Young Deer Lakes aims to skate to deep playoff run

By: Antonio Rossetti
Monday, November 4, 2024 | 2:48 PM

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The Deer Lakes hockey team was one game away from contending for the Penguins Cup, losing last year in the semifinals. This season, the Lancers are determined to make it a step further.

Though a large senior class graduated, the returning Lancers (2-2) have high hopes for the 2024-25 season. They finished 12-6-0-1 last season and won four playoff games.

Ty Ulanowicz, who was an assistant coach at Shaler and played in the USPHL Junior Premier league for the Elmira Junior Enforcers, has taken over head coaching duties.

“It was nerve-racking,” Ulanowicz said of the move. “It’s something I’ve never done before, but as I started getting more comfortable with the team, it’s been great. There’s a lot of great kids on the team that helped me learn. … My captains help me. They see what they see. The players know best, so it’s always best to listen to your players and learn from them, too.”

Ulanowicz, 21, played as recently as 2022, so hockey is fresh for him and he knows what players want from a coach.

Those who have helped him get used to being a head coach are captain Jake Bradley and assistant captains Ryan Grunden and Mason Cervone.

“The upperclassmen in leadership right now have been great,” Ulanowicz said. “I told them what I expect from them when I gave them the captains, and even the upperclassmen who don’t have captains know what to expect. Just because you don’t have a ‘C’ or an ‘A’ on your jersey doesn’t mean you can’t be vocal or help one kid out or be positive on that bench.”

Grunden returns to the fold after notching 20 goals and 17 assists, tallying 37 points in 18 games. He’s off to a fast start this year with eight goals and an assist in three games.

“One of the big things about me giving him that assistant captain was his play on the ice,” Ulanowicz said. “He leads by example through his play, scoring big goals for us.”

One of those big goals came shorthanded in a win against Knoch this season that shifted the tide of the game.

Ulanowicz added that goaltender Nikita Oleksiienko, a first-year player for the Lancers, has impressed him.

“He’s definitely someone I can trust in big games,” Ulanowicz said. “He’s always there, to shut the door against Knoch. He was making some big time stops in the first period. We came out real slow, flat footed, and Knoch had a lot of chances, but Nikita was there to shut that down, and he gave us the chance to go ahead and give us a chance to win that game by coming up with a big and strong first period for us.”

Bradley leads the defense.

“He’s very vocal all the time, and very positive, keeping the kids in a good mood,” Ulanowicz said. “He’s keeping them driven, keeping them on the right path and on the bench. He’s a one man wrecking ball out there on defense. He makes a lot of good plays for us. He does the right stuff. He’s a good hockey player.”

Grunden loves Bradley’s aggression, and grit on the ice.

“He gets the team going,” Grunden said. “He plays physical. When you make him mad, he gets all mad. He gets out there, hits multiple people, and gets the puck out.”

Cervone returns after tallying 13 points in 19 games last season. He has five points in three games.

“He’s fast, and he has no off switch,” Ulanowicz said. “He’s just on ‘go’ mode all the time. His forecheck can really have a team turn the puck over. He scored big goals for us in big games.”

Junior Blake Toback, also a returning player, has posted three goals and an assist so far.

Grunden mentioned he’s been impressed with the play of Toback and sophomores RJ Norkus and Austin Veri.

Both Norkus and Veri have five points.

“They’re all doing well,” Grunden said of the young players. “Heading into the season, I didn’t really know what to expect. … But when the first game came around, everyone stepped it up. All those younger kids were going hard to the puck. They’re all grinding to the puck, and they’re all moving it.”

With the roster having just four seniors, the young players are needed to produce, Ulanowicz said.

Grunden and Cervone are players he expects to take advantage of the playing style with their skill and speed.

“Grunden’s got speed, he uses his speed wisely and that’s how he’s been capitalizing on his goals,” Ulanowicz said. “Mason’s got speed, and he’s been forechecking and backchecking, causing other teams to get frustrated because he keeps disrupting plays. It’s one of the most important things about hockey. If you have a fast team, you can be a pretty dangerous team because you leave a team with zero time to make a decision.”

Grunden likes what Ulanowicz has done so far this season in leading the Lancers.

“Everyone likes him,” Grunden said. “The drills we do in practice are good. They help us with our power play. Our work in practice definitely gets put into the game and for our penalty kill.”

Rob Grunden, Ryan’s father, also coaches the team as an assistant.

“He gives me pointers all the time,” Grunden said. “He talks to me about what we should do. A lot of the kids love having him as a coach. He’s energetic, gets the team going. A lot of the kids had him for the past two years, so they’re all used to being around him.”

The Lancers have had just two defensive pairings in the early going. Ulanowicz said he’s proud of the group for their effort amidst the increased workload.

“They want to go every shift,” Ulanowicz said. “They’re out there, they’re vocal on the bench, which tells me they’re engaged the entire time. They’re ready. They’re calling out players when they’re coming off the bench. They’re ready. They’re letting their teammates know that it’s their turn to go.”

Ulanowicz said the team has the work ethic and the drive, but one other aspect stands out above any skill.

“Every single kid on that team has heart, and they all want it,” Ulanowicz said. “They want to win more than any other team we play. They want to score. They want to be on the ice. They want to make a play happen. I’d say having heart is the biggest thing and you can’t teach. … That’s something that makes this team so special. The want and the desire to win.”

Grunden said that their team chemistry will give them the upper hand this season.

“We all have smiles,” Grunden said. “We’re all joking around in the locker room. It’s all fun. There’s no hate between anyone. Going to the Pens Cup would be amazing. The past two years that we played varsity, we lost in the same semifinals. I’ve never been to the Pens Cup, and it would be amazing to go to the Pens Cup with this group of kids.”

Tags: Deer Lakes