The Lawrence University hockey team opens the 2011-12 season with seemingly as many questions as answers.
When the Vikings open play Friday night against Concordia (Wis.) at the Appleton Family Ice Center, Lawrence will need to replace a four-year starter in goal, two of the team’s top defensemen and one of the top-10 scorers in school history.
That being said, Lawrence returns an experienced group of forwards, two of the league’s top defensemen and a group of men fighting to be the top goaltender.
“We will continue to be a tenacious group that will look to be the hardest-working team in the MCHA,” Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “As is the case every year, we are looking to get into the Harris Cup four and be at our best to challenge for the title.”
The Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association preseason poll chose the Vikings to finish fourth in the league. Adrian was selected to extend its streak of conference titles to five, followed by MSOE and Marian.
The Vikings reached the semifinals of the Harris Cup last season for the third consecutive year. To get back to that point and beyond, the Vikings need to rely on their experience and an influx of 16 newcomers.
The biggest question is in goal, where four-year starter Evan Johnson, the winningest goalie in Lawrence history, was lost to graduation. The Vikings return juniors Michael Baldino and Kevin Aslett but both have limited experience. Three newcomers, Anton Olsson, Adam Eno and Peter Emery, are also fighting it out for the starting job.
“All of our freshmen have been solid to this point and are really pushing for ice time,” Szkodzinski said. “It will take some time to figure out who is able to adjust to the college game the fastest.”
The Vikings also lost key defensemen Jon Sheridan and Corey Garrett to graduation, but Lawrence returns All-MCHA defenseman William Thoren to go with seniors Jameson Raymond and Jesse Byam-Katzman.
The Vikings also welcome nine new defensemen who bring added size to the ice.
“Our newcomers have given us more depth than we have had at any time over the past five years,” Szkodzinski said. “We think that we have upgraded our size and skill at defense, but again, adjusting to the college level can be very difficult for freshmen, especially on the blue line. We fully expect Jameson Raymond and William Thoren to be our most reliable guys to start the season.”
The Vikings have an experienced group of forwards, led by seniors Matt Hughes and Ben DiMarco. Hughes led the team in goals (13) and points (28) last season. The Vikings also return key forwards like captain Brad Scurfield, his brother, Nate Scurfield, Sam Johnson, Huck Saunders and Jon Bellotti.
Heading the list of newcomers are freshmen Gustav Lindgren and Phil Bushbacher, a transfer who led Lake Forest in scoring last season.
“Matt Hughes and Ben DiMarco have been excellent to this point,” Szkodzinski said. “We hope to complement them with production from Gustav Lindgren and Phil Bushbacher. We feel our strength up front is the small drop-off in skill from our first to our fourth line. On any night, any line could be the difference in the outcome.”
The Vikings open the season with three of its first four games at home. After a home-and-home series with Concordia (Wis.) this weekend, Lawrence hosts Northland on Nov. 11-12.