Offseason breakdown No. 54: Kittson County Central

With the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. The next team we’re breaking down is Kittson County Central.

How last season went 

The Bearcats hardly missed a step in the early stages of the 2019-20 season as they won 10 of 11 games to open the season. By January, they were one of a select group of teams in the state averaging more than 5 goals per game.

Kittson County Central didn’t quite keep its early-season pace but did go unbeaten in the Northwestern Conference and finished with a 17-7 regular season record.

That record put the Bearcats in the 4-5 matchup in Section 8A. Playing in their normal high-scoring fashion, Kittson County Central could not keep up with Detroit Lakes in the quarterfinals as the Bearcats saw their season end in a 7-4 loss.

Who’s back and who’s gone

Regardless of what the roster looks like, Kittson County Central deserves credit for the success it had during the 2019-20 season. However, if you notice the amount of youth on this squad, the Bearcats deserve even more praise and should be ecstatic to see what happens next season.

All four of Kittson County Central’s top point-getters are set to return. Calvin Hanson, Tyler Hennen, Adam Gustafson and Hayden Hennen combined for 98 goals and 134 assists last season. Wyatt Olsonawski is also expected to return as the Bearcats’ main goaltender. He posted a .880 save percentage last season.

What to expect next season

Things look bright for Kittson County Central. With the amount of returning talent, that’s enough to get excited about. But there’s also the fact that these Bearcat players powered an elite offense. The challenge now will be to tighten things up defensively and try to leapfrog over more perennial powers in Section 8A such as Warroad and East Grand Forks.