Bumps and bruises are common in sports, especially in hockey. The Clarkston Wolves may be in for their fair share this season as the group returns six seniors, or one-quarter of its lineup.
Nearly half of a 2005-?06 Wolves? roster, which finished in second place in the Oakland Activities Association division I with a 12-2-2 record, has graduated.
‘We have more freshman and sophomores than normal,? coach Bryan Krygier said.
‘It’s that time in the cycle to rebuild. The guys are looking forward and learning some new things.?
Krygier, entering his ninth season as head coach, said the team should mesh well together and he looks for the team’s goaltending to be one of its strengths.
Junior Zack Lewy and Sophomore Garrett Knappe are the team’s two net-minders this season.
The Wolves are going to play a more defensively minded game than in seasons past. The Wolves aren’t going to be a fire-power type team as they have been, Krygier said.
‘We have to be more defensive-minded because we don’t have the scoring power we had in the past.?
Senior defensemen Taylor Turner is expected to lead the defense.
‘He is one of our captains,? Krygier said.
‘We look to him for leadership and to push the puck and contribute to scoring when he can jump in the play.?
Junior Ryan Kenerson, trading his cleats for ice skates after the football season, should make the team stronger.
‘He plays more of a gray style, more of a physical presence than finesse,? Krygier said.
‘He makes opportunities and checking in that way.?
Krygier expects to see the team’s hard work pay off noticeably in its play after the halfway point of the season.
‘Once they see the results, they’ll be willing to work a little bit harder,? he said.
In Krygier’s tenure, the Wolves have finished on top of the OAA I five times, but league play will be a challenge, he admitted.
‘We are going to get tested early’we’ve been on top for a very long time. We hope to continue that.?
Krygier looks forward to match-ups with league contenders Farmington, Birmingham and Rochester Hills Stoney Creek.
The annual Thanksgiving and Christmas tournaments make the coach’s radar also. The Wolves face division I champion Brighton in the opening round of the turkey day classic at Cranbrook on Nov. 24 at 5 p.m.
Clarkston takes on Cranbrook in the latter tournament, at the team’s home rink at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills.