It’s a good sign when a coach and his players are all on the same page.
At Monday’s Niagara Falls practice, goaltenders Pat Sisler and Max Asklar and forward Hunter O’Donoghue each described this year’s team as a family. When coach Stan Wojton began to explain that his players will need each other more than ever this season, he was happy to hear that they’d already said the same with no direct prompting from him.
“We have two very strong goaltenders that absolutely, we’re gonna need them to steal some games for us,” Wojton said. “I think that is certainly our strength, but then already there’s three guys that emphasize team, team, team, and I think having that understanding and that open mind for these young men, I think that is certainly a strength for us.”
Last season’s team had players like Alex Hailey (30 points in 13 regular season games), Cody Bielec (23 points in 16 games), and Nicholas Kindzia (22 points in 9 games), to name a few. This year, those players are gone.
But this year’s Wolverines aren’t dwelling in the past.
“Basically, we had a group of guys who pretty much made up our first two lines, and a lot of people didn’t know where we would end up being this season because of that,” said O’Donoghue. “I think we’ll end up surprising a lot of people. I’m more excited for this season coming up because a lot of people consider us the underdog now. People are saying NF’s not gonna be as good because we lost that core group, but honestly, I think we’ll be just as good. This year, it feels more like a family, and everyone on the ice wants to put in 100 percent to be one of the better teams.”
It will take that effort and a group of players that know their roles in order for Niagara Falls to be successful this season. Again, Sisler was on the same page as his coach. Sisler believes that communication will be the team’s biggest strength.
“We have a bunch of great hockey players,” Sisler said. “We have a good bond with each other, and we know what each person’s gonna do. We all have spots, like personal situations, that we can all fulfill.”
“We are all gonna have our niche, our role, where it’s gonna be identified, and each person is gonna have their own responsibility to take care of for the team to succeed,” said Wojton. “We’re gonna have that first line, we’re gonna have that second line, we’re gonna have that third line. Players have to understand that what comes with that is a role and responsibility. As a third-line player, we’re not expecting you to put the puck in the net or even really maintain an offensive presence; it’s to play good sound defensive hockey, minimize opportunities, and then when we have opportunities, we take advantage of those opportunities, and what I mean by that is, if we have an opportunity to get a good scoring chance, we hit that net and make those small simple plays, and then we build upon that.”
And communication goes along with the family environment and team-first focus the Wolverines have worked hard to develop.
“We’re a family,” said O’Donoghue. “Everyone’s a lot closer than they were in years past, and we all want to do better for each other. That’s probably the biggest thing going into this year. Offense obviously won’t be there as much; we won’t have that big overpowering offense like we’ve had with our first few lines the last couple years. I think it’s gonna be kind of a hard fought, both ways, defensive kind of game for us. We have two solid goaltenders and then we have a solid defense, and one of our best players in my mind is Nick Lepine, so having him back there is huge, knowing that if I make a mistake up front, I know he’s got my back, and vice versa.”
“I think we got a good bunch of guys, and I think we’re gonna be really close with each other and help each other out and push each other,” said Asklar. “We’re not as talented as other years, but maybe with our hard work, we can win some games. I think just because we know each other better than other years and we’re closer with each other, I think we’ll have better chemistry and work together more and pass more.”
With goaltending, Sisler will share a role with Asklar. Wojton promoted both as solid goaltenders and leaders on this year’s team. Sisler sat out with an injury last season while Asklar was strong in net.
“I expect to get out there a lot and work my hardest and hopefully make some good saves and put us in a good situation to win every single game,” Asklar said. “I like to be a good role model for my teammates and have them look up to me, not just on the ice but off the ice with my grades. So hopefully they look up to me and see me as a leader because I know the right thing to do and what we need to win and succeed as a team.”
Sisler’s injury didn’t affect his bond with the Wolverines. He was there to support them through the season, and he can’t wait to be back on the ice this year.
“They kept me like family. That’s what we’re all about, is family,” Sisler said. “This year, I expect it to be successful, of course. I feel like we’re more bonded together than last year … I’m always here to boost up the guys if they ever need any help with anything, in school and on the ice. I’m always here for them — big support person.”
As O’Donoghue mentioned, defenseman Nick Lepine will be a quiet leader on this year’s team as well. He was named to the large school All-Fed team last season and was an All-State honorable mention.
As for O’Donoghue, Wojton had only praise for the versatile forward, who missed the second half of the season with an injury.
“He is a dynamic kid, and I can’t compliment him enough,” Wojton said. “He has literally played every single position for us. He started off as a sophomore playing goalie. He is a player that will go where he’s needed. If we need him as a forward, if we need him to fill in as a wing, as a center, he’s gonna do that without hesitation. And his hockey smarts and knowledge and his appreciation for the game allows him to do that. Not many kids would do that at the high school level. I can put him in different situations and feel fully confident that he will get the job done.”
“I’m just trying to set an example for the younger kids,” said O’Donoghue. “We took two freshmen this year, we have a couple sophomores and juniors. I’m just trying to set an example that school comes first and then athletics. That’s one thing that I’ve really learned when it comes to playing for Mr. Wojton, that you can’t let hockey overtake school. You have to focus on grades first, and then it comes to what you do on the ice … I like to play hard-nosed. I’ll hit you first, maybe not hard, but just hard enough to take the puck off of you, and then I’ll go from there.”
Asklar still has last year’s playoff loss in the back of his mind. Niagara Falls spends the regular season in Division 3 but moves up to play the large schools in playoffs. Last year, the Wolverines played Orchard Park in the large school quarterfinals and lost 7-2, but the final score didn’t tell the whole story.
“I played in that game, and 2-1 in the third period — we were so close,” Asklar said. “Orchard Park’s so much better than us, and we just hung in there until the third period, and then they won. But hopefully it’s better this year.”
But Wojton wants his team to leave last season in the past and look to this season. The Wolverines will have to work hard, as will every team, but Wojton is optimistic.
“I’m expecting a really successful year,” the coach said. “I know that we lost some talent last year, that there was some high level talent that unfortunately graduated, and they’re great kids and we’re certainly gonna miss them. But as with anything in high school sports, we do have to move on, and I think the area that we’re gonna move in this year is that we’re gonna be doing and stressing things more as team. We have to do that. As a team, we hope to fill those voids that are missing and work together and be successful.”
“We gotta look to the future. We don’t wanna dwell on the past because that could end up hurting us,” O’Donoghue said. “Whoever wants to work harder each night, that’s what it’s gonna come down to, and that’s what makes it exciting. That’s why it’s the Fed — anyone can win it; it’s whoever is willing to work harder for it.”
Niagara Falls opens its season Dec. 1 against Williamsville South at Northtown Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 pm.