St. Cloud State Hockey: 2009-10 Season Preview

In the world of college hockey, experience is a critical component of any team's success in a given season.

As St. Cloud State looks ahead to the upcoming season, the return of 22 players and four of team's top five point producers from 2008-09 certainly bode well for the team's success during the winter of 2009-10.

"One of our biggest strengths is that were are a maturing team," said St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko, who begins his fifth season with the Huskies in 2009-10. "Our team had a lot of young guys last year, and those players are returning this year after seeing a lot of ice time in 2008-09.

"There is no substitute for experience, and we were fortunate to have our players gain a lot of experience in critical areas last year."

SCSU will return eight defenders, 12 forwards and two goaltenders from a team that posted a solid 18-17-3 overall record in 2008-09. The Huskies were 13-13-2 in the rugged WCHA last year, and they were ranked among the nation's top 20 teams for much of the 2008-09 campaign.

The Huskies' 2009-10 roster is loaded with notable returners at all positions, and the strong recruit class this year features two third round NHL draft picks.

On offense, the Huskies will see proflic point producer Ryan Lasch enter his senior season in 2009-10. A two-time All-WCHA selection, Lasch earned All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist status during the 2007-08 season. Last winter, Lasch was named the HCA Division I Player of the Month in January 2009 and he joined the team's 100-point club.

Lasch currently ranks eighth in the team records with 134 career points (59g, 75a), and last year he charted 18 goals and 24 assists for the Huskies - along with a school record five game winning goals.

The Huskies were led in scoring last winter by Garrett Roe, who avoided the sophomore slump with a team-leading 31 assists and 48 points in 2008-09. An All-WCHA award recipient, Roe enters his junior season at SCSU with 93 points (35g, 58a) in just 77 games as a Husky.

"On paper, we have the manpower to take great strides on offense. Our returning players led by Lasch and Roe, along our two rookie forwards, will provide us with depth on offense," Motzko said.

SCSU will bring back 10 other veteran forwards in 2009-10. Junior forward Aaron Marvin ranked fourth on the squad last season with 27 points (10g, 17a), while Jared Festler (7g, 10a), Drew LeBlanc (8g, 7a), Jordy Christian (6g, 9a) and Travis Novak (5g, 10a) all enjoyed solid rookie campaigns last winter.

The group is completed by forwards senior Ryan Peckskamp, and juniors Brian Volpei (2g, 8a), Tony Mosey (4g, 5a), Nick Oslund (4g, 3a) and Mitch Ryan (2g, 1a).

To compliment this solid nucleus, the Huskies have added David Eddy (Woodbury) and Ben Hanowski (Little Falls) to the fold. A standout in the USHL, Eddy scored 59 points last year at Sioux Falls.

Hanowski capped a legendary prep hockey career at nearby Little Falls High School in 2008-09, by setting a new state record with 405 career points. His efforts did not go unnoticed as he was selected in the third round of the 2009 NHL draft by Pittsburgh.

"We are fortunate to have enough experience and depth throughout our roster that we won't have to rely heavily on those new players," Motzko said. "But, we also know that our new players have the ability to make a huge impact with our program and in the WCHA over the next four seasons."

On the other end of the rink, SCSU will face a few questions in goal, but the ingredients for success are certainly in place this winter. Junior Dan Dunn will be back for his third campaign after charting a .904 save rate and 2.60 goals-against average in 2008-09.

Sophomore Nate Hardy will also return to the nets for SCSU, while newcomer Mike Lee (Roseau) brings in an impressive goaltending resume that includes leading Fargo to the USHL's Clark Cup finals in 2009.

The 2009 USHL and USA Hockey junior goaltender of the year, Lee was selected in the third round of the 2009 NHL draft by Phoenix. Lee is also projected to be a member of the 2010 U.S. National Junior Team.

"We are excited about addition of Mike Lee to St. Cloud State," Motzko said. "He made great strides as a goaltender over the last few years and he shows all the signs of being an elite collegiate goalie."

St. Cloud State's defense will also benefit from the return of several key players this winter. Tops on that list will be senior Garrett Raboin.

A two-year team captain, Raboin posted career-high numbers in 2008-09 with 10 goals and 23 assists. For his efforts, Raboin shared team MVP honors with Roe last year and was also named to the All-WCHA squad. His ability to score and unmatched leadership skills will certainly be big factors for the Husky in 2009-10.

"Garrett Raboin will return after an All-WCHA and team MVP season in 2008-09," Motzko said. "Without question he will be the leader of the team and anchor of our defensive unit."

In addition to Raboin, SCSU will bring back seven defenders including sophomore Sam Zabkowicz (3g, 8a), junior Brett Barta (1g, 8a), junior Chris Hepp (2g, 6a), junior Nic Rioux (3g, 4a), senior Craig Gaudet (3a), sophomore Oliver Lauridsen (1a) and senior Jon Ammerman. Of note, Lauridsen earned a spot on the 2009 Danish World Junior Team and he was also a 2009 draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The foundation for success on defense is evident by the fact that SCSU outscored its opponents 122-107 in 2008-09.

"First and foremost, our success in 2009-10 will depend on the level of play that this group can achieve," Motzko said. "At times last year, we were going with four first-year players on defense, and how well our d-corps emerges this winter will be a key to our success. The experience many of our players gained last season was important, but they will need to take that next step with their games."

One area that Motzko hopes to see improvement on is his squad's special teams play. The Huskies were rated among the top teams in NCAA hockey in 2007-08 with a 22.8 percent power-play ratio. Last year, SCSU's efforts on the advantage fell to a 17.5 percent conversion rate. When their opponents had the advantage, SCSU owned a 78.8 percent penalty-kill rate in 2008-09.

Yes, the outlook for the upcoming campaign is bright for the Huskies. Motzko has set his sights on success in the WCHA and a return to the WCHA Final Five and the NCAA Division I tournament. SCSU missed both of those standards last year, but the Huskies have earned three WCHA Final Five trips and two NCAA bids since 2005-06.

"We have a lot of quality depth in many areas and with much experience in those positions," Motzko said. "We did a lot of very good things last year as we grew in many areas throughout the season. Our off-season training was outstanding, and our team leadership is as good as I have seen - so our optimism is very high for this team in 2009-10. The key ingredient will be how this group matures and comes together with the solid foundation with have built."

The upcoming 2009-10 schedule will provide a strong test for the Huskies. The non-conference portion of the schedule will include a season-opening trip to Miami (Ohio) - a squad that placed second at the 2009 NCAA Division I championships.

Other non-conference tests include Union, Brown and Quinnipiac. Of course, SCSU will also compete in another full season of action in the always rugged Western Collegiate Hockey Association. SCSU will open play in the league on Oct. 23-24 with a home series against Minnesota Duluth.

"As I look ahead to my fifth season in the WCHA, I keep thinking of that movie "Groundhog Day", because at the start of every season you keep facing that same relentless schedule in the WCHA. Our conference is a definite challenge that puts a team and program to the test, and this season should be no different," Motzko said.