Although it’s the second season of ice hockey at Cherry Creek, there’s a totally clean slate ahead in 2013-14.
Revived last season after more than two decades of dormancy, the school district’s co-op team struggled to a 2-16-1 record.
Many changes took place in the offseason as Jeff Mielnicki — a veteran of the local club hockey scene — took over as head coach and helped transform the outlook of the team, which performed very well in the fall league and hopes to continue the momentum when the puck drops this season.
“I’m not committing anything other than we want to take baby steps forward to improve from last year,” said Mielnicki, who replaced Dave Irish as head coach.
“I would be very disappointed if we didn’t do that from where we’ve come in the fall,” he added.
Featuring a roster of at least one player from six different schools — including several from Aurora from Cherokee Trail, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland and Smoky Hill — the Cherry Creek team comes into this season on other teams’ radar.
The fall team, a virtual carbon copy of what will play this winter, won a berth in the 2014 USA Hockey High School National Championship tournament.
Mielnicki is a defensive-minded coach and expects his team to be much better in that end than last season, when the Bruins surrendered 88 goals in 19 games, second most in the Foothills Conference.
Senior Mark Saxelby (Grandview) is a key figure along the blueline and should be backed by quality goaltending. Mielnicki is hoping his defense moves the puck forward quickly to create more scoring chances for an attack that should be by committee.
Regis Jesuit coach Dan Woodley faces more uncertainty coming into a season than he has in years past.
Nobody will overlook the Raiders — who have made at least the state semifinals in six straight seasons — but a sophomore-heavy roster beset early by injuries gives Woodley less of a sense than usual of how his team might look by the end of the season.
“There have been times I’ve known we’re one of the better teams and able to play at a higher level, but especially with our injuries and kids filling in those spots, we might struggle for awhile,” Woodley said. “I think we’ll be a playoff team, I just don’t know how far we might be able to go.”
Woodley has few qualms about his team’s ability to defend, especially with senior goalie Sam Harden in the net and a veteran defensive group that includes seniors Jack O’Neil and juniors Carter Alcock and Thomas Jahde, however offense concerns him.
Junior forward Connor Brennan is the only returner among the Raiders’ top five goal scorers from last season, when he had six goals and 20 assists.
Junior Jack Kilkenny and Woodley’s son, Cale, could develop into strong threats.
“If we win a game 2-0, it’s still a win,” Woodley said.
AURORA 2013-14 ICE HOCKEY SEASON
KEY DATES: Nov. 13 — Practice begins; Dec. 2 — Regular season begins; Feb. 8 — Regis Jesuit vs. Cherry Creek at Family Sports Center, 6 p.m.; Feb. 21 — First round of playoffs; Feb. 22 — Second round of playoffs; Feb. 28 — State semifinals (Denver Coliseum), 6 & 8 p.m.; March 1 — State championship game (Denver Coliseum), 3:30 p.m.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Carter Alcock, D, jr., Regis Jesuit; Connor Brennan, F, jr., Regis Jesuit; Michael Dubus, F, sr., Cherry Creek; Sam Harden, G, sr., Regis Jesuit; Thomas Jahde, D, jr., Regis Jesuit; Matt Jung, F, sr., Cherry Creek (Eaglecrest); Jack Kilkenny, F, soph., Regis Jesuit; Nick McWharter, F, sr., Cherry Creek; Brady Mielnicki, G, jr., Cherry Creek; Cody Oakes, F, jr., Cherry Creek (Cherokee Trail); Jack O’Neil, D, sr., Regis Jesuit; Quinton Reynolds, G, sr., Cherry Creek (Overland); Jackson Ross, D, jr., Cherry Creek (Smoky Hill); Mark Saxelby, D, sr., Cherry Creek (Grandview); Rick Torres, F, sr., Cherry Creek (Smoky Hill); Joel Walker, D, jr., Cherry Creek; Cale Woodley, F, soph., Regis Jesuit; Blake Yount, F, jr., Cherry Creek (Smoky Hill)
COACHES: Cherry Creek — Jeff Mielnicki; Regis Jesuit — Dan Woodley
For more information on the 2013-14 season, click here.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
