Wisconsin high school hockey

Today is the second of a ten-part series on Wisconsin high school hockey. I will handicap the conference races and list the elite players in each of their respective conferences.

BADGERLAND

University School of Milwaukee (22-2-0, 11-1-0) was on top of last year's Wisconsin Hockey News polls for almost the whole season. Then came the disappointing loss at the state tournament to Madison Edgewood, and suddenly, those rankings meant nothing. Now, after a summer to think about it, U School is ready to defend their Badgerland crown. Jeff Christiansen and J.J. Koehler are among the top forwards for the Wildcats, and veteran defensemen John Hennessy and Luke Lucyk will return on the blue line. Evan Graboyes returns at goaltender, giving coach Doug Coleman an experienced line-up all around. Look for a Badgerland title and another trip to state for this bunch of Wildcats.

Fond du Lac (23-2-1, 10-1-1) lost in heartbreaking fashion to underdog Hudson in the state final last year. The Cardinals were heavily favored, but got run over by the unheralded squad from northwestern Wisconsin. Coach Wes Bolin lost several key components of last year's team, but returns All-State forward Jason Lettau, who figures to be amongst state scoring leaders again this year. Cliff Searl hopes to follow in older brother Joe's footsteps, and Aaron Holzman and Bryan Courtney will also pitch in. Adam Piper and Bobby Biolo are the two top defensemen. Jake Kohlman takes over in goal after playing sparingly in his junior year. The Cardinals will probably be the only team to challenge U School for the conference crown.

Neenah (11-9-1, 7-5-0) returns most of their lineup, including their starting goalie. Tyler Stevenson and Kyle Kulibert figure to lead the forwards, while Kevin Christie and Reid Mayer will anchor the defensive lineup. Chris Redmann is a veteran netminder who played well as a junior last year for coach Mike Elkin. The Rockets return 17 letter winners but still need players who can put the puck in the net.

Appleton (10-9-2, 4-6-2) loses a Wisconsin “Mr. Hockey” finalist and four other key players from last year's team. Coach Jim Bradford enters his fifth season at the helm and should get most of his scoring from forwards Josh Blair, Chris Blair, and Paul Melchiori. Senior goalie Meghan Horras returns after backing up All-State netminder Luke Kohtala last season. Bradford expects his team to be solid defensively, but thinks they might have some trouble scoring.

Beaver Dam (12-10-0, 4-8-0) returns All-State forward Nick Sirota this year and hope his scoring ways can be contagious. Kyle Ross and Jason Drake are forwards who can score and will be expected to improve on last year's totals to move the Golden Beavers up in the conference standings. Nick Akers will be one of the leaders on defense. Sophomore goalie Mike Jenson will try to fill the skates of departing Andy Ceithamer. Defense figures to be a question as Beaver Dam's three best defensemen graduate.

Waupun (13-8-1, 4-7-1) look to fill holes at goalie and forward as two of their best players graduate. Adam Kastein departs from net and co-coaches Kip Peters, Wally Klug, and Andy Trewyn will try to find a suitable replacement from the JV ranks. Kaleb DeVries, Andy VandeBerg, and Aaron Gross will get lots of ice time at the forward spots.

Sheboygan (6-16-0, 0-11-0) should improve with new coach John Kasha, who will also double as athletic director for the Red Raiders. Kasha should be able to find a goalie with varsity experience, as Ryan Cleerman, Dean McNammee, and Joel Meisfeld all saw action last year. One of them will need to step up to claim the job for the Red Raiders to be more successful than last year.

Predicted Finish:(1) University School, (2) Fond du Lac, (3) Neenah, (4) Appleton, (5) Beaver Dam, (6) Waupun, (7) Sheboygan.

All-Conference Team: Forwards -- Jason Lettau, Fond du Lac; Nick Sirota, Beaver Dam; Jeff Christiansen, University School. Defensemen -- John Hennessy, University School; Kevin Christie, Neenah. Goalie -- Evan Graboyes, University School.