Ninth-ranked SPASH boys continue late-season surge
With only four seniors on its roster and a first-year head
coach, the Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) boys hockey team has
continued to make progress this season.
After a 6-3 start, the ninth-ranked Panthers (12-4, 5-2)
have won six of their last seven games, following a 4-2 win at third-ranked
Wausau West (
8-1) Thursday, Jan. 21, and a 16-1 victory over Marshfield (
Jan. 26.
SPASH is scheduled to close out this week with games against
four ranked opponents in four days, starting with a matchup against
eighth-ranked Bay Port (13-5) at K.B. Willett Arena at
“The season’s going great,” said SPASH boys
hockey head coach Brandon Busse. “We’ve had four losses this season, but
obviously those losses were to some great teams.
“And we’re on a roll here,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep
the past in the past, and look forward to the last eight games (of the regular
season).”
After playing hockey at SPASH and the University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), Busse spent the last two seasons as an
assistant coach for the Panthers, and then took over as the head coach when Dan
Francis stepped down in the off-season following five seasons as SPASH’s head
coach.
“There’s always the unknown, coming in as a first-year head
coach,” said Busse. “It’s something that I didn’t know if I was actually going
to be a coach, or be the head coach, but the opportunity arose and I took it.
“And it’s been an unbelievable season so far,” he said.
The Panthers lost two-time Wisconsin Hockey Coaches
Association (WHCA) First Team All-State goalie Nathan Siclovan, Second Team
All-Wisconsin Valley Conference (WVC) defenseman Jake Dufresne, Honorable
Mention All-WVC forward Austin Haas and WHCA Honorable Mention All-State and
Second Team All-WVC forward Kobe Keller, who bypassed his senior year at SPASH
to play junior hockey for the Milwaukee Junior Admirals U18 team this season,
from last year’s team that finished 17-6-2 after they fell to Antigo/White Lake
2-0 in the Sectional Semifinals.
“We lost some guys that had some major minutes for us last
year, but some guys are obviously picking it up for us,” said Busse. “Some of
them we knew would step up, and some have obviously surprised us.
“And it’s a good thing to have,” he said.
Leading the returnees this season is WHCA First Team
All-State and Unanimous First Team All-WVC junior forward Brock Caufield (13
goals, 19 assists, 32 points this season), who has committed to play hockey at
NCAA Division 1 Ohio State University, and WHCA Honorable Mention All-State and
Honorable Mention All-WVC senior forward Grant Czaikowski (14 goals, 10
assists, 24 points), while freshman forward Cole Caufield, Brock’s younger
brother, joined the Panthers’ top line this season and leads the team in
scoring (17 goals, 16 assists, 33 points).
“Obviously the Caufield’s are very, very skilled,” said
Busse. “They’re all hockey, and it’s all business.
“And Grant had a great year for us last year, and he’s
continued it this year,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior forward Sam Medo, junior forward Zane
Fisher, junior forward Jacob Beilke, junior forward Treyton Zinda, junior
forward Chase Miller, sophomore forward Carter Smigaj, sophomore forward Devon
Blaes, sophomore forward Eli Haas and sophomore forward Jesse Pliska have all
contributed to an offense that is averaging 6.1 goals per game this season.
“Sam’s been playing a big role, he was hurt for a little
bit, but since he’s been back he’s been helping us out offensively,” said
Busse. “It’s good to have depth, and we’re starting to find that depth.”
Junior defensemen Mark Stoskopf (one goal, four assists) and
Dylan Minch and senior defenseman Noah Cychosz saw regular action a year ago,
and have been joined on the back line this season by junior Jarrett Jones (two
goals, 10 assists), junior Max Bancker, junior Brett Hiess and freshman Jake
Minch.
“All of those junior defensemen have been stepping up,” said
Busse. “The whole defensive corps has surprised the coaching staff, with
keeping it simple and doing what we ask of them.”
At goalie, junior Phil Trzebiatowski (7-4, 2.15 goals
against average, .911 save percentage) and senior Colin Schuh (4-0, 1.71 goals
against average, .84 save percentage) have both seen action in place of
Siclovan, who was a four-year starter for the Panthers.
“They both have been battling this year for playing time,
and they’ve both been stepping up when their name is called,” said Busse. “And
it’s obviously good to have two goalies that are elite like that.
“We like them battling each practice and we like them to
compete against each other, so we can find one that we can keep rolling with
come playoff time,” he said.
SPASH opened this season with wins in five of its first six
games, with its only loss a 7-2 defeat at fourth-ranked Antigo/White Lake
(17-1-1) Dec. 1, before the Panthers fell 2-0 at Wisconsin Rapids (13-7, 6-2)
Dec. 17 and 6-3 at home to 2015 State Runner-up Wausau West Dec. 22 to drop to 6-3 overall.
The Panthers improved to 10-4 with wins in four of their
next five games, as they lost 2-1 to top-ranked Appleton United (17-1) at the
Sentry Classic Jan. 8, before they went on the road and beat Wausau West 4-2
Thursday, Jan. 21, when Czaikowski scored two goals, Cole Caufield and Medo
each had one and Trzebiatowski made 33 saves.
That led into Tuesday night’s game at home against
Marshfield, where SPASH scored five goals in each of the first two periods to
build a 10-1 lead, and went on to a 16-1 victory, as Cole Caufield had four
goals and two assists, Beilke recorded a hat trick and Miller added two goals
and two assists to help the team improve to 12-4.
“We were getting scoring from all lines, and that’s always
good,” said Busse. “We’re clicking at the right time.
“Guys didn’t let up, and we just stayed on the gas,” he
said.
Meanwhile, Wausau West (15-2-1, 8-1) won 7-2 at Rapids
Tuesday night to take control at the top of the WVC standings over SPASH (6-2)
and Rapids (6-2), as West has conference games left against Merrill (4-13-1,
1-5) and D.C. Everest (8-10, 4-4).
“There’s only so much we can do,” said Busse of the
conference race. “So as of right now, we’ll just concentrate on every single
game and treat it like it’s our last.”
SPASH is set to host eighth-ranked Bay Port
Thursday night and then will travel to take on fifth-ranked
Neenah/Hortonville/Menasha (
at
29.
The Panthers will follow with the Showdown in Titletown in Green Bay this weekend,
where they will play 12th-ranked Green Bay Notre Dame (9-5) at
11th-ranked Madison Edgewood (
at
31, to conclude a stretch of four ranked opponents in four days.
SPASH will be back at K.B. Willett Arena to take on
Baraboo/Portage (
in a nonconference game Tuesday, Feb. 2, before it closes the regular season
with conference games at Rapids (Feb. 4), at home against Merrill (Feb. 9) and
at D.C. Everest (Feb.11).
The WIAA postseason is set to begin the following week with
the Regional Quarterfinals Tuesday, Feb. 16, as the Panthers will compete in a
Sectional that includes fellow ranked teams Wausau West and Antigo/White Lake.
“I just want them to continue to get better each day,” said
Busse. “Be better than the last period, be better than their last shift, and
just continue to grow each game and each practice.
“And just get things rolling here come playoff time,” he
said.
