Gardner area high school hockey: 19 boys and girls to watch on the ice this season
Four Gardner area high school hockey teams will be in the rink this winter.
The Oakmont boys are the lone program in the area that is not part of a co-op. Leominster, Oakmont, Narragansett and Monty Tech all join forces to form the area's lone girls program.
Monty Tech teams up with Fitchburg for a boys hockey co-op, while Gardner meshes with Murdock, Quabbin and Narragansett.
These are the names to know heading into the winter.
Boys hockey
Fitchburg/Monty Tech
The Fitchburg hockey team is a co-op with Monty Tech. The Red Raiders were second in their conference last season, finishing 11-10 with an appearance in the Div. 4 state tournament as the No. 25 seed. They lost to No. 8 Martha’s Vineyard in the Round of 32.
Fitchburg has several players returning this season that made an impact in the past. Seniors Colin Hines, Cody Berkio and Jake Pruneau were all part of the offensive unit and will help lead once again.
Berkio landed in the top 20 on the Central Mass scoring leaderboard with 12 goals and 18 assists, totaling 30 points. Hines was not far behind with 27 points and Pruneau totaled 7 goals and 3 assists in the season.
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Holding down the defensive end is junior Alex Armstrong and senior Brett Mailloux, both of whom offer multifaceted skills on the ice. Both have a nose for the net and give the team the stability it needs to compete against other strong teams.
Coach Steve Lowney has a solid group of veterans along with some promising freshmen and other first-year varsity players that he believes will compete at a high level all season.
Oakmont
Oakmont is the sole Gardner area team that does not bring in athletes from other schools, showing the strong hockey culture that is built into the program.
Senior Dylan LeBlanc suffered an injury last season that forced him to miss time, but after a full recovery he is prepared to be a leader this year. Coach Mike Duteau describes LeBlanc as someone that will be relied on this season, with his ability to generate offense and keep things in line.
Nate Hylan returns after being named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year last season. The senior totaled 15 goals and 19 assists as the leading scorer for the Spartans. Fellow senior Cooper Carignan is an offensive force alongside Hylan, who scored 7 goals and 8 assists last year as well as earning the Coaches' Award for his team at the end of the season.
Expected to have a big year is sophomore Sam Dunn, who played varsity as a freshman last season. As a wing, Duteau is turning to Dunn to get into the mix with Hylan and Carignan. Another team with a combination of returners and young players, Oakmont will work hard to make each game a battle and lean on the leaders to get them there.
Gardner/Murdock/Quabbin/Narragansett
Gardner hockey is home to athletes from Garder, Murdock, Quabbin and Narragansett – a majority of The Gardner News’ schools.
The program had success last season, finishing 13-9. It earned the No. 32 seed in the Div. 4 tournament where the team beat No. 33 Taconic in the preliminary round in double overtime, then lost to eventual state-champion Norwell in the Round of 32.
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Head coach Scott Freniere expressed his excitement to have a large group of experienced hockey players after being young and working to build the program for several years.
Mark Quinn returns for his senior season, making it his fifth year as the varsity starting goalie. Quinn has had an outstanding career thus far, making him “arguably one of the best goalies in Central Mass.,” according to Freniere. Quinn posted a 2.76 goals against average for last season, landing in the middle of the pack in the Central Mass. goaltending leaderboard and sixth in Coughlin league.
As a sophomore last season, Jayden Patel scored 14 goals and added 8 assists for a total of 22 points. Patel really came into his own over the course of the season last year and has the chance to start off with a bang this season.
Ty Burdett is a senior defenseman who helps to ignite offensive opportunities. These veterans, along with freshman Mikey Quinn and St. Bernard’s transfer Caden Mihalovich, have the potential to take Gardner far. Freniere emphasized the improvement he has seen within the program each year and the athletes’ ability to compete against top-level teams.
Girls hockey
Leominster
Oakmont, Monty Tech and Narragansett all compete under the Leominster co-op team. Athletes from several other local areas also play for the team, joining together a big group of girls from a variety of schools.
Leominster had a 15-5-1 season that featured a run to the Div. 2 state tournament last year. Earning the No. 27 seed, they suffered a loss against Sandwich in the Round of 32.
Rachel Simkewicz is one of Leominster’s returning standouts. Simkewicz is a junior wing who totaled 14 goals and 7 assists last season, making her the team’s leading scorer.
Alyssa Allan and Carly Ehwa are both juniors as well who were a part of Simkewicz’s line last year that led the team’s offense. The trio returning together is key for Leominster going into this season.
Sasha Gendron and Fran Collaro are expected to strengthen the defense, according to head coach Nancy LeBlanc, after losing several defensemen from graduation and transfers.
LeBlanc is hopeful for a strong season and another state tournament appearance, having a combination of those key players along with strong newbies coming into the mix.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Preseason preview: H.S. Hockey players to make an impact this season
