“I’m guaranteeing this school another championship this year,” said senior captain, Michael Riley.
The Knoch Knights will start their season on September 18th when they take on the South Fayette Lions at 8:30 in Mt. Lebanon.
This year the players will have to work to defend their title as the Eastern Division Champions.
“Most likely the other teams will try very hard to beat us because we won the division last year, but I’m confident we can do it again,” said junior Joel Cendrowski. “If we’re going to pull through we need to focus on our strengths and weaknesses. Our strongest area is moving the puck quickly down the ice, but I think we will have some trouble keeping up on the defensive end.”
With the standing title the team will also have to think about how others will view them now.
“I’m sure their outlook on us is no different than any other team. They know they’re gonna’ have to come in and compete to get the win we’re gonna’ have to be just as strong,” said Riley.
Just like every year, this year starts off with a new set of worries for the team.
“With this being my first year on the team, I’m worried that the other players are going to be monsters compared to me,” said freshman Nathan Ruediger.
Ruediger took a personal approach to his concerns, while others focused on the whole team.
“My biggest concern for our upcoming season is how our team will play defensively after losing Zach Doran, a key defensive player from last year,” said Cendrowski.
This year, the debate on whether the so called “Slippery Rock Crew” should be able to play for Knoch. The “Slippery Rock Crew” is a group of four Slippery rock students that play on the team because they do not have a school team. The players seem to enjoy having them, with some mixed views.
“I think they should be allowed to play, under certain circumstances, because Slippery Rock and Knoch, by themselves, would not have enough players to make a team,” said sophomore Camden Jackson. “But I believe that the Slippery Rock kids should not be eligible for captain or assistant captain.”
The new season also comes with a new set of challenges for the team. One of which is the lack of a second goalie.
“Having one goalie is kind of a letdown in my mind,” Said Riley. “Even though our net is protected pretty well there is always that chance of an injury that will potentially lead to one of our players stepping up into a position that they’re not familiar with.”
Not everyone is as concerned as Riley though.
“Joel is a very good goalie and I am confident that he can handle all the games,” said coach Mavrick Geopfert
The team also has two new captains this year. Michael Riley is moving up to captain with Lance Cotton and Kane Albert as his alternates. Many of the players are looking forward to playing a season with their guidance.
“I feel like this year’s team captains definitely deserve their letters and are all very talented players,” said Ruediger.
Other players also agree that the new captains are qualified and offer great things to the team.
“I think our captains this year are very skilled and show good leadership on and off of the ice,” said Cendrowski. “They offer many things such as leadership skills and they motivate the players on the ice and encourage everyone to put in 100%.”
In addition to the captains, the team also gained four new players.
“The newest players offer a variety of skill some may shoot better some may skate better ect.” said Jackson. “Now it’s up to my coach find out what line combos will work best together.”
This year Knoch Hockey is looking to come back with the same attitude as last year and fight for another win. The players are closer than ever and ready to fight with their coach right behind them.
“This year we have a good group of players and we should be looking to build off of last year,” said Geopfert. “Our team is an older team this year and I expect us to make a run for the championship.”
