It’s a different kind of year for the Woodstock Academy Centaurs boys' hockey team.
The defending Division III state champions no longer have the likes of Ryan Black, Nate DeLuca, or Will Liscomb.
“They were the type of kids that if you needed a goal in a pinch, you put them on the ice. You could pretty much count on them, if not to score, than to generate more scoring chances,” coach Mike Starr said.
It’s hard to replace the 54 goals and 35 assists that Black amassed last year alone. He finished with 129 goals and 100 assists in his three years at The Academy. DeLuca added 40 goals last season and 124 for his career.
But there are answers. Doug Newton saw action as a freshman, playing on a line with Liscomb and DeLuca and gained a lot of experience. The same can be said for junior Avery Riva and Pat Delaney who played on the same line as Black a year ago and Jake Starr who also saw playing time as a freshman.
“I think we’re going to be OK. We have kids who are coming back who understand the system and they will be able to show the younger kids the system. I think we’re going to surprise some people this year. I don’t think we’re as lost as people might think we are,” Starr said.
The offense will be more spread out thus Starr said he needs his first two lines to contribute. “One advantage we have over last year is that I think we have more depth on our team as far as hockey players go and that is just increasing every year as a program,” Starr said.
The veteran coach was expecting about 25 or so players to try out for the team. Instead, the Centaurs had 35 come out.
The defense is also a source for optimism this season as Starr has the core group back. Gunnar Moore is one who will not return. Moore went to Atlanta to play Junior hockey. “That was a bit of a surprise, a bit of a shock,” Starr said. “That was 27 points off the top.”
But Ethan Thorpe, who was a forward, seized on the opportunity and asked to move back behind the blue line this season. So far, Thorpe has thrived in his new position.
“He’s a smart hockey player, understands the game and moves the puck really well. Can he replace Gunnar completely? I don’t know if anyone can replace Gunnar completely,” Starr said.
But it is the player behind the defense where the biggest concern lies. Who takes over for Cal Wilcox in the net? Senior Carson Hadley and junior Dylan Shea are battling to replace Wilcox.
As of Dec. 13, that competition was still being waged. Wilcox, who is playing Junior Hockey, had 22 wins last season, eight of them by shutout, a 1.42 goals against average and a .952 save percentage. In his three years in goal, Wilcox recorded 45 wins. “It’s a specialized position,” Starr said.
In the seven years Starr has been at the helm of the Centaurs, he feels like he has been “blessed” with great goaltending.
Bailey and Tucker Johns were in place early and for the last three years, it has been Wilcox.
“It’s never been a position where we had to have a competition to see who would start. It was always pretty clear. Man, it has to be the hardest to replace. You have to trust your goaltender. Right? Cal anchored the net and talked to the players, we could hear him. The communication from your goalie to your players – because the goalie can see everything coming at him – is crucial. We have to see where our goalies are on that,” Starr said.
One consequence of winning the state championship is that the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference moved Woodstock Academy up to Division II.
While it may sound more difficult, Starr said it may not be the case. Other than playing each team in their conference once per season, the rest of the schedule is pretty much at the discretion of the program.
Starr said the Centaurs did try to schedule some better teams, such as N. Haven and the East Haven cooperative, and Watertown-Pomperaug is a conference foe that will serve to toughen them up for the more demanding state tournament that they will face.
The first goal is pretty simple: Get the first win. “Any time we play a Division III team, we have to beat that team. The long-term goal is to make the playoffs. There are 21 teams in Division II, only 16 make it. There is no guarantee we make it. We’ve also asked the kids to set personal goals and try to achieve it,” Starr said. “If their season goal is for us to make the state championship, let’s work at it.”
Centaurs fall in season opener
WESTFIELD,, Mass. — The defending Division III Western Massachusetts champion, dominated from start-to-finish, according to The Woodstock Academy coach Mike Starr, and scored a 5-1 victory over the Centaurs at the Jahn Ice Rink in Pomfret Dec. 16. The Bombers outshot the Centaurs, 29-18. Ryan Wojciechowski had the only goal for the Centaurs in the second period. The Centaurs return to the ice at 8 p.m. Dec. 22 to face the Tri-Town cooperative at the Enfield Twin Rinks.
2017-18 Boys Ice Hockey schedule
Fri., Dec. 22:       at Tri-Town      (at Enfield Twin Rinks)       8 p.m.
Weds., Dec. 27:  at Sheehan    (at Choate-Rosemary Hall) 6:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 30:     vs. East Haven co-op     (at Jahn Ice Rink)               3 p.m.
Weds., Jan. 3:    at St. Mary’s (Mass.)      (at Amelia Rink, Westfield, Mass.) 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 6:        vs. Eastern CT Eagles   (at Jahn Ice Rink)               8:15 p.m.
Weds., Jan. 10:  at North Haven               (at Northford Ice Pavilion)  8 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 13:      at E.O. Smith-Tolland    (at UConn)                          1:45 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 15:    Housatonic co-op           (at Jahn Ice Rink)               11 a.m.
Weds., Jan. 17:   Redhawks co-op           (at Norwich Ice Rink)          5 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 20:      vs. Tri-Town co-op         (at Jahn Ice Rink)               8:15 p.m.
Thurs., Jan. 25:  at Bolton co-op               (at Bolton Ice Palace)        3:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 27:       vs. SGWL co-op            (at Jahn Ice Rink)               8:15 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 3:        at Watertown co-op       (at Taft-Mays Rink)            7:30 p.m.
Tues., Feb. 6:      at South Hadley (Mass.) (at Fitzpatrick Rink, Holyoke) 6 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 10:     vs. Redhawks co-op       (at Jahn Ice Rink)              8:15 p.m.
Weds., Feb. 14:  at East Haven co-op      (at DiLungo Rink)              7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 17:     vs. E.O.Smith-Tolland    (at Jahn Ice Rink)              8:15 p.m.
Mon.,Feb. 19:    vs. Watertown co-op       (at Jahn Ice Rink)              7 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 23:      at Housatonic co-op       (at Hotchkiss School)         8:15 p.m.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director