber) transfers from Benilde to Holy Family and will be seeing playing time at some point this year. Brady Ziemer, a ninth grade defenseman comes in to the program and played in the Bantam Elite League this past year.

9. Duluth East (7AA)

The Greyhounds almost always find a way to be a strong team, and this year, led by the offense of the Altmann brothers, they should have another strong squad that should be in the hunt for a return to the state tournament.

College commitments: None

Newcomer to Watch: Freshman Luke LaMaster is a strong kid capable of playing either forward or defense and should have no difficulty adjusting to the stronger, faster competition of high school hockey.

10. Eden Prairie (6AA)

Eden Prairie is one of the biggest schools in the state, and as a result, always has a deep, mature team, even if they don't quite have the same top-end talent as the rest of the state. Michael Graham and Casey Mittelstadt will be relied on for scoring, but there are a lot of above average upperclassmen on their roster that will keep them competitive against anyone in the state.

College commitments; Michael Graham(Minnesota Duluth), Casey Mittelstadt(Minnesota)

Newcomers to Watch: After a great performance in the Elite League that earned him a scholarship to Minnesota, it seems weird to think that Casey Mittelstadt hasn't played a high school game yet. Sophomores Nolan Sullivan and Nick Leivermann will be key contributors too.

Rest of the Top-20, 11-20:

11. Maple Grove

12. Grand Rapids

13. Burnsville

14. Stillwater

15. Moorhead

16. Blaine

17. Prior Lake

18. Cretin Derham-Hall

19. Minnetonka

20. Centennial

Section Favorites:

Class AA: 1AA: Lakeville North 2AA: Edina 3AA: St. Thomas Academy 4AA: Hill-Murray 5AA: Maple Grove 6AA: Wayzata 7AA: Elk River 8AA: Moorhead

Have a Wonderful Year Hockey Fans!! 

Twitter: @AVJ21

Instagram: Aaron Morem

HOCKEY TODAY: The Lake Eight Conference

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- As the Minnesota Boy's High School hockey season counts down I want to take a look at what would be (in my mind) an amazing conference of high school hockey that would develop some of the best Junior Hockey or Division I college-ready talent and be only 23 miles a part from each other (farthest travel being Victoria to St. Louis Park, Holy Family to Benilde). Ladies and gentlemen I give you (drum roll) the Lake Eight Conference.

Let's face it, Holy Family Catholic High School should not be in the Wright County Conference. The Fire, which were combined with Waconia High School for many years, have developed a program that can compete with the likes of Wayzata, Benilde St. Margaret's and Eden Prairie. Benilde recently joined the Metro West Conference with Bloomington Jefferson, Bloomington Kennedy, Chaska, Richfield, St. Louis Park and Chanhassen. The school broke away from the North Suburban conference year's ago so they could play teams that would help them get ready for the State Tournament; it worked, the school won a State Title in 2012. And then there is Chanhassen High School. A new institution in its own right, which shares the Victoria Ice Center with Holy Family, is also a part of the Metro West Conference.

Schools a part of the "Lake Eight Conference"- Holy Family (6AA) (Victoria), Chanhassen (Chanhassen), Eden Prairie (6AA), Minnetonka (6AA), Wayzata (6AA), Hopkins (6AA), Edina, Benilde St. Margaret's (6AA).

Imagine the rivalries that because of Section 6AA are already in place and could be even better rivalries with a great crowd atmosphere on hand if Edina and Benilde played twice a year, Chanhassen and Minnetonka played twice a year or (me included) wouldn't you love to see Holy Family and Eden Prairie play twice a year? It would also give all schools involved a chance to increase their state ranking and play double the amount of section games. This year Holy Family plays 7 section games. If this was how things were today HFC would play 13 section games. Think of how much better the players would be and how much more prepared they'd be for playoff time.

