Offseason breakdown No. 4: St. Michael-Albertville
With most sports on hold and the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. This time it’s…
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Continue ReadingWith most sports on hold and the 2020-21 season still months out, it’s time to take a look at teams from all over the State of Hockey and examine what happened this past season and what’s ahead. This time it’s a look at St. Michael-Albertville.
How last season went
It was a big year for the Knights across all sports as they moved into the Lake Conference, a small conference but one filled with big-school powerhouses such as Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Wayzata, Edina and Hopkins. In hockey, many know of the Lake’s dominance for more than a decade now.
Despite the increased competition, St. Michael-Albertville put itself in a spot to succeed. The Knights finished with a regular season record of 12-10-3 and finished ahead of defending Class 2A champ Edina in the Lake standings.
Heading into the postseason, it appeared St. Michael-Albertville may have the horses to make it back to the state tournament. The Knights headed into the semifinals going up against a Roseau team they had defeated during the regular season. But the Rams got the last laugh as they advanced to the Section 8AA finals and ending St. Michael-Albertville’s season.
Who’s back and who’s gone
Taking a glance at the Knights’ roster, the senior contributors are a dime a dozen. That includes their top two scorers – Luc Laylin Luc Laylin Forward St. Michael-Albertville | 2020 State MN and Adam Flammang Adam Flammang Forward St. Michael-Albertville | 2020 State MN . Those two finished off their senior seasons by combining for 60 goals and 54 assists. Cody Kelly also graduates after being a key distributor as he dished out 24 assists.
While one Laylin departs, another will have his spotlight grow a little more next year. Casy Laylin will return. His biggest role on the team last season was dishing out 38 assists while also scoring 9 goals himself. St. Michael-Albertville will also have experience in net as Aaron Loch is expected to return. He finished last year with a 3.74 goals against average and an .885 save percentage.
What to expect next season
Going forward, every year will be a grind for the Knights as they compete against a number of perennial powers in the Lake. But they have shown themselves as up to the challenge. Though there are many key pieces graduating, St. Michael-Albertville’s growing student population likely means more quality players available to suit up for the Knights.