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2004-05 UW-Stevens Point Men's
Hockey Preview
The newcomers on the UW-Stevens
Point men�s hockey roster have head coach Joe Baldarotta excited about the
upcoming season, but the veteran coach knows they�re not the group that�s going
to lead the Pointers back to the top of the NCHA standings.
Rather, it�s the six experienced seniors with a
combined 452 games played over the past three years that are the key to the
Pointers� success.
�We have a great nucleus of guys that have been among
our top two or three scorers the past few years,� said Baldarotta, who begins
his 13th season. �As every team in this league knows, if their older players
don�t play up their potential, it could be a long season. So far, I�ve been
impressed and I think everybody�s attitude is pretty incredible.�
The Pointers were 10-4-1 at mid-season last year, but
struggled the second half of the year with a 3-8-2 record down the stretch.
However, some of that disappointment was eased when the Pointers beat
UW-Superior in a mini-game in the NCHA quarterfinals to reach the league
semifinals for the eighth straight year.
Five of the six returning seniors are forwards,
including Adam Kostichka, who led the team in scoring the past two years and
Mike Brolsma, who was second in scoring the past two years after leading the
team in 2001-02. Ryan Kirchhoff, David Lee and Nick Molski also have been
regulars on the forward lines the past three years.
Other top returnees on offense are juniors Brent
Halverson, Mark Peters and Dan Francis as well as sophomores Brett Coburn and
Nick Zebro. Overall, 14 of the team�s top 15 scorers from last year are back,
equaling 89 percent of the team�s scoring.
Defensively, Derrick Johnson is the lone returning
senior and is joined by experienced juniors Jordan Blair and James Jernberg.
Sophomores Chris Gehrke, Adam Setten and Anthony Noreen all gained valuable
playing time last season.
Several newcomers will also join the lineup and the
biggest impact will be at goaltender where three-year starter Ryan Scott has
departed. Freshmen Bryn Davies and Jim Redpath are expected to compete for
playing time.
�I really like the new kids we�ve got,� Baldarotta
said. �I think the two goalies can be big-time goalies. They come to us with
great resumes.�
Overall, Baldarotta is optimistic about turning around
the misfortunes of the second half of last year.
�We had
some very tough things happen to us late last season, but that�s behind us,� he
said. �We�re young, but we have a good base. We�ve got some kids that show a lot
of promise and I�m looking forward to having an improved season.� |
