By Jim den Hollander
Editor/Publisher
Saukhockey.info
Following is a much belated look back on the 2022-23 varsity hockey season with my second all-Sauk County team.
This was a crazy season for this writer – absent for big parts of the campaign and unable to travel for some as well. But there were still some memorable moments and there is still not much better than sipping arena coffee on the glass with a game on the other side.
I don’t feel like as much of an authority or expert as I did last season, but I wanted to finally get this list up to honor some of the top players in the area (and state). As usual, putting this together gave me some great memories and early anticipation for the 2023-24 season which promises to be exciting as well.

All Saukhockey.info teams

First Line

Forwards:

Luke Mast (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Despite losing a solid core of players on both offense and defense to graduation at the end of the 2021-22 season, the Eagles enjoyed an improvement, climbing to the runners up spot in the Badger West Conference and becoming the first and so far only team to win a Badger Conference game against the Madison Edgewood Crusaders.

Mast was expected to take the reins for the Eagles and he couldn’t have done a beter job, scoring 33 goals and adding 45 assists for 78 points, ranking him among the top scorers in the state. Not bad for a forward that missed a pair of early contests with what turned out to be a not nearly as bad as expected wrist injury.

The Eagles collected 123 goals on the season which means Mast played a part in 70 percent of his team’s offense. This came as no surprise to anyone opaying attention to local hockey. Mast hs been a key part of the team since he collected 13 goals and 26 points as a freshman.

In his four seasons with the Eagles, Mast collected 86 goals and 206 regular season points becoming just the second player in team history to cross the 200-point plateau.

Kayla Capener – (Badger Lightning) — Nothing like leaving on top.
Capener and her senior teammates pitched in and delivered the Badger Lightning to levels not even thought of in previous seasons in 2022-23 and she moves on to the softball season as the Lightning’s all time leading scorer, her 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points finishing off a 58 goal, 150 point career.
That includes the 2020-21 season that saw the Lightning compete in just 17 games during the COVID craziness. In that season, Capener, Bella Bowden and Mallory Ruland combined for an all-sophomore line forced into leadership roles on a Lightning team that consisted of 10 skaters and two goaltenders.
This past season, Capener notched 19 goals along with 29 assists for 48 points. In the assist column, she was third best in the state, just two helpers behind state leader Eileen Carey. Her 48 point was the fifth best total in the state.
Along with the rest of the now full Badger lineup including a group of hard nosed seniors that paid little attention to history dictating they were supposed to lose to certain teams, Capener helped the team to its first .500 season and first playoff victory in a decade or more.

Caden Brandt (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — Much like Mast, Brandt is a soft-spoken forward that has been among the offensive leaders on the Cheavers since his sophomore season.
Brandt does his talking on the ice, and he can play in any situation as he possesses all the tools, a great skater equally comfortable in a tight checking or wide-open contest. His great vision and perfect passing make his teammates better when Brandt is on the ice with them.
Also, like Mast, Brandt endured a bit of an injury scare early in the season. He appeared in 20 of the team’s 24 games but that was enough for him to collect 20 goals and 37 points to lead the team in scoring.
In his career, Brandt notched 78 regular season goals and 128 points, the second highest total in the RWD team’s history behind only Dylan Brown (note – The RWD team was formed in 2010-11 – Reedsburg/Baraboo, Reedsburg and Wisconsin Dells statisics are not available).

Defense:
Carsen Brandt (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — Caden’s twin brother has been a key part of his team’s blue line corps.
Brandt relied on both speed and strength to limit opposition opportunities and he is equally as effective in the offensive zone, particularly on a powerplay.
Expected to miss almost all of his junior year due to shoulder surgery, Brandt instead decided to push the surgery to the end of the hockey season and played through the pain becoming a key player on the blue line.
As a senior Brandt was everywhere, playing a big role on both offense and defense. He contributed three goals and 13 points and despite playing a physical game when needed he sat just 14 minutes in penalties over the season.

