Corey Saccone, Contributing Writer
Lions add young talent to their veteran core and look to improve their .500 record from last season.
Combining offense and defense can lead to a team being successful top to bottom. This year the Lions have both. The depth on the roster is as good as ever in school history. Now they just have to execute.
Entering his 8th season as head coach of the Lions is Coach Brad Jorgensen. He was hired as the first ever coach in the programs history and stands with a 54-46 overall record.
The leadership starts with this year’s captains: Senior, Beau Besancenez, and juniors Robert Hutchinson and Matt Obermeyer.
“We recognize that was have a lot of potential and have a great chance of doing big things this year. Captains and coach stress that every day is a chance get better and we have to take full advantage of the opportunity every time we step on the field,” said Besancenez.
This season will be filled with excessive offensive talent. Keep an eye out for Obermeyer, who led the team with 38 goals last season and senior, George Proechel who dominated with 52 points. The offense as a whole will be dynamic and tough to stop. A steady group of Tom Horn, Rob Van Bomel, Connor McBride, Chris Caiazza, Ray Ferrara, and Robert Hutchinson will help provide offense as well.
“This year’s depth is unlike anything we’ve had in the past years and it really takes a lot of the burden off when we have three lines of midfield that can score. In order to improve my game I’ll be looking to feed the ball more and become a dual threat. Offensively I plan on doing the same thing as last year except broadening my scoring ability to not only dodging to score, but also looking to make the extra pass to get my teammates involved,” said Obermeyer.
Looking to add even more energy are the newcomers for the Lions. Starting in goal is High School All American Dave Moore, brother of junior defenseman, Doug Moore. Matt Weller and Dylan Yonts also received All American nods in high school. Transferring over to the Lions is sophomore Miles Britton, who led the Lenoir Rhyne Bears with 47 points last season.
“The depth of the team especially on the offensive side will allow our top offensive returners to teach the young dynamic freshman and give them the confidence to step in the roles to make the offense a duel threat from up top and behind,” said Van Bomel.
Defensively the Lions are going to be tough to get past. Sophomores Sean Connolly and Paul Aramanda stand strong by the goal and freshman Andrew Rohle has the potential to follow in their foot steps. Look for Besancenez to stand out defensively as well.
The depth on this team allows for Coach Jorgensen to be flexible and use different strategies on both sides of the field. Chances are many goals will be scored and the defense will stand tall against the opponents. This team needs to continue putting forth effort and working hard; if they do this, it is possible that they may walk away with the championship.
