Today marks the first day of the winter season. The boys of spring closed out their fall campaign with a win against Wayzata in an exhibition game. With a year of competitive play under their belt the team looks to repeat the gains it saw last season during the winter. Current team captains Sam and Treyton were regulars last year and catapulted themselves from the fall season practice squad to the varsity team. Dylan saw his role change too as he developed a strong forehand and became a starting handler.
For these reasons and more, this winter season is going to get very interesting. First off is the personnel. This year they are operating on Maple Grove dome time not Osseo's so there will be more than the 10 or so Maple Grove kids that consistently came last year, meaning more improvement for more players. Dylan will return to the field this year after an exciting season with the football team. Look for him to lead effectively lead the team and make some strides in his own game. However with the excitement of improving players comes the disappointment of losing some key fall contributors.
Returning to the pool Captain Nate will be unable to come to most practices and it's unfortunate to have to wait until spring to have him back. Nate did a great job handling the team this fall picking right up where DJ left off handling administration, recruiting, and field space. Also returning conference rookie of the year Mitchell will be gone for basketball. Hopefully he and Timmy will have successful seasons and return to the field this spring.
All in all this new team is very exciting. There's something to be said for knowing what you have to do, and the experience from last year's team did just that. They lost all but seven players-that played at least one game last season-to graduation, but now have the pedigree and credibility to recruit some more players that may have been on the fence before. This team is going to be fun to watch this spring.
