Adversity is the word most would use to describe North Tonawanda’s 2015-16 season.
But the Lumberjacks also have a sense of pride in how they battled through a late season suspension to several key players to win the Division 4 title. The division win earned them a bye in the first round of the playoffs before they were defeated by Hamburg in the small school quarterfinals.
“We were a little disappointed that we didn’t show better to Hamburg,” said North Tonawanda coach Alan Zbytek. “Obviously being depleted and only having two lines instead of three really hurt us, so hopefully this year, the younger kids learn from the mistakes of last year, and we can stay as a full squad from the beginning to the end of the season, and the younger guys improve and we can make another run at it at the end of the season and the playoffs.”
“It was an interesting ride,” said senior Dan Smolka. “We had to fight through adversity late in the season. I thought we did that well. It’s good to have the boys back this year. I think it helped me later in the season, naming me captain. I had to really step up as a leader, and it got me ready for this year.”
“I think as a team going through that, we all had to step up to win the division and make an attempt at the playoffs,” added Andrew Horn, another senior defenseman. “It was up to us as the juniors to step up and take the place of the seniors we lost earlier in the season.”
Senior forward Spencer Scalise was a member of last year’s top line and one of the players his team had to go without to finish the season.
“It was just a huge learning lesson, and I’m hoping for big things this year,” Scalise said.
This year, Scalise, Horn, and Smolka are three of just four seniors on the team — the other is goaltender Jake Riley, who will share time in net with junior Nick Przybylski. But all three are excited about this year’s younger team and looking forward to taking a leadership role.
“Getting the younger guys to focus during practice and go as hard as they can during the games,” was how Horn described his role.
“I think I bring my hockey sense and lead by example,” said Smolka. “I gotta work on being more vocal for sure though.”
“We all do,” agreed Horn.
Scalise will be the only senior forward this season. His role as a leader is crucial.
“Being the only senior forward, we got a young group,” Scalise said. “With four years of experience, I can teach them a little. I bring speed, energy — just get the team pumped up.”
“Obviously to show the younger kids how to work hard in practice, how to deal with adversity, not only from practice but also in games,” Zbytek expects of his seniors. “And with their hard work, hopefully the younger kids see what it’s gonna take from them in years to come to push themselves and become better hockey players.”
The younger players on this year’s team have Zbytek excited though. The depth they bring will not only help North Tonawanda for this season, but also for the years to come.
“I think we got some younger guys, some 10th graders, a ninth grader, and the juniors, which are our biggest number as far as class goes,” Zbytek said. “A lot of them returning from last year and a couple new kids are gonna be the strength of our team. We have four seniors on the team, and all four of them should be strong contributors, and with their leadership to the younger kids, I think it’s building our program, not just for this year but for the next few years to come.”
And the speed and skill of this year’s team have not only Zbytek excited, but also Horn, Smolka, and Scalise.
“It’s the most speed and skill I’ve seen from us in the four years that the three of us have been here, so it should be fun,” Smolka said.
“Coming out early in tryouts, I noticed a big difference in the speed and the way kids play,” said Horn. “We definitely got a couple of really good players again.”
“I know that we’re faster than we were last year,” Zbytek said. “That’s going to be a big improvement from where we were last year because we lost a couple of key guys, our speed really diminished, but we have about four or five new skaters that bring our speed, maybe even faster than last year, so we’re looking forward to having a fast team.”
The Lumberjacks’ hopes are high, but they know the season and playoffs will once again be a challenge.
“We’re expecting to compete for the Division 4 championship again and go into the playoffs and make a run,” Scalise said.
“I think we gotta figure out a way to beat Hamburg,” said Smolka. “They knocked us out the past two years, so we gotta figure out a way to beat them. They play hard.”
North Tonawanda opens its season Nov. 28 against Lewiston-Porter at Hyde Park. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:45 pm.