Youthful Montour hockey team looking ot surprise
Montour went just 4-17 last season and has only three seniors on this year’s roster.
But coach Dustin Kerr is encouraged by what he has seen from his young players.
“This is a younger team than I’ve had before,” Kerr said. “But we have a lot of ninth- and 10th-graders that are skilled and fast. They’ll get that experience they need early on. I’m excited. I think this will be one of the more fun seasons we’ve had.”
Forwards Vince Cataldo, Brian Gerstel and Brian Luebbe are the three seniors Montour will be relying on for not only leadership, but offense as well. Gerstel was the team’s third-leading scorer last season.
Kerr will also be looking to some of his younger players to chip in on offense and likes what he has seen from freshman Anthony Hartwick.
“He has shown a lot this preseason,” Kerr said. “He is exciting to watch.”
Two juniors, Brandon Heitzenrater and Jake Muzik, will both see time in net this season. The two both played last season, with Heitzenrater seeing the majority of the time between the pipes.
Coming off a tough season with so much youth, Kerr’s goals mostly revolve around the youngsters learning how the team likes to play.
“My goal is to have this group buy into what the coaches are asking,” Kerr said. “A lot of these kids haven’t had the opportunity to learn a lot different systems before. And the playoffs are always a goal every year.”
But coach Dustin Kerr is encouraged by what he has seen from his young players.
“This is a younger team than I’ve had before,” Kerr said. “But we have a lot of ninth- and 10th-graders that are skilled and fast. They’ll get that experience they need early on. I’m excited. I think this will be one of the more fun seasons we’ve had.”
Forwards Vince Cataldo, Brian Gerstel and Brian Luebbe are the three seniors Montour will be relying on for not only leadership, but offense as well. Gerstel was the team’s third-leading scorer last season.
Kerr will also be looking to some of his younger players to chip in on offense and likes what he has seen from freshman Anthony Hartwick.
“He has shown a lot this preseason,” Kerr said. “He is exciting to watch.”
Two juniors, Brandon Heitzenrater and Jake Muzik, will both see time in net this season. The two both played last season, with Heitzenrater seeing the majority of the time between the pipes.
Coming off a tough season with so much youth, Kerr’s goals mostly revolve around the youngsters learning how the team likes to play.
“My goal is to have this group buy into what the coaches are asking,” Kerr said. “A lot of these kids haven’t had the opportunity to learn a lot different systems before. And the playoffs are always a goal every year.”
hockey