Prep hockey preview- Colony

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

PALMER - The Colony hockey squad may be best defined by looking at its first line.

There is senior center Ryan Pauling, potentially the top player in the North Star Hockey Conference. Beside him on one side is senior Austin Manelick - a 5-foot-10 forward who plays like he is 6-3. Manelick enjoyed a break-out season last year. On the other side is junior Andrew Borgeiski - a forward who saw little action last year, but has worked his way to the top of the Knight lineup.

On that one line there is some skill, some speed, some grit and some savvy. There's a mix - kind of like the remainder of the Knight roster. Colony may be lacking in some areas, but if the Knights find the right blend, they should be right in the mix of things in top of the conference standings.

Colony head coach Dale Mattson said the biggest difference between the 2005-06 squad and Knights rosters of past is the average size of the Colony athletes.

&#8220We've got some big players, but overall we're quite small,” Mattson said. &#8220Even though we're small, we make up for it in speed and strength.”

Pauling returns as the Knights leading scorer. He tallied 22 goals and 22 assists last year, despite missing several games at the end of the season due to injury. Manelick, a workhorse in front of the net, exploded for 36 points last year.

&#8220He's a real tough player. He's a guy we plant in front of the net, and he gets a lot of those tough goals that take brute force,” Mattson said.

Pauling is the captain of the squad, with Manelick and defenseman Alex Lund serving as assistants. Lund is also the leader of the Knight defense.

&#8220He's a real big, strong kid, and is good at puck handling,” Mattson said.

Lund is not only an asset in front of the Colony net, Mattson said, but important in the offensive game plan. He gets the shots from the point, and works well in the Knight power play. Lund scored twice in a 4-2 win over Homer in the semifinals of the Curtis C. Menard II Memorial Ice Arena last week.

Borgeiski is a player Mattson said he has seen vast improvement from. Last year, he saw action on the fourth line. His gains on the ice prompted Mattson to put Borgeiski with two of his senior leaders. Another junior that should factor into the Knight success, Mattson said, is Logan Huppert. The defenseman should see a great deal of action on special teams.

Mattson also noted a group of young players who will be important to the success of the Knights in the future. Sophomores Blake Huppert, Ryan Weeks, Casey Morre and Chris Breck are already making an impact on the varsity ice. Huppert is centering the second line, and scored Colony's lone goal in a 5-1 loss to Chugiak in the title game of the Menard Invitational. Breck is paired with Lund on Colony's top tandem on the blueline.

Another youngster making an impact is freshman Dominick Frank, already a regular on defense.

In net, the Knights return starting goaltender Tyrel Henkel. The senior has already had a ton of work. He recorded more than 100 saves in three games during the Menard Invite, including 49 in the championship game against Chugiak.

&#8220Tyrel played an outstanding tournament,” Mattson said.