Here is Holy Family's Schedule this year and what it looks like:

HFC 2014-15 Schedule:

November 21	Edina	Wayzata	Friday	5:00pm
November 23	TBD	Wayzata	Saturday	TBD
November 29	Stillwater	Holy Family	Saturday	3:00pm
December 2	Breck	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
December 9	New Prague	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
December 11	Mound	Holy Family	Thursday	7:00pm
December 13	Moorhead	Moorhead	Saturday	4:00pm
December 16	Benilde	Benilde	Tuesday	7:00pm
December 20	Minnetonka	Minnetonka	Saturday	7:00pm
December 29	Wayzata	St. Louis Park	Monday	TBD
December 30	Prior Lake	St. Louis Park	Tuesday	TBD
December 31	Benilde	St. Louis Park	Wednesday	TBD
January 6	Delano	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 10	Wayzata	Wayzata	Saturday	7:00pm
January 13	Mound	Mound	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 20	Waconia	Waconia	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 22	Orono	Orono	Thursday	7:00pm
January 27	Litchfield	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 29	Delano	Delano	Thursday	7:00pm
February 3	New Prague	New Prague	Tuesday	7:15pm
February 5	Hopkins	Holy Family	Thursday	7:00pm
February 7	Duluth Marshall	Holy Family	Saturday	5:00pm
February 10	Hutchinson	Hutchinson	Tuesday	7:00pm
*February 14	St. Thomas	Holy Family	Saturday	7:00pm

Here is what the Holy Family Schedule could look like if a part of the "Lake Eight Conference"

November 21	Edina	Wayzata	Friday	5:00pm
November 23	TBD	Wayzata	Saturday	TBD
November 29	at Minnetonka*	Minnetonka	Saturday	3:00pm
December 2	Breck	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
December 9	Chanhassen*	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
December 11	Eden Prairie*	Holy Family	Thursday	7:00pm
December 13	at Moorhead	Moorhead	Saturday	4:00pm
December 16	at Benilde*	Benilde	Tuesday	7:00pm
December 20	Hopkins*	Holy Family	Saturday	7:00pm
December 29	Wayzata	St. Louis Park	Monday	TBD
December 30	Prior Lake	St. Louis Park	Tuesday	TBD
December 31	Benilde	St. Louis Park	Wednesday	TBD
January 6	Edina*	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 10	at Wayzata*	Wayzata	Saturday	7:00pm
January 13	at Hill Murray	Hill Murray	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 20	Minnetonka*	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 22	at Chanhassen*	Chanhassen	Thursday	7:00pm
January 27	Wayzata*	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:00pm
January 29	at Hopkins*	Hopkins	Thursday	7:00pm
February 3	Benilde*	Holy Family	Tuesday	7:15pm
February 5	at Edina*	Edina	Thursday	7:00pm
February 7	Waconia	Holy Family	Saturday	5:00pm
February 10	at Eden Prairie*	Eden Prairie	Tuesday	7:00pm
*February 14	St. Thomas	Holy Family	Saturday	7:00pm

Pretty cool right? I know the best recruits would think so, maybe go to Benilde or Holy Family instead of Shattuck St. Mary's?

*Conference games

Follow me on Twitter @AVJ21 or on Instagram @AaronDoubleAA

-----------------------------------------------Preseason Rankings from August 7, 2014----------------------------

 #1 Wayzata Trojans- The Trojans return their top scorer, Wisconsin commit Max Zimmer. Wayzata also brings back 45% of their scoring from last season and four of their top seven players. Wayzata lost 2-1 to Benilde in the Section 6AA Semifinals after having a phenomenal year going 20-6-1. Hank Sorensen should grow into a top defenseman this year. The Trojans host the annual Turkey Trot tourney to open the season with Edina and Holy Family.

