I don’t think that most people realize how much commitment being an impact player on the University School hockey team takes. Some may come watch a rivalry game or other big games as we make our way through the playoffs, but this is just the result of months and months and training before, during, and after the school season. Many of our skaters play for Team Ohio, a pre-season and post-season team, during the offseason. On the #2-ranked U18 team, Captain Ethan Whetstone, Critter Coughlin, Andre Berglund, and Reid Anderson play together. On the U16 team, varsity returners Jack Henry Muha and Henry Saada play together, as well as underclassmen Riley Counahan and John Pape. Playing for a pre-post team is instrumental in building chemistry for the upcoming year, especially for Muha and Saada. They will be playing on the same line for 30 games before the school season starts, which allows them to learn each other’s tendencies, and thus giving them a head start on the competition. The team has been doing some offseason training at US, which, as Coughlin points out, will be crucial if the team wants to make another deep playoff run. While a berth in the Frozen Four may seem like a given, some big shoes have to be filled to get there in 2018. Perhaps the biggest hole to fill is at goalie. With the graduation of former News-Herald Player of the Year Jackson Polish, the team looks to Critter Coughlin to step up. Posting 6 shutouts halfway through the pre-season, Coughlin is the man for the job. He has played some of the best competition in the country, and it has clearly given him the confidence needed to succeed at the most important position at such a storied program.