When the final horn sounded on the 2016-17 season, Kimball Union Academy had finished atop not just the Lakes Region League, but all of New England. The Wildcats, perennial postseason participants, went 32-5-2 last year, taking out Thayer, Dexter and then Rivers to win the program’s first elite championship in 35 years. Though that team...
When the final horn sounded on the 2016-17 season, Kimball Union Academy had finished atop not just the Lakes Region League, but all of New England.
The Wildcats, perennial postseason participants, went 32-5-2 last year, taking out Thayer, Dexter and then Rivers to win the program’s first elite championship in 35 years.
Though that team featured several seniors in key roles, KUA has good talent back, especially on the blue line, including defensemen Jordan Harris (Northeastern commit) and Christian Felton, who both cracked Central Scouting’s list of players to watch for the 2018 NHL draft.
"We have four potential NHL draft picks this year," noted KUA coach Tim Whitehead.
Count senior Logan Cash and junior Kyle Penney in that group. Forward Thomas Samuelsen (UConn) and senior defenseman Bryce Dolan (Holy Cross) are also back, while Sean Dynan is a proven asset in net.
"As usual in the Lakes Region," said New Hampton coach Casey Kesselring, "the conversation starts and ends with KUA."
The gap between KUA and New Hampton, though, might not be all that wide. The Huskies have a standout blueliner of their own in Michael Kesselring, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior who’s committed to Merrimack, where his father starred in the mid-1990s.
New Hampton went 18-13-3 last year and will try to cash in more in close games. Its last close game marked the end of its season, a 4-2 loss to Pomfret in the semifinals of the Martin/Earl tournament.
"We are just looking to keep improving as a program and I know our players are very excited for this season," said Casey Kesselring. "We lost a lot of close games last year and hope our experience will pay off this year."
Five of the seven Lakes Region teams made the postseason last year. Proctor was ousted in the first round of the Martin/Earl tournament, while Holderness and Tilton made the Simmons/Piatelli field.
"I think the Lakes Region is going to be really strong this year," said Holderness coach Alan Thompson. "In the five years I have been coaching in the conference, this is the strongest I have seen top to bottom in my opinion, at least on paper."