Max Zimmer leads the Trojans into the 2014-15 season

2013-14 Record: 20-6-1, Section Semifinalists

Conference: Lake 

Youngsters You Should Know: Griffin Ness, Colin Schmidt, Andrew Urban

Last State Title: N/A

Top Returning Scorers: F Max Zimmer, Mark Senden, Alex Stevens, Luke Paterson, Billy Duma, Hank Sorensen

Key Losses from last season: Matt Freytag, Jack Sorensen 25 ponts, Chandler Lindstrand 13 points, Chad Olson 14 points, Brian Machut 8 points, Chase Heising 8 points, Alec Hemenway 11 points

Potential Lines:

C Max Zimmer, F _______, F _______

C Mark Senden, F Billy Duma, F Luke Paterson

C Jack Fetrow, F Nate Dingmann, F Erik Branyon

D _____________, D Hank Sorensen

D _____________, D Alex Stevens

D Carter Spindler, D Jake Moelk

G Vaughn Arens 15-5-1, 1.43 GAA, .935 SV

 #2 Holy Family Catholic Fire- The Fire return the school's all-time leading scorer (191 career points), center John Peterson (62 points last season). Holy Family returns UConn commit Will Garin and Minnesota-Duluth commit Matt Anderson. HFC also brings back six of their top ten scorers. Holy Family lost the state's top scoring defenseman Ryan Swanson (Army) to graduation. Alabama-Huntsville commit Joey Marooney, USHL draft pick Dylan Woolf, first line forward Jake Dickison and starting goalie Derek LaCombe all graduated from last season and will be tough to replace.

The Fire made their first ever Section 6AA Semifinals last season and have scrimmaged Holy Angels, Cretin Derham Hall and Elk River this summer. HFC won 20 games for the first time in school history going 20-6-1, won their second straight outright Wright County Conference title and earned their spot for this upcoming season in the 6AA discussion after dismantling Benilde 7-3 last December. Matt Anderson should grow into a top scoring defenseman this year. Goalie Gabe Heifort (Bemidji) of the High School Elite team North moves into the net for Holy Family. Last season Heifort posted a .900 SV percentage while seeing 599 shots on goal for Bemidji.

Holy Family brings back 58% of the team's scoring (206 points out of 356) as they scored the fifth most goals in the state last season with 125 and allowed just the fifth least amount of goals with 48. The Fire begin the year for the third straight season against Edina in the Turkey Trot Tourney from Plymouth Ice Arena. HFC also plays in their first Holiday tournament this season at Benilde.

John Peterson takes over as the senior leader for Holy Family

2013-14 Record: 20-6-1, Section Semifinalists

Conference: Wright Co.

Youngsters You Should Know: James Marooney, Ben Almquist, Brady Ziemer

Last State Title: N/A

Top Returning Scorers: F John Peterson 62 points, Will Garin 36 points, Matt Runyon 21 points, Patrick Reddan 20 points, Tyler Rock 17 points, Matt Anderson 14 points

Key Losses from last season: Ryan Swanson 51 points, Joey Marooney 46 points, Dylan Woolf 29 points, Jake Dickison 24 points, Derek LaCombe 9-4-1, 2.44 GAA, .914 SV, Dayton Rasmussen 10-1

Potential Lines:

C John Peterson, F Will Garin, F Matt Runyon

C Ben Almquist, F Pat Reddan, F Tyler Rock 

C Wilson Jones, F Tommy Krueger, F Jaedin Ness

D Matt Anderson, D Hunter Ruschmeyer

D James Marooney, D Brady Ziemer (Bantam Elite)

D Devon Olson, D Bennett Hanson

G Gabe Heifort (High School Elite, Team North)

 #3 Eden Prairie Eagles- The Eagles return just 22% of their scoring from last season (53 points out of 237), which may hurt in the long run. E.P. loses Nebraska Omaha commits Luc Snuggerud and Steven Spinner and both goalies to graduation. The Eagles only return two of their top eight scorers but have new blood waiting in the wings. One player to watch will be Ryan Lesko who played in the Bantam Elite League this summer. It will be tough for Eden Prairie to make the state tournament with this group, but with Lee Smith as Head Coach you always have a chance.

