Coach Tony Hrkac is counting on depth this season to get his team out of a 30-plus winless mire.
“Last couple of years, we only had six or seven guys upfront that you could really rely on,” Hrkac says. “This year, we have a little more depth, so those guys won’t get as tired.”
The Falcons are getting tired of not winning. The team’s last victory came on Feb. 6, 2009 when they edged Marian, 4-3, in overtime.
Concordia stumbled out of the gate this season, losing its first four contests by a combined score of 27-3.
To shake those doldrums, the Falcons need to vigorously crash the net and get a little luck, Hrkac says.
“It’s a slow process,” the former Hobey Baker Trophy winner adds.
The season, senior center Jonathan Smith will be counted on to repeat his team-leading output of nine goals and 11 assists. Smith is expected to get some aid from Joseph Greg Douglas (eight goals, seven assists, 15 points) and Bradley Lukass (six goals, nine assists, 15 points).
Otherwise the Falcons’ offense may come via the blue line, where Andrew Dammen (five goals, six assists, 11 points) and Jari Sanders (three goals, six assists, nine points) return.
In goal, Hrkac is looking for more consistency from incumbent starter Michael Wyenn (0-11-5, 5.52 GAA, .884 save percentage). Junior Dustin Le Claire and freshman Michael Becker have already spelled Wyenn in lopsided losses to Wisconsin-River Falls and Milwaukee School of Engineering this season.
“We need that save when he has to make a save,” the Falcons coach says. “A lot of times, we didn’t get that last year. He’s got to step it up and make those saves for us so he can keep us in games.”
