Offseason breakdown No. 37: Coon Rapids
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. The next team…
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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. The next team we’re breaking down is Coon Rapids.
How last season went
Well, it was a tough run for the Cardinals as they posted a 2-22 regular season record. Coon Rapids failed to win a Northwest Suburban Conference matchup and gave up more than 6 goals per game.
The rare successes for the Cardinals came in victories against Cambridge-Isanti and Red Wing.
With the struggles Coon Rapids had in the regular season, the Cardinals faced off against top-seeded Blaine in the Section 5AA quarterfinals. The Bengals shut out Coon Rapids and put an end to the Cardinals’ season.
Who’s back and who’s gone
If there’s one excuse for Coon Rapids’ struggles, it would be youth. Each of the top four Cardinals’ scorers are set to return. Harry Cove and Kuhmani Pour were the only Coon Rapids players to exceed 10 points with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Both are set to return.
One gap the Cardinals will have to fill is in net. Connor Wise graduates after manning the net for Coon Rapids last season.
What to expect next season
It appears it’s only up from here for the Cardinals. They should hit the ice with an experienced group next season. They will also know the tough reality of playing in the Northwest Suburban and going up against top-end talent from programs such as Andover, Blaine, Maple Grove and others. There should be some improvement but there are a lot of teams to jump if Coon Rapids wants to really make some noise next season.