The Three Key Door for Luverne
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Every team in the state, whether it is a defending state champion or a struggling squad, starts their season out with a door that stands between them and success. Nonetheless, every team is just as capable of unlocking their potential…
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Continue ReadingEvery team in the state, whether it is a defending state champion or a struggling squad, starts their season out with a door that stands between them and success. Nonetheless, every team is just as capable of unlocking their potential through an interwoven combination of skill, strategy, leadership, and coaching. In this new series kicking up here for Prep Hockey, I will be taking a look at the three keys each and every team in the state needs to open up the door that stands between them and a great year by their unique standards. Luverne, a Class A State Tournament qualifier, will take the stage for today’s feature.
Key #1: A High-Flying Offense
Luverne averaged a stellar 5.20 goals per game last year, a number that kept their defense well rested and their offense with a constant momentum that allowed the puck to stay in the opponent’s zone for long periods of time. Last season, their attack primarily ran through three forwards, and with two of them returning to the 2023-2024 roster, this team is poised for another high scoring year. Patrick Kroski Patrick Kroski 6'1" | Forward Luverne | 2024 State MN and Owen Sudenga Owen Sudenga Forward Luverne | 2024 State MN will both be back in the fall for Luverne in the fall, each ready to make their mark on the program. Kroski led the team in assists by a wide margin last year with 47, enough to tie him for seventh across the entire state (not to mention the 21 goals he put up too). The 6-foot-1, 165 pound Center has good size and instincts, and he is usually the one the puck runs through whenever Luverne is on the attack. Sudenga also tended to prefer passing over shooting, as his 51 points consisted of 33 assists and 18 goals. Both guys will be without their leading scorer Brock Behrend, whose 38 goals led the team by a wide margin, but fortunately, it looks like rising senior Elliot Domagala Elliot Domagala Forward Luverne | 2024 State MN could be a candidate to receive the goal scoring torch. The All-Conference Honorable Mention put up 22 goals and 21 assists last year, and he should have an expanded role on the Luverne attack now that Behrend is gone.
Key #2: Keep the Workhorse Healthy
Goalie Tyler Arends Tyler Arends Goalie Luverne | 2024 State MN hasn’t missed a varsity game in two years, meaning he has started the last 56 games for Luverne between the pipes, an unprecedented number. Arends is far from just durable though, as the guy has put up excellent numbers along the way. Last season, he earned All-Conference honors thanks to posting a 21-8-1 record, 2.49 Goals Against Average, and a .905 Save Percentage, not to mention he helped bring his squad to the State Tournament. Arends has proven both his toughness and prowess on the ice, but for Luverne to have a great season, they need to keep this guy healthy. As aforementioned, it quite the feat that Arends has started 56 consecutive games, but in the same breath, that means no one else has opened a game up in a Luverne uniform for over two seasons. For better or for worse, Arends’ health is imperative for this Luverne team to make a splash in the postseason once again this coming fall. Fortunately, this team has quite the offense, so if they can continue to keep a high octane attack and pressure into the opposing zone, they should be able to accomplish this task without much of a hitch.
Key #3: Don’t Balk Under Bright Lights
So far, this article has been praising what is in fact a very good hockey program. However, their was one issue that seemed to gnaw at this team throughout all of last season, and that was winning games against top tier Class A opponents, most notably New Ulm and Hermantown. These two powerhouses only lost seven games between both of their schedules last season, and I am aware how tall of an order this is for a team. Nonetheless, if Luverne can dethrone some of these teams, they will jump from a fringe state qualifier to a real contender that has a chance to bring a State Championship home. The great thing for Luverne is that they are clearly right on the cusp of this. They played New Ulm twice last year, and although they lost both contests, both games came down to the wire with the final scores being 1-2 and 1-3, respectively. Luverne’s game against Hermantown was a little less of a contest (they were blanked 0-6), but all things considered, Luverne proved they can hang with at least a handful of the top tier teams in Class A.
What Lies Behind the Door: Luverne is bringing back so many key pieces that I think they’ll be even better than last year. Between pass first studs like Kroski and Sudenga, a guy with a huge opportunity to put up plenty of goals like Domagala, and an ironman in the net with Arends, this Luverne team is chalked full of varsity returners who should only get better after another offseason of training together. This team made it to state last year, and the way it looks right now, this Luverne squad looks set to return to the Xcel Energy Center for yet another season.