Riley Argetsinger must help Eden Prairie's lack of experience

2013-14 Record: 18-10-3, Section Winner

Conference: Lake 

Youngsters You Should Know: Ryan Lesko, Matt Molenaar

Last State Title: 2011

Top Returning Scorers: F Riley Argetsinger, F Michael Graham, D Brady Schoo, D Andy Aguilar, D Marc Sullivan

Key Losses from last season: Steven Spinner 39 points, Luc Snuggerud 38 points, Colton Schmidt 18 points, Harry Pajor 3 points, Michael Parrish 11 points, Jack Keeley 14 points, Jack Sullivan 17 points, Jesse Niederer 5 points, Jack Claeys 9 points, Erik Evers 2.35 GAA, Jake Gerdes 2.75 GAA, .897 SV,

Potential Lines:

C Riley Argetsinger, F Charlie Lawrence, F Michael Graham

C_____________, F Cole Lawrence, F ______________

C  _____________, F ____________, F______________

D Brady Schoo, D Andy Aguilar

D Marc Sullivan, D Brett Boldenow

D ____________, D _____________

G ____________

 #4 Benilde St. Margaret's- The Red Knights bring back four of their top six scorers in Carter Roo, UConn commit Ben Newhouse, Chase Jungels and Matt Kaske. However they do lose UConn commit Spencer Naas, Johnny Austin, Evan Fleming and Nate Meyer to graduation, but still have 48% of their returning scoring (149 points out of 305). BSM can look to Carter Roo and Chase Jungels to lead them this season while also having U.S selects Zach Risteau, Connor Mayer and Ryan Bischel to provide talented depth. Normally I would place BSM ahead of Eden Prairie for a preseason ranking but I feel E.P will get the benefit after winning the section last season.

Carter Roo takes over the leadership role for BSM

2013-14 Record: 15-9-3, Section Finalists

Conference: Independent

Youngsters You Should Know: Zach Risteau, Connor Mayer and Goalie Ryan Bischel

Last State Title: 2012

Top Returning Scorers: F Carter Roo 35 points, Ben Newhouse 33 points, Chase Jungels 32 points, Mark Kaske 19 points, Nick Austin 15 points, Jack Lawton 14 points

Key Losses from last season: Spencer Naas, Johnny Austin, Evan Fleming, Nate Meyer, Zach Hale

Potential Lines:

C Carter Roo, F Chase Jungels, F Mark Kaske

C Auggie Moore, F Will Duda, F Zach Risteau

C Jacob Holmers, F Jerry Calengor, F ___________

D Ben Newhouse, D Peter Heimbold

D Jack Lawton, D Nick Austin

D Dylan Hewitt, D Connor Mayer

G Jalen Long 10-6-1 3.48 GAA, .865 SV/G Ryan Bischel 3-1-2, 2.93 GAA, .845 SV

 #5 Minnetonka Skippers- The Skippers return 80 percent of their scoring from last season (103 points out of 129), lead by Gavin Payne and Nick Greene. Minnetonka also have a numerous amount of young talent coming from the Elite League this year so watch out because they will most likely play much faster than a season ago.

2013-14 Record: 8-18, Section Quarterfinalists

Conference: Lake 

Youngsters You Should Know: K'Andre Miller, Ryan Elder

Last State Title: N/A

Top Returning Scorers: F Gavin Payne, F Nick Greene, D John Schuldt, Sam McNeil, Jacob Klein

Key Losses from last season: AJ Klein 12 points, Jack Kuehn 8 points, Jacob Nelson 6 points

Potential Lines:

C Gavin Payne, F Nick Greene, F Sam McNeil

C Max Cavanaugh, F ___________, F_________

C____________, F___________, F_________

D John Schuldt, D Pieter VonSteinbergs

D Ben Witta, D Ty Cousineau

G Jacob Berger 7-11, 2.98 GAA, .898 SV

Hockey Today: The Resurrection of A Lost Program

Returning Two-Time All-American Kelsey Smither holds the key to ODU's future success

ORLANDO, Fla. - Thirst, Hope, Belief and A Will to win like no other. This may describe the Old Dominion field hockey program as they are right now. The Winningest College field hockey program in the country, 9 National Championships, but without one since 2000. Many of the best players in the world went there because of its reputation for winning, and they have won, but not what they really desire. The team that ended the preseason defeating the No. 1-ranked team to start the season, Maryland, in College Park, had some growing up to do. Granted their four losses all to ranked teams are one-goal losses, but finishing and learning to finish offensively was a struggle..until this past weekend.

