E-town Ice Hockey Preview

In the coming week or so, I'll be posting previews of all the EAHS varsity winter sports programs. And we begin today with the E-town ice hockey team, which has already begun play. The Bears are off to a great 3-0 start, scoring at least 7 goals in all three of their games so far. They are scheduled to play again tonight. Here you go:

Head Coach: Steve Lokey, third year.

2007-2008 record: 17-3-1. Beat Garden Spot 6-2 in division championship. Beat the Crusaders 5-0 in the first round of the CPIHL playoffs. Lost to Annville-Cleona 2-1 in the CPIHL quarterfinals.

Current Record: The Bears are currently 3-0 and tied for first place in the Tier 2 – Lancaster/Lebanon/Berks division of the CPIHL with Cocalico.

Key Returners: Brian Milici, senior co-captain, forward (5 goals, 5 assists this season); Josh Carter, senior co-captain, forward (6 G, 3 A); Steven Dombrosky, sophomore, defense (2 G, 4 A); Michael Van Horn, junior, defense (3 G, 2 A); Harry Rhodes, senior, goalie (2-0, 2.50 GAA); Thomas Dombrosky, senior, forward (1 G, 1 A); Devin Shay (1 G, 1 A); Derrick Anderson, junior, forward (1 G 4 A); Brandon Lancaster, junior, forward (3 G); Lindsey Shuler, junior, forward (4 A).
E-town returns 12 players and eight seniors from last year’s 17-win squad. The Bears are led by Milici, an all-star last year and the team’s second leading scorer, and Carter, who is the team’s co-captain along with Milici. The Bears have plenty of talented, spearheaded by these two.

E-town has a ton of talented offensive players, and that has been evident so far as the Bears have scored 23 goals in their first three games.

Adding to the offensive firepower will be Shuler, Thomas Dombrosky, Shay, Lancaster and Anderson, all of whom are experienced players capable of making big plays on the ice.

On defense, the Bears are led by Van Horn and Steven Dombrosky, both of whom can also be playmakers on offense. Behind them is Rhodes who is in his third year of varsity and gives the Bears an experienced net-minder.

Experience is definitely on the Bears’ side with this group.

“With eight seniors on the team, there is a wealth of experience and an abundance of talented players,” said head coach Steve Lokey. “Providing leadership and focusing on team play will be very important in our success this year.”

Key Newcomers: Justin Hoover, senior, forward; C.C. Davis, freshman, forward; Brent Boyer, sophomore, goalie (1-0, 1.0 GAA).
With so many experienced players returning, it will be tough for the newcomers to make an immediate impact, but both Hoover and Davis are good hockey players who simply need to adjust to the team’s philosophy.

“The two new forwards will have to work hard to understand the style of play our team likes to use,” Lokey said.

Rhodes won’t be able to play goalie every game, so Boyer will be relied on to play well this season. He has already proven himself as a solid backup to Rhodes as he made 10 saves and allowed only one goal in a 7-1 win over Cedar Crest earlier this season.

“Brent is a capable goalie to give Harry a rest in games,” said Lokey.

Key Losses: Alex Reinhold, senior, defense (injury); A.J. English (graduation); Derek Hallet (graduation); Dillon Filepas (graduation); Hunter Peirce (graduation); Zach Lokey (graduation).
Reinhold is an integral part of the Bears’ defense, but is sidelined right now with injuries. When he returns, though, Steve Lokey said he will be a huge boost to the defense.

The Bears took a pretty big hit with graduation, losing a lot of leadership and talent. English, Hallet, Filepas and Peirce were all playmakers and were major reasons for E-town’s recent success.

But the biggest hit may come from the departure of Zach Lokey. Lokey was the team’s leading scorer for each of the past four seasons and had an amazing year last season, scoring 41 goals and dishing out 31 assists, on his way to being named the CPIHL All-Star MVP. He leaves a void in the offense, but the Bears have plenty of weapons to step up and score in his absence.

Strengths: Experience, scoring, goal tending.
With so many players returning from last year’s section-championship team, there won’t be many situations E-town faces on the ice this season that the bulk of its players hasn’t seen before. And that will make E-town a very dangerous team.

This group has been with Lokey for three years now, and has a firm grasp on his coaching style and the strategies he has implemented. That comfort level will go a long way, especially in close games. If the Bears get down in a game, they won’t panic. Instead, they’ll stick with their gameplan and, with the kind offensive firepower they have, are never out of a game.

Defenses won’t be able to key on just one player to stop, because the Bears have so many capable offensive threats. E-town already has 10 players who have registered at least two points and it has only played three games. Being so versatile will help the Bears skate with just about anyone.

In goal, Rhodes takes over as the main man after splitting time last year with Steven Dombrosky, who is moving out and becoming a defenseman. So far, Rhodes has been as good as expected, but E-town is coming into a tough portion of its schedule and the Bears will need him to be at his best.

“He will be put to the test in our upcoming games,” said Lokey.

Weakness: Defense.
With the injury to Reinhold, the Bears are down to only three true defenseman, which means forwards are still adjusting to helping out on defense. Against good offensive teams, this could hurt the Bears, but Lokey is happy with how they have looked so far.

“So far they have done and excellent job,” he said. “But they will need to make improvements as the season progresses.”

The defensemen that the Bears have healthy right now are very good, and as they season chugs along and the forwards adjust and the Bears get Reinhold back, the defense will become even better. Which isn’t good news for the Bears’ opponents.

Outlook: The Bears have been very successful in the CPIHL in recent years and will be looking to build off the momentum of last year’s division championship and trip to the quarterfinals.

There aren’t many chinks in the Bears’ armor right now, and they will only get stronger as the season progresses. That doesn’t mean, however, that the Bears don’t have anything to work on. E-town has an abundance of talent, but it must harness it into playing team hockey to be successful.

“We have to focus on playing as a team instead of counting on individual talent to carry us,” Lokey said. “They also have to understand everyone’s responsibility when they are playing and cover up for each other if a mistake occurs.”

That is one thing that experience gets you – the ability to adjust to another team and help out your teammates when someone makes a mistake.

There aren’t as many CPIHL teams this year, meaning the talent isn’t as spread out, which equates to tougher competition night in and night out for the Bears, and Lokey knows it.

“We will have our hands full in almost every game we play. Starting 3-0 was a pleasant surprise,” he said. “Everyone has a good understanding of what we need to improve on as we get into the tough part of our schedule.”

Lokey also stressed the importance of having team chemistry. Sure, the Bears return 12 players, but they also lost some of the key players from last year’s team, meaning they have to adjust to life without them.

But so far, so good for the Bears. They are stocked with talented, smart players who understand what is expected of them. All of the pieces for a run at the Viola Cup are in place, it’s now up to the players to make it happen.

With their experience, they certainly know what it will take to get there.