After reaching quarterfinals, Jackson United hockey takes aim at next step
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Jackson – The record book was rewritten, from goals scored to wins accumulated to a final playoff destination reached.
And all that occurred in one year for the Jackson United hockey team last winter.
So, a year later, with many of the same characters back in the mix, well, it’s time for more.
At least that’s the attitude Andy Sinkovitz and his guys are hitting the ice with.
“The goal is to do what we did last year, but go a step further,” Sinkovitz said. “We’re going to face better competition. We’re going to be tested. But that’s what I think this team is capable of.”
The Vikings’ success in 2014-15 paved the way for a whole new round of interest, as 32 players tried out for the squad.
“And we had a lot of higher-skilled players come out, guys that played travel hockey last year,” Sinkovitz said. “We’ve been able to replace a lot of what we lost, which was awesome.”
Jackson rolled to a 22-5-1 record last winter, the best in program history.
There has been some talent to replace, though, namely Matthew Stamler who was a point-producing machine as a senior.
In 28 games, he scored 51 goals while handing out 45 assists.
Billy Bonser and his 25 goals and 30 assists also graduated
“We lost a lot of offense,” Sinkovitz said. “But we’re fortunate to have a very deep team. We have three solid lines that we can rotate and are interchangeable.”
Jackson also returned its entire defensive group, while adding travel player Cyle Risinger and Swedish exchange student Oscar Longberg on the back end.
The results have been as predictable as they are enjoyable for the guys in orange and black.
As of Tuesday morning, Jackson was 3-1-1 and in those five games had given up a total of nine goals.
The offense hasn’t been bad either, scoring 21 in that time.
“We’re not a team that’s going to have that big scorer,” Sinkovitz said. “This has to be scoring by committee, and so far we’ve done that.”
There’s a lot of hockey to be played in a season that’s more of a marathon than a sprint from now until late February.
But Sinkovitz knows this may be a group, similar to last year, that could find its stride come playoff time.
“As a travel coach, I knew having three lines was essential. At the high school level, you can get away with two good lines,” Sinkovitz said. “But we see ourselves as a dangerous team with three lines we can role out there at any time. Then you factor in the defense and goaltending, and we have a chance to really make a run again. We’re not going to surprise anyone like we did last year, but the goal is get to that level and beyond.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.