Lake Zurich's Hot Streak on Cold Ice

To say that Lake Zurich High School hockey coach Tom Paulson is proud of how his team performed in the Founders Cup tournament would definitely be an understatement.

“I was really impressed with how this team came together,” enthused Paulson. “I think we exceeded our expectations.”

After dropping the first two games of the tournament, the Bears had their backs against the wall. In their first game, against St. Patrick on Feb. 9,  Lake Zurich suffered a tough 9-8 loss. That was followed by a 6-3 defeat at the hands of Niles Township the following night.

The Bears reeled off four straight wins after the pair of losses, defeating CCM last Saturday, 4-2; Cary-Grove 7-1 last Sunday; Libertyville last Tuesday and Carmel Catholic last Wednesday.  “Our defense really came around after those first two games,” said Paulson.

Paulson cited freshmen Kolton Durment, Caelin Knutter, Sam Morgan and senior Devin Whitehead as his top defensive players. “They played outstanding defense,” said Paulson. “And Niko (Kakos) on the second line was also a big contributor. He’s one of several freshmen on the team who plays at a higher level.”

The team’s top offensive performers in the playoffs included senior Jay Napolitano, who had a total of 18 points (8 goals and 10 assists); freshman Nick Jones who had a total of 14 points (9 goals and 5 assists) and sophomore Joe Pizzolato with 13 points (10 goals and 3 assists).

Paulson said this year’s crop of freshmen is both the largest and most talented that he’s seen in his ten years of coaching. “It really sets us up for the next three years, having all of these talented freshmen players who will continue to improve next year and the year after,” said Paulson.

It’s a big turnaround from a year ago, when a lack of players forced the team to combine rosters with another area high school. “That wasn’t an ideal situation,” recalls Paulson. “It’s hard to accomplish a lot of things that you want to in that scenario.”

With an influx of young talent on this year’s team—all Lake Zurich students—Paulson’s team skated to a 14-12-1 regular season record, which was better than he anticipated. He knew that the team could achieve great things after just the second game of the season. “One of our biggest rivals—maybe our biggest—is Barrington,” recalls Paulson. We beat them 9-5 in just our second game. That was the first time in thirteen years that Lake Zurich beat them. That game really stands out.”

Paulson said that one of his greatest challenges is on the recruiting front. “We’re at a disadvantage because we’re drawing from a smaller student population,” said Paulson. “Lake Zurich has a student population of 1900, versus 4,000 at Barrington. Other schools in the area combine rosters, so their drawing on a larger pool of talent as well.”

After 10 years of coaching, Paulson said he’s as enthusiastic as ever in coaching the team. In fact, he said he he’s even more enthusiastic given his young team’s prospects in the upcoming years.

“One of the challenges of coaching is in the process of recruiting,” said Paulson. “The talent of the kids at this age is all over the place, so it can be difficult in molding the team given the wide range of talent and experience. Also, getting the kids into the pipeline is another challenge. Getting the word out to the kids who play and having them try out is something that you’re always working on.”

Whatever methods that Paulson and assistant coach Bob Turano and goalie coach Brian Loehrke have employed are paying off nicely.

The Lake Zurich High School Hockey Club will face Lyons Township in the single elimination Blackhawk Cup at 8:50 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 23,  at the Darien Ice Rink, Darien Sportsplex, 451 Plainfield Rd., Darien.

Also, Skate With the Bears will be held on Saturday, February 26, from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. at the West Meadows Ice Arena. It's free, and open to 6th-12th grade Lake Zurich hockey players who are interested in playing hockey for the Lake Zurich High School hockey team. For full information and registration details, go to: www.bearshockey.com