By TYLER DRUMMOND
of The Gazette
The Stevens Point Area Senior High School hockey team has started the season impressively.
Following a disappointing season last year, the Panthers are off to a 7-2-1 mark, including 4-0-1 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference, which they currently lead by half a game.
"We had a down year last season, but SPASH hockey is right back on the track where it's supposed to be," said head coach Jack Stoskopf.
Indeed the Panthers appear to be back on track after dropping games to Northland Pines, currently the No. 2 team in the state, and Mosinee, which stands at 8-2 and is listed as an honorable mention after the top 10 teams. Currently the Panthers are the No. 8 team in the state.
"Do I think we can beat anyone in the top 10?" asks Stoskopf. "Absolutely. There are a few quality programs at the top, really outstanding teams, but we're not scared of anyone."
Stoskopf even stated that this year, more than any other, will be a race to the state title. "There's at least 10 different teams with a shot at it. There's no clear cut winner this year."
If SPASH wants to make noise this year, they are going to have to rely on not only the seniors, but also the underclassmen to make it very far. Only seven of the 20 roster players this year are seniors. However, all seven of those seniors were around to see SPASH win the state title in 2001.
The main player who has to step it up for the Panthers this season is Michael Soik. "Michael is a very, very solid player," said Stoskopf. "He took his game to a new level this year and he's very skilled at the forward position."
Also the main defensive players for the Panthers will have to work on keeping the shots down to a minimum for opponents. Tom DeWitt, Derek Schlotch and Brandon Busse are the three that will have to make an impact. "Each one of these guys is a quality defender," says Stoskopf.
But when the defense can't stop the shots, Nick Krygowski, senior goalie, has been a strong last line of defense for the Panthers. He has a 91 percent save average, which Stoskopf is pleased with. "Anything above 90 percent in high school hockey is really good," said Stoskopf.
There's no doubt that Stoskopf feels this program could be well on its way to winning a state title, but first the Panthers want to concentrate on winning the conference. With 10 games remaining this season, every game is critical because every game is a conference game for the Panthers.
"Our primary goal this year is to win conference," says Stoskopf. "We make it our main goal because the person who wins conference had to play through thick and thin and remain a solid team. If we want to win this conference, we have to win every game left on the schedule because I don't see Wisconsin Rapids slipping at all, and we only lead them by half a game."
In Stoskopf's eyes, the Valley is tougher than it has been in the past and he says he would rank it in the top three conferences in the state. "The overall level of competition is increasing," said Stoskopf. That was evident earlier in the year when the Panthers tied a relatively unknown Antigo team.
"Wisconsin Rapids and SPASH are the two best teams in the valley but the other teams are getting better," says Stoskopf. "Wausau West is improving, D.C. Everest is improving, Antigo, Rhinelander, they're all improving."
As for Stoskopf, he's back for his 17th year as the head man of the hockey team. "It's actually an interesting story. I took a year off a few years ago because of the birth of my child and was fit with staying retired. Then players and coaches started calling me at my summer cabin, and, when fall rolled around the team didn't have a coach, I said I'd do it on a year-to-year basis and I'm still with it."
The story had a Cinderella ending as the first year Stoskopf was back as the coach, the Panthers won their elusive first state title. "It's really a neat story," says Stoskopf.
Stoskopf also likes to give the fans credit for the successes of the hockey program. "We like to call our home rink, the Willet Arena, our barn. Our motto is to keep everything inside the glass and on the ice but it's hard when you hear not only the students but members of the community cheering for us.
"Even though we keep it on the ice," he said, "we know there's a thousand people on the other side of that glass that don't want to see us lose, and we hate to disappoint."