On Friday, Old Dominion, which had been ranked No. 9 in the country (yes rankings don't mean anything but still), was tied 1-1 against William and Mary with the majority of the second half still to play. Until at 45' ODU was granted a corner. You know the drill, Rosario Villagra inbounds and either Sarah Breen or someone else shoots. Well as frustrating as it has so far gone on the corner, it happened to go in the back of the cage this time. And again just over a minute later. 

Then on Sunday, one of the captains had to take control. Villagra took her years of experience and used her thousands of hours a week training to go from defense to offense and score for her team. Then in overtime, she received assistance from Breen to shoot an unbelievable shot that I still think is SportsCenter Top-10 worthy. 

Now with a week to prepare for James Madison, how does the school that still claims to be the best use its time to prepare for the in-state foe? They also have Villanova, then on the road against all-time rival Maryland. Underclassmen would love to overlook those next two games and see a red Terrapin. Do they give it their all or will they go backwards in their quest for 14 years of being Number One again?

The point is I haven't seen a loss at the L.R. Hill since ODU lost to Virginia in early 2013..No that's not it... the point is that now that they have learned and experienced finishing to win as a group, the confidence they receive from those games shows up in the next few, however it is up to the captains to see that through.

Take last year, Old Dominion was 1-6. They won a few games in a row then played No. 1 Maryland in College Park (which you will still regret if you are a hockey fan and weren't there). That year they ->Believed<- in each other after so many games of knowing they could beat anybody..and they did. They beat No. 1, which some will tell you was their favorite, then No. 4 UConn (eventual champ) and No. 2 North Carolina, which others say favorite. Skeptics that care enough about the sport would say..this year they don't have a Christy Longacre or a Dani "Star" Clutter to help them through. It's true that every person, every leader, is different. You can't compare any player to another because we all have different characteristics to help achieve a dream. So how are they to turn the year around, and "Rise"?

Simple. Their leaders are scoring/making big plays again. Goalkeeper Megan Hept, back Emily HarTing (no K), Katy Fuhrman, Cass Wagner, Teisha King, Nicole Goff, Breen are all making defensive and attacking plays this past week, which are helping the team win. Two-time All-American (Michael Jordan-like) Kelsey Smither is stepping into the offensive zone, doing everything she can on defense, and received two assists in the team's 3-1 win against The Tribe. Returning BIG EAST Player of the Year, Villagra also cashed in for 3 goals and what seems to be 2 assists in the wins against the Tribe and the 2-1 OT against the Blue Hens, oh and her attitude (the phrase-fake a smile), which reflects off the FR and Soph's, is way better. 

Rosario received Offensive Player of the Week, which Meg Byas also received this year, and looked like the offensive threat she ended last year's regular season as. However, you know it's not about one person. The game of Hockey, both Field and Ice is about a collective group of individuals building chemistry to finding each other and working toward the goal of being a champion, on and off the turf/rink.

Rosario Villagra, Old Dominion

BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
Rosario Villagra, Old Dominion, Sr., F/M
Villagra tallied three goals and two assists in a 2-0 week for ODU. In a 3-1 win at William & Mary on Friday, the senior stuffed the stat sheet with one goal, two assists and four shots before providing both goals in the Monarchs' 2-1 overtime victory against Delaware on Sunday. Villagra's 1.5 points per game this season rank third among BIG EAST players.

-----------------------From the BIG EAST------------------------------

 

First task, stay focused on James Madison. Then, when the time does come to play AT Maryland and AT UConn and AT Virginia the players will know they can not only stay toe-to-toe with these teams but that winning and winning in impressive fashion is more than achievable, it's Expected.

Hockey, is a family game. If you don't believe in each other, then you will never win. So I suppose if this program is to return to its former glory, it continues the next time they hold practice and not next Sunday.