Prep hockey: Hawks adjusting to life in 4A

WASILLA — At the 3A level of hockey, Houston High school was the unquestioned bully, winning four consecutive titles through last season and six titles overall.

But this year’s move to the larger 4A class means the Hawks are the new kids on the block, and head coach Mike Styers knows things will be much different for a program that is in a bit of a rebuilding mode after losing several key seniors including all-state tournament forward Aaron Burleson and defenseman Kaleb Westfall.

“We’re not really deep,” Styers said following a season-opening 7-2 loss to the Palmer Moose last Friday.

Houston’s rough introduction to 4A hockey continued Saturday, as the team dropped an 11-4 decision to one of it’s new Mid-Alaska Conference rivals, West Valley.

The Hawks dressed just 13 skaters over the weekend, and Styers said his squad will definitely need to work on conditioning to keep up with the larger 4A teams they’ll face this year as part of the Mid-Alaska, which also includes Juneau, Lathrop, and North Pole.

“We need to get in better shape,” Styers said.

With a short bench, Houston will rely heavily on a core group of returning players that includes senior forwards Jake Henkel, Casey Marre and Dillon Styers.

Both Styers and Henkel made the all-tourney team at state last season, but Mike Styers said the key may be Marre, who’ll need to step up as the anchor of Houston’s second line.

“A lot’s going to depend on how he does,” Styers said.

Junior defenseman Brendan Weimer is expected to lead a defensive unit that also includes returning juniors Matthew Estrada and Joe VanHyning.

In goal, sophomore Will Rauchenstein is back for a second season with the Hawks after backstopping last year’s state title team as a ninth grader.

Also expected to have a big impact for the Hawks will be newcomer Micah Ranum, a freshman forward with the potential to become Houston’s next star. During the season-opener, Ranum displayed both size and speed not often seen in a player so young.

“We expect a lot out of him,” Styers said.

With plenty of talent but not much depth, Styers said the team’s goals are more modest than in past years, when anything other than a state title was unacceptable.

“We know we’re not going to go knock off the big giants in the state,” Syters said.

Instead, the Houston coach said he believes simply reaching the state tournament would be a big accomplishment for his squad.

“Our goal is to try to win half of our games,” he said.

If the Hawks can manage to hang around .500, Styers said there’s a good chance the team can earn one of the two Mid Alaska bids to state.

“Those are our two goals,” he said.

Styers said he thinks Houston’s chances of moving into the tournament as a 4A school are attainable.

“We’re pretty optimistic.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

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