Solo mission for T-Birds

By Pete Watson/News Republic

Independence often requires sacrifice.

The Baraboo Thunderbirds boys hockey team can attest to that.

With the three-year co-op between Reedsburg and Baraboo (BRH) — which produced two Badger Conference titles — coming to an end last March, the Thunderbirds will be taking to the ice as a single unit on Saturday in their opener at Oconomowoc.

But it’s obvious so far that some benefits of the co-op — depth and experience — are no longer present.

"It’s nice to be on our own two feet as a program, but right now we’re very young and inexperienced," said BHS coach John Blosenski, who coached BRH the previous three years. "We do have talent, but our biggest task will be getting these kids in game situations and exposure to the JV and varsity type of play."

With only 24 players on the roster and less than half with any varsity contact, Blosenski expects some growing pains this year.

"There’s going to be a lot of mistakes made and that’s part of the game, but in time those mistakes will become fewer and fewer and hopefully kept to a minimum," Blosenski said. "It’ll be crucial to see how quickly our kids can adapt to the pace of the game. We just hope to continue improving and to stay healthy."

The T-Birds plan to lean on its two most experienced skaters and only seniors, four-year defensemen TJ Kaminski and Travis Benson.

Despite their roles on defense, the two players combined for 13 assists a year ago. Kaminski notched five goals.

"They are our team captains and we’re going to ride them heavily," Blosenski said. "Their experience and knowledge of the game is a real benefit to the team."

BHS is fortunate to have its two veterans skating in the defensive zone, as it lost all-conference goaltender from last season, Shane Moilanen, in the breakup with Reedsburg.

That means the starting stopper position is up for grabs between sophomore Mac Ebert and freshman Max Greenwood, according to Blosenski, but neither has any career varsity minutes.

Moving up the ice and representing Baraboo’s first forward line is returning sophomore Adam Laux (4 goals, 8 assists), junior Brady Palacek (7 goals, 7 assists) and sophomore David MacDonald.

Much of the offense’s fortunes will rest with the trio.

"They are our fastest and most skilled players," Blosenski said. "When they hit the ice together they can really move the puck well. Their speed and determination is what really shines when they are out there. We have high expectations for them."

The Thunderbirds second line is dealing with health issues with the absence of sophomore Eric Thompson, and in the interim will look to freshman Joe Beale to take his place alongside junior Jeremy Ebert and sophomore Mike Bostwick.

"Our second line has the potential of scoring a lot, but they just have to get build some chemistry with each other," Blosenski said. "Getting Eric back will be huge, but in the meantime it’s a great opportunity for Joe to see ice time and skate with some guys that will make him better."

From there, the youth of the T-Birds comes to the forefront.

"Everybody else that hits the ice is pretty new to varsity," Blosenski said. "There will be a lot of learning going on."

Getting the team to improve as a whole during the season is priority one.

"We haven’t discussed any other team goals," Blosenski said. "Our basic function is to go out there and give 110 percent and just try to work on habits we’ve been working on in practice. The ability for these guys to adapt is the biggest question mark."

Baraboo will get its first opportunity to begin writing its own history on Saturday against a team that BRH handily defeated 7-0 last year.

"The kids know each other, there’s a bond, and that makes adjustments easier and hopefully the kids work hard and support each other every game," Blosenski said. "We’re exited to see how they respond to an opponent."