Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 December 2015 16:08
Somerset boys’ varsity team is looking to ride its deep defensive corps to success in 2015-16
By Andrew Vitalis
“The best offense is a good defense.” “Defense wins championships.” Sports are full of clichés about defense. The 2015-16 Somerset High School boys’ hockey team is familiar with every one of them. The Spartans are well aware of the treasure chest of talent they have to work with from the blue line to the pipes. It’s just one of many reasons why, despite losing in the section semifinals the past three seasons, the 2015-16 campaign might signal a new era in Somerset hockey.
It starts between the pipes where the Spartans sport one of the best goalies in the area in Bryce Hanson. Stacked with experience, Hanson has excelled with the glove, stopping over 91 percent of the shots he’s faced over the past two plus seasons. Add in defensemen Wil Gauper and senior Dalton Lyons, and you quickly find out why the Spartans are giving up less than three goals per game. Additionally, expected to return soon is defensemen Austin Larson who, according to head coach Dan Gilkerson, was arguably the Spartans’ best D-man last season. Defense wins championships? That’s the idea.
“The pillar of our team is our goalie,” Gilkerson said. “We are built from the net out. We have solid defensemen who complement our goalie well. I think that’s definitely our strength – good goaltending and solid defensemen.”
That stability at the blue line comes at a perfect time for Gilkerson and his team. This season the Spartans introduce five freshman skaters to the varsity squad, including four freshman forwards. As a matter of fact, when looking at the roster of forwards, eight players are sophomores or younger which means, while Somerset has begun to build much-needed depth, the inexperience up front will come with it. Having a solid defensive corps to fall back on gives the red and black a much-needed safety blanket.
“It’s really important for our players to know that if they make a mistake someone is there to bail them out most of the time,” Gilkerson said. “Having that type of leadership that (Hanson) has is huge. He’s been through the rigors; he’s played in the big games. He has a lot of experience and so do the guys playing in front of him. That’s big for our young kids.”
No doubt the important pieces are there and with every piece, Gilkerson and his staff can feel the Spartans getting closer and closer to taking that next step. This season, two Somerset’s three losses (2-3 as of Dec. 16) have come by one goal, including one loss which came in overtime. Hampered by their lack of depth in past years, this season, eight players have already registered a point and three different players have lit the lamp four times. Momentum is building and everyone in Spartan country knows it.
“We just want to get better every day,” Gilkerson said. “We want to learn how to compete with those tougher teams and make a playoff run. In the past we haven’t quite had the depth to take that next step. We are starting to learn how to compete with those teams. We are close to taking that next step.”
Andrew Vitalis writes column in LPH geared towards Wisconsin hockey. He can be reached at lphprep@yahoo.com.
