Boys Hockey: The new head coach wants to change the culture and build a winning program

Moore played high school hockey in Woodbury before playing for four years as a striker at St. Mary’s University in Winona. After graduating, Moore served as an assistant university and JV head coach at St. Mary’s before becoming head coach at Tartan High School. In six years in Tartan, Moore returned to St. Mary as an assistant coach before taking up the position of head coach in South St. Paul and Woodbury for 15 years. Moore returned to St. Mary’s as head coach in 2007 before retiring in 2019. After that, Moore moved to Park Rapids and decided to rebuild the second high school program.

“I have already rebuilt two youth programs in Tartan and Woodbury and thought I could change the culture here. Tartan and Woodbury had never reached more than 0.500 before and both went to the state. I’m not saying Park Rapids is announcing, but I want to get us back to compete with Warroad and East Grand Forks. In order to do that, we need to work with youth programs and get the numbers back up. I want to get us back to a level where we are once again highly regarded as a program, ”Moore said. “I want to let the kids see the rich hockey tradition in Park Rapids that they may not be aware of. This program was good before and I know this program may be good again. We need to start by changing our culture and attitude so that when things go wrong, we will never give up. They have to buy what we sell. We have to work hard, have good character, good academics, and we are not only good hockey players, but also good people. Children need to be prepared to change for that to happen. “

Despite ranking 5-13 a year ago, the Panthers put the competitive team on the ice, with nine matches settled in one goal and two other games leading to a two-goal loss. Panthers finished third in the Mid-State Conference rankings 3-5 last season. Northern Lakes won 8-0, while Detroit Lakes ended 5-2. Wadena-Deer Creek (2-6) and Prairie Center (1-6) finalized the five-team conference standings. When Detroit Lakes dropped out of the Group 8A tournament due to COVID, Park Rapids took 9th seed and opened 7-0 in the 8th Bagley / Fosston Play-in.

To improve victory this year, the Panthers need to improve their defense. Park Rapids concede 4.6 goals on average in the match when he scored only 2.1 goals in the match and won 83-37.

“I’m a very offensive coach. I like to get up and go, but it will take us a few years,” Moore said. “This year we need to be more defensive. We can’t overtake our opponents, so we have to play well on the defensive end in order to compete and win.

Seniors Nash Mitchell, Jaxson Lund, Sam Meier, Liam Torola and Collin Hoyt will return to Panthers this season; juniors Joey Hillukka, Quincy Jantz and Ethan Eischens; and as second students Sawyer Torkelson, Jaron Pinoniemi and Josh Hillukka.

Mitchell (seven goals, eight assists), Joey Hillukka (four goals, 10 assists), Lund (eight goals, three assists) and Jantz (three goals, two assists) return to lead the attack, while Meier (one goal, one ass) ) and Eischens (one goal) return to defense. Pinoniemi (three goals as a striker), Torola (one goal as a striker / defender) and Josh Hillukka (one goal as a striker) also participated in the goal column, while Fuchs Quinn Hoscheid (defender) and Shad Torola (striker)) also returned from last year’s university .

Panthers ’online split time was Torkelson (record 4-9, goals allowed 53, fight 427) and Hoyt (record 1-4, goals allowed 28, fight 124). Torkelson received an honorable mention at the Mid-State Conference.

He is believed to help fill in the gaps left over by the completion of last year’s senior strikers Alec Nordin (three goals, seven assists), Caden Opheim (two goals, seven assists) and Jack Slagle (four goals, two assists) and senior defenders Brody. Hagen (nine assists) and Josh Crandall (three assists) are juniors Coby Hagen (defender), Wyatt Tisher (forward) and Lars Peterson (forward / defender); second graders Reed Sharp (forward), Evan Wesa (defender), Parker Vinge (defender), Justin Baker (forward), Wyatt Hegg (forward), Conner Hanson (defender), Braden Stewart (defender), Kaycee Tisher (forward) and Eli Eischens (forward); and freshman Brock Leiren (defender).

“We have the potential to be pretty good and compete. The strength of our team is making the goalkeepers, and we’re going to build around it, Moore said, assisted by Sam Coborn and Jared Naeve.” We want to get ranked high enough that we don’t have to play play-in. We may have a long way to go, but a different attitude has the potential to be much better.We need to prove ourselves and enhance our game, but I believe there is potential , if children buy what we are trying to do.

The battle for the conference title and rise to the standings is a challenge for the Panthers in Moore’s first season as head coach. However, Moore is confident that his team will accept the challenge and surprise the teams this season.

“We only have seven days of training before we jump into it, so we don’t have a learning curve. We can’t hand over games early if we want to fight for the conference championship, ”Moore said. “We have to get a few wins in advance to gain self-confidence. We work hard and hope for the best. Hard work is rewarded. If the kids believe, I think we have a chance to be a good team.

SCHEDULE FOR THE PERIOD

November 24 – Red Lake Falls, 7 p.m.

December 2 – Prairie Center, 7 pm December 4 – South St. Paul, 2 pm December 7 – Detroit Lakes, 7 pm December 10 – Lake of the Woods, 7 pm December 14 – Breckenridge / Wahpeton , 7pm Dec. 16 – Bagley / Fosston, 7pm Dec. 17 – Northern Lakes, 7pm Dec. 21 – Wadena-Deer Creek, 7pm Dec. 28-29 – Morris Tournament.

January 6 – Crookston, 7 pm January 8 – Kittson Central, 2:00 pm January 18 – Wadena-Deer Creek, 7:00 pm January 20 – Breckenridge / Wahpeton, 7 pm January 22 – Lake of the Woods , 2pm Jan. 25 – Prairie Center in Long Prairie, 7pm Jan. 27 – Northern Lakes Pequot Lakes, 7pm Jan. 29 – Crookston, 2pm Jan. 31 – Red Lake Falls, 7pm

Feb. 3 – Ely, Feb. 18 Feb. 7 – Bagley / Fosston, Feb. 19. Feb. 8 – Detroit Lakes, Feb. 19. Feb. 12 – Kittson Central, Feb. 14. Feb. 15 – Greenway, 7 p.m.