Karsyn Banta (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Banta was the leading scorer among defenders on the Sauk Prairie Eagles, the junior putting up three goals and collecting 13 points on an Eagles team that suddenly got young on the blue line.
Despite losing some of the best defensemen in the conference, the Eagles continued to battle the Badger West’s front runners due in part to an experienced pair in goal, but also the defense corps stepping up in a big way. With the graduation of Mast along with senior goaltenders Brooks McInerney and Kaden Stracke, Banta will be counted on even more in his senior season.

Goaltender:
Burke Schweda (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — The writer is really going to chicken out in the goaltending category which was strong for all four Sauk County teams.
In fact, this is the only goaltending decision made. At first glance Schweda may seem an odd choice but primary reason for him standing out is his resilience. Schweda went to the crease 23 times in 2022/23 and he won just four games. But he routinely faced 50-plus shots per game with a season total of 1,295. He still sported a .909 Save Percentage and and the score played no part in his effort. Down by four or more goals he still stood tall in the crease and challenged shooters.
Schweda likely deserves most of the credit for the four wins and coming in as a junior this season, he will likely carry the load once again for the Thunderbirds.

Second Line

Forwards:
John Scott(Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — In the past two seasons, Scott transformed into maybe one of the most complete players in the conference. He may not seem as flashy as some of the others but spend a game or a period watching him and his true value comes through.
Scott lives for the battles at the top of the crease and while his 19 goals and 34 points were good enough for second on his team, there is no stat that measures his value when it comes to clearing the lanes and battling for loose pucks. Its a live by the sword, die by the sword type of game which saw him take 50-plus penalty minutes including three majors, but its a trade off most teams would happily take. He scored three goals on powerplay and added two others while the Cheavers were shorthanded.

Colin Harrington (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Harrington has one more year to play and will be counted on heavily by the Eagles in his senior year. Playing on a line with Mast as a junior, Harrington racked up 21 goals and 43 points helping the Eagles outscore opponents 112-45. Of the team’s 112 goals, 78 came from Mast-Harrington and Landon Froese. Harrington led the team with four shorthanded goals and the top line proved almost equal to even strength when killing as the trio combined on eight shorties.
Harrington boasted solid speed and strength and he must have known his value as a penalty killer, sitting just 10 minutes himself in 22 games.

Landon Froese (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — This is the only Freshman that will make this team — just a policy for the writer to give credit to the upper classmen who lead the team. But it’s impossible to leave him off as he completed the team’s power trio.
The past half dozen or so seasons have been the best era in the Eagles’ history and many of the key cogs in that machine have moved on to college and beyond now. Froese is among the players that will play a big role in the next generation of the Eagles. Based on youth hockey performances in recent years, he will have some help.
Froese introduced himself to the varsity game with 24 goals and 41 points in 23 games. If he can build and improve on those totals he will leave in three years as a another who has reached great heights with the Eagles.

Defense:
Logan DeMars (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston ) — A solid 200-foot player DeMars stepped up as a force at both ends of the ice for the Cheavers this past season.
DeMars led defenders on RWD with three goals and 17 points, four of his assists coming on powerplays and another with the Cheavers shorthanded. A four-year member of the varsity squad, the rugged physical defender wrapped up his career with eight goals and 33 points.
Despite not shying away from the physical part of the game, DeMars mostly kept it clean, collecting just seven minors as a senior which was less than the 22 minutes he collected as a junior.

Eryn Benson (Badger Lightning) — A pair of first years (See future prospects) stepped up in a big way for the Lightning this past season but Benson has been a primary piece on the blue line since she was a first year herself.
Her production dropped a bit in her senior season, likely due to a a more complete unit on the blue line that lessened her work load but she was still a key contributor with a couple goals and five points, wrapping up a nine-goal, 33 point four-year stint on the blue line. Benson collected a goal and assist on the powerplay but her main contribution came in her own end as she helped goaltender Alyssa Gada out keeping the front of the net clear and allowing her to see what was coming.

