July 9, 2018 at 10:32 a.m.
Hodag hockey makes the most of summer ice
Hodag hockey makes the most of summer ice
The two-week session - which wrapped up Friday night with a scrimmage against Tomahawk - included five scrimmages, eight morning practices and several trips to the weight room.
There is not a ton that can be done in two weeks, but coach M.J. Laggis said the summer program has been beneficial, especially for those players moving up to the high school level from the bantam ranks.
"The biggest thing that I felt (was important) was getting kids to laugh and talk in the locker room, getting a good practice tempo - which we have had most of the time," he said. "We've maybe had one not so good practice in two weeks to be honest. I think all of that leads kids to say, 'OK, this is how it's going to feel. This is what I can expect. This is how the locker room feels.' And I think they hit the ice way more comfortable in November."
Coming off a 16-10-0 season that included a memorable overtime playoff win over Mosinee, the Hodags are slated to have plenty of talent returning, including its top five goal scorers from last year and starting goalie Seth Stafford. The biggest losses to graduation include team captain and solid forward Cole Spaulding, and top blue liner Matthias Schneider.
Laggis said the team is expected to gain a number of freshmen and sophomores from the bantam level and the summer program has been an opportunity to get familiar with their new teammates.
"We've really got an idea of how they can play, where they fit in, how they can help us," he said. "The big thing, I think, is getting those guys acclimated to the locker room and getting a little bit of cohesion going there. I've been really happy with that aspect of it."
As it was last offseason, the weight room has been a major point of emphasis this summer for Laggis and his staff. Every 90-minute on-ice practice session was followed by a 45-minute weight room session at RHS. The team lifted for 90 minutes last Thursday when it did not have any available ice time.
"We've been doing OK with that," Laggis said of the weightlifting program. "I'm here every day and we have a good body of returning players that are here. You always want a few more, but those kids are making some great gains and I'm seeing some guys, this year, coming in a whole lot stronger than they were last year."
The Hodags have fared well in their scrimmages, playing Lakeland and Tomahawk twice and East/Merrill once. Laggis said the team had the upper hand on Lakeland in both meetings - and that the meeting between the teams June 27 in Minocqua had a varsity-type feel to it.
"I think we're going to be really competitive with our opponents in the conference, but there's a big difference between summer ice and having it go for real on varsity. But, I like what I see so far," Laggis said.
While the Hodags set a record for wins in a season last year, there was still a sense of unfinished business with the team. Rhinelander was swept by rival Lakeland last season and a loss to Mosinee in the regular season finale relegated the Hodags to fourth place in the final Great Northern Conference standings.
Then there's the matter of how the Rhinelander's season came to an end, a 10-0 shellacking at the hands of Northland Pines last February in the WIAA regional finals. That loss has provided fuel this offseason.
"Are you content to be just the second or third team or fourth team in the conference or do you want to try to knock off the best teams in the conference," Laggis asked rhetorically. "We want to get to that point where we can compete with the top team, or the top teams, on any given year. I think we're closer to that.
"I know it's July here but going into next season I'll tell you right now, hands down nobody has the talent depth that Pines does. They are heads and tails above the rest of the conference. After that, it's anyone's grab."
The team now has four months before it hits the ice to start winter practice Nov. 5.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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