twitter.com/LHSpucksquad 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…
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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 Luverne.
How last season went
With a senior-loaded class, the Cardinals had some high aspirations coming into the 2019-2020 season. Those expectations were being met early in the season, as the team was rolling with a 12-4 start. However, the team hit some speed-bumps starting in January with a tougher schedule and finished the regular season with a respectable 15-10 record, good for 4th place in the Big South Conference.
Entering sections, the Cardinals drew the #5 seed and faced Big South Conference rival Marshall, who they had lost to both times in prior matchups. Thanks to a monstrous performance by goaltender Schaid Shearer stopping 43 of 46 shots, Luverne grinded out an upset win against the #4 seeded Tigers.
Next came the real test, a matchup against #1 seeded Hutchinson, who knocked out the Cardinals back in 2019. This year was no different, as the heavily favored Tigers outshot Luverne 63-17 and went on to win 6-1, ending the Cardinals season.
Who’s back and who’s gone
This team is going to look much different next year, as 14 players wore the red and white for the last time this past February. The Cardinals will enter next season missing their top scorers Colby Crabtree (20G, 14A), Easton Braun (10G, 15A), Tyler Roberts (11G, 14A), and Jacob Von Tersch (7G, 13A).
Of the six players returning, the biggest two would be forward Cade Wenninger and goaltender Shaid Shearer. Wenninger had a solid Junior season scoring 11 goals with 7 assists, and Shaid shined throughout but especially in playoffs, where he recorded 91 saves in two contests. Another player to look out for is forward Brock Behrend, who had an impressive Freshman season with 10 goals and 6 assists for the Cardinals.
What to expect next season
Luverne has had a history of success by skating all four lines and playing disciplined hockey. If the Cardinals want to get past the 2nd round of a difficult Section 3A bracket, they’ll need to get creative and hope that Wenninger and Behrend continue to develop with a much younger team around them.