Goaltenders:
Alex Griebe (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston); Kaden Stracke(Sauk Prairie)Alyssa Gada (Badger Lightning) — There hasn’t been a season in a while that saw all four teams with standout goaltending. There is little separation between any of them.
Stracke wrapped up a solid run for the Eagles, collecting 13 ‘dubs’ and dropping just four, then adding two more wins in the post season. Since his sophomore season, Stracke racked up 34 wins and lost just nine, posting a 2.18 Goals Against Average over his career. He kicked out 963 of 1054 shots for an overall save percentage of .914.
Stracke was the go-to man in the crease but Brooks McInerney was there all three seasons as well with numbers close to Stracke’s giving the Eagles quality and consistency no matter who was blocking the shots.
Alex Griebe, a sophomore made an awesome debut for the varsity Cheavers, playing all but 11 minutes of the team’s 26 games this past season. The young keeper gave an indication of what could be on the horizon as a freshman when he collected shutouts routinely as the team’s junior varsity tender. Following last season’s Sauk Hockey Player of the Year Cooper Oakes to the crease is likely comparable to a comedian following Jerry Seinfeld to the stage, but he did it in seamless fashion and he will be relied on heavily over the next two seasons.
Griebe collected 15 wins on the season and kept his team in some games with a 2.06 Goals Against Average.
Gada is entering her senior season coming off a remarkable season that saw her play a part in the team’s first .500 season in ages.
The team advanced at an awesome pace going back to the Covid-shortened campaign but in that season, Gada, then a freshman gave an indication of what to expect, allowing just 47 goals on 460 shots.
Depth on the blue line aided her this past season but she still faced 586 shots, kicking out 525 and helping the team to a 2.80 Goals Against Average, under three for a first time in recent memory. She also collected five shutouts on the season giving her seven total approaching what seemed an untouchable total of 11 posted by Jamie Dutton about a decade earlier. No other Lightning goaltender has posted more than two in a career since 2011.
Gada will become even more important as a senior as the Lightning continues to improve but may have to be even more defensively sound due to the departure of players that racked up a huge percentage of the team’s offense in recent seasons.

Third Line

Forwards:
Brady Baldwin(Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — Baldwin made an instant impression on RWD and has been a member of the team’s top two lines since his first game as a freshman.
Baldwin is a perfect linemate as he can play any role — playmaker, sniper, checker, defensive specialist…name it. Perhaps because of that, he has moved around a bit but has a knack for being able to create chemistry along with any player he is teamed with.
This past season he collected 12 goals and 17 points in 23 games, his best total in a 27 goal, 47 point career so far. He excels on special teams, three of his goals coming on powerplay and one a shorty. Meanwhile, he sat just 17 minutes in penalties himself.

Peyton Sloan (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — Goals were hard to come by for the Thunderbirds in 2022-23, but Sloan accounted for seven, more than a quarter of the team’s total. He scored key goals as well, collecting the game winner in two of the team’s four wins.
Head Coach Tony Bluske said the senior was valuable as a leader off the ice as well, helping keep the team motivated and on track despite the frustratioons.

Mallory Ruland (Badger Lightning) — Its impossible to question the dedication of a player that routinely traveled from Elroy to Baraboo for daily practices and Ruland was invaluable to the Lightning because of her ability to play in any situation.
Able to work on the boards on both offense and defense, Ruland kept it clean, collecting just three minor penalties in her senior season following up a penatly-free junior year and just five penalties total in 78 regular season games.
Ruland collected 15 goals and 31 points as a senior, finishing a 33-goal, 62 point four-year career. She notched three goals and six points on the powerplay and also picked up a short handed assist.

Defense:
Garret Mittelsteadt Sauk Prairie Eagles) — Mittelsteadt entered his junior season with just nine games of varsity experience but stepped up as an anchor on the blue line.
Some of the conference’s best defenders from the previous season graduated from the Eagles but if there were any questions about the blue line, they were answered in a resounding way, especially in conference games where Mittelsteadt helped the Eagles who allowed just 16 goals against in 10 conference matches.
He contributed offensively as well, scoring twice and picking up six points and he sat just three minor penalties.

Lukas Vana (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — For a second consecutive season, the RWD team received some European help as Lukas Vana, an exchange student from Czech Republic stepped into a solid defensive role.
Vana appeared in all 24 regular season contests, collecting five goals and 20 points to rank third on the team in scoring and tops among defensemen. Vana was solid in his own end and played a part in defending Griebe and keeping shots to the outside whenever possible.
The rugged defender notched two short handed goals and collected an assist on another along with nine powerplay set ups.

