With a week of tryouts behind them, Eagle River High School and Chugiak High School hockey coaches Joe Quinn and Rodney Wild have selected their varsity roster and are preparing for their season's first games next week.
Chugiak opens with South Anchorage, a perennial nemesis, on Halloween night, with Eagle River facing Bartlett Nov. 1.
“I'm pretty excited to open with those guys (South),” said Wild, pleased with the depth of talent that this year's Mustang varsity team brings to the table, including five players from the state's top-ranked comp hockey team, the Southcentral Wolves 18A's. That team, which has already competed in two national tournaments, had been ranked in the top five U.S. teams this fall. Together with other players from the Alaska All-Stars, and Northstars, the Mustangs have a sound lineup.
“It kinda comes in waves,” said Wild, noting a striking similarity to this year's squad with those of 2000 and 2004. “Every four years we have a pretty good group of players,” he said.
This year's Chugiak varsity lineup of 20 players includes 11 seniors, leaving the team a little senior-heavy. Wild said the team has come of age.
“We have a lot of seniors this year, who have played three or four years of varsity hockey, said the coach.
Eagle River coach Quinn enjoys no such luxuries with only two seniors on his varsity team.
Even so, with 32 players, including four goalies, Quinn said he will keep 17 on the varsity team, leaving 15 for junior varsity play.
“The years of experience, with our (young) ages, that's going to be a big deal,” said Quinn, who looks for his team to perhaps take some lumps early prior to developing as a cohesive team by the end of the season.
“We do have a good core group of younger players, mostly those from the (Mustang Blue Devils) 16B team — it will work,” said the Wolves' coach enthusiastically.
Kirby Senden will be assisting Quinn on the varsity team, while former Chugiak High teammates Kyler Quinn (Joe's son) and Justin Frechione head up the junior varsity squad.
“It's going to be a tough start — but we're hoping we'll gel together by the end,” he said.
Wild said the Mustangs' junior varsity team should fare well.
“There's a lot of kids of the junior varsity team that we are pretty excited about. We're pretty happy,” said Wild, who is assisted by Scott Steffan and Eric Wallingford. The Chugiak junior varsity hockey coaches are Travis and Justin Martin.
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