Striving for a better year, Hempfield looking to grind down opponents

By: Ted Sarneso
Monday, October 23, 2023 | 10:42 AM

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The Hempfield hockey team hasn’t forgotten the way last season finished.

“Losing the number of games we lost, with the roster we had and getting blown out in the playoffs the way we did is still in the back of our minds,” second-year coach Cory Myers said.

“We talk about last year a lot, how it made us feel. It was not fun.”

Last season’s Spartans went 7-12-1 and qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed in Class 2A and were dispatched 12-1 by top-seeded Armstrong in the opening round.

This season, the Spartans are on a mission to learn from last season’s mistakes and become a force to be reckoned with in the conference.

It all starts with Myers, who is the first to admit last season’s results were on him.

“We lost our last seven games to finish last year,” he said. “I think that kind of fell on me and the coaching staff. We just really didn’t have the guys prepared.”

Myers preached a message of commitment from his team, and this year the message is the same, with an added focus of hard work.

“We had a meeting before the season even started, and that’s the message I gave them,” Myers said.

“If they want to play a lot of minutes they’ve got to be playing well. We have a different mindset this year. We’re here to win.”

Hempfield is a veteran group, returning 16 players from last year despite losing 11 seniors.

Leading the team are captain Alex Smillie and assistant captains Nick Eberhardt and Max Short, all of whom are seniors.

“Smillie leads by example,” Myers said. “He doesn’t talk a lot in the locker room. He shows up to practice ready to work. Eberhardt and Max are both talkative guys that can bring it on the ice.”

Smillie heads a forward group that includes Short and sophomores Nino DiPietro and J.J. Williams. The latter two, Myers said, “have made strides from last season.”

“Looking forward to what they can bring, and we’ll lean on them to put the puck in the net,” he said.

Defensively, seniors Eberhardt, Chase Spehar and Taylor Julian lead a group that also includes juniors Felix Horrall, Madden Merriman and Austin Herron.

“We have a good D core,” Myers said. “They’re all very solid. Chase Spehar is really going to step up this year. He’s definitely going to see a lot more minutes than last year.”

In goal, the Spartans will rely on sophomore Evan Saltzgiver, who didn’t play last year, but made 17 saves in Hempfield’s first game of this season — a 3-0 win over Latrobe on Oct. 5.

“He’s proven to be our No. 1 to start the season. I’m pumped to see what he does all season,” Myers said.

What excites Myers most is the all-freshmen third line of Mats Martz, Colby Herron and Max Gromoll that exemplifies Hempfield’s mindset on the ice.

“It’s a big surprise. All three are grinders and get the puck deep and go to work,” Myers said. “They also play larger than their small statures would suggest.”

The line epitomizes what the Spartans are looking to do this season. They’re not looking to beat teams with skill; they’re looking for guys that will grind and cycle the puck.

“We don’t have the skill this year,” Myers said. “We’re out to win the close games, something we didn’t do well last year. We’re going to hit and out-work you every shift.”

The Spartans want their opponents to look at the schedule and be filled with trepidation when they have to play Hempfield.

“That’s a goal. To have our opponents say, ‘dang it, we play Hempfield’ when they see us on the schedule,” Myers said.

The other goal is to navigate a tough Class 2A and make it back to the playoffs, where Hempfield has high aspirations and a belief that its style of play can make them successful.

“It’s a very good league. Any team can beat another, and you don’t get a free win anytime,” Myers said. “We want to put ourselves in a good position to win in the playoffs.”

Tags: Hempfield