Fourth Line

Forwards:
Reese Olson (Badger Lightning) — Olson stepped in for the Lightning in 2021-22 as a first year, scoring nine goals and 19 points for the Lightning, then added nine more goals and 24 points as a sophomore. A move to California (see story/interview) leaves a bit of a gap as Olson would have been counted on as a junior to build on her 43 point total.
Olson was a perfect fit on the Lightning, adding to an already aggressive squad, not shy about getting into the board battles but keeping it clean with just six minors on the season and 10 minors total.
A key on the powerplay, Olson collected a half dozen of her assists with the extra attacker this past season adding one more helper while shorthanded.

Gunnar Nachreiner (Sauk Prairie Eagles) — With so many of the team’s goals scored by the leading trio, Nachreiner, entering his junior season will be one counted on to help the team stay at a solid offensive level in the fall.
With seven goals and 11 points in his second season, Nachreiner will enter his junior year with 11 career goals and 29 points. He played a role on special teams with a powerplay goal and four set ups and he sat just eight minutes in minors himself.

Landon Olson (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — Olson ranked second on the team in scoring with five goals and eight points along with the seven points he notched the previous season.
Another player who tried his best to lead by example, it had to be a challenge being a mentor on a team that struggled offensively as the Thunderbirds did.

Defense:
Monte Hartmann (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — One of two senior leads on a T-Birds’ blue line, Hartmann teamed with Kyle Buelow to face an opposition barrage on a regular basis.
They did their best to limit chances against Schweda and deserve credit for their leadership by example and showing up for practice and workouts despite some tough nights at the office. Coach Bluske credited both for doing a good job of keeping things fun despite the many lopsided results.

Marc Othmer (Reedsburg/Wisconsin Dells/Mauston) — A defensive defenseman, Othmer has done a solid job of filling any role asked, including stepping up to play forward on occasion for the Cheavers.
As a senior, Othmer will likely be counted on for leadership with minute munchers Brandt and Vana both needing to be replaced. Othmer is one of those player’s who appears invisible on the game sheet but plays a big role on the ice with quiet but determined play willing to do whatever is asked.

Players of the Year

— Luke Mast/Kayla Capener — Another decision just too difficult to make. Others could likely be included in the running as well, but these two stick out because of the contribution they made to their team.
Their on ice personnas are similar as well — both relying on speed, puck handling and grit to lead the way for their respective teams. Beyond MVP’s, it’s hard to imagine their teams being close to where they were without the presence of these players.
Capener and Mast have both been key contributors and played on the team’s top line since their sophomore seasons.
Offensively both were among the best in state, Capener finishing her career as the all-time leading scorer for the Lightning while Mast ranks second on his team despite an unreal 206 points in 80 career games and an average of nearly three points a game.

Who to Watch in 2023/24

Paige Othmer/Kyran Merrell –– These two should both be on one of the lines above if not for a personal policy of heaping praise on senior class players.
The next era for the Lightning will be interesting and fun as a team that has fought its way to respectability in the state’s toughest conference with an explosive offense will likely try to climb higher by limiting opposition chances.
Othmer and Merrell did more than make their presence felt — they led by an example and while their primary role will always be offering protection to Gada, they will likely be among the team’s offensive leaders in the next three seasons as well. They were fourth and fifth in scoring this past season already and the three players in front of them will all be gone when the season faces off this fall.
By keeping them apart, Head Coach Rick Capener helped give the team depth on the blue line but if they are together, the powerplay could be deadly.
Othmer is a great powerplay quarterback patrolling from the blue line and uses her size to full advantage on the wall. Merrell might be the team’s best skater with speed an agility and her best strength is moving the puck no matter how much ice is available.
Seniors (and Olson) accounted for 54 of the team’s 73 goals this past season so the challenge will be there for several of the team’s underclass to step up, aided by the work of Gada, Other and Merrell behind them.

Thomas Sarnow (Baraboo/Portage Thunderbirds) — Not a bad first season for Sarnow who notched five goals on a Thunderbirds team that struggled mightily on the game sheet. A top player throughtout his youth career, Sarnow will be counted on for a lot on the T-Birds as a sophomore