Photo by Greg Devereaux The 2022-23 Marshall Tigers boys hockey team included Back Row (Left to Right): Coach James Haynes, Coach Dan Schipper, Noah Myhre, Aiden Reinhart, Treyton Nelson, Luke Ehlers, Talan Plante, Isaac Gross, Andrew Seanor, Sam Poff, Coach Michael Weiss Middle Row (Left to Right): Gavin Welsh, Justin Dwire, Chase Mellenthin, Brenden Weller, Tyler Welsh, Jacob Johnson, Owen Renslow, Austin Husby, Grady Muelebroeck, Nathan Lenz Front Row (Left to Right): Jett Wing, Klayton Weller, Parker Schmitt, Gavin Peterson, Sean Nwaiga, Corbin Beernaert, Joey Fossum, Malachi Klemm, Sam Schwarz, Zach Kramer, Ezra Maurice Manager: Halle Pederson, Brielle Ritter, Sydney Kramer. The team was coached by Michael Weiss and assistant coaches were Bryson Whyte, James haynes and Daniel Schipper.

MARSHALL­ — The Marshall boys hockey team (11-14-3) had some highs and lows in the 2023 season but was full of experience with 11 seniors on the team. Head coach Michael Weiss was also in his 11th season coaching and had solid expectations for this upcoming season.

“We expected to make a jump from where we were last year,” Weiss said. “We always set our sights on that section championship. However, we realize we haven’t gotten out of the first round for a couple of years as well. So, we wanted to set our minds up to work on that goal and then start to work on the bigger goals.”

The Tigers’ 11 seniors on the team were Gavin Peterson, Sean Nwaiga, Malachi Klemm, Sam Schwarz, Joey Fossum, Parker Schmidt, Klayton Weller, Corbin Beernaert, Jeff Wing, Erza Maurice and Zach Kramer. The season started off rocky for the Tigers as they lost their first five contests of the season.

“We had a great core to build off. The start of the season was tough because we didn’t get the wins we wanted right away,” Weiss said. “We could tell that the effort was there though and want to win but wasn’t getting the puck luck to get us in the win column. We told the team to stay with and continue to work hard, the wins will start coming”

The Tigers snapped the losing streak on Dec. 8 with a road victory over the Redwood Valley Cardinals, 6-1. The Tigers proceeded to tie and win two more contests during the stretch, scoring 22 goals in those four games. The total doubled their output from the five-game losing streak.

“I thought our play was pretty consistent throughout the year,” Weiss said. “I thought the Willmar game was the turning point. We flipped the switch in that game after being down early that game. That was definitely the spark that got us going for the rest of our season.”

Talan Plante led the team in points with 39 points and also led the team with 28 assists on the season. Nwaiga tied Owen Renslow with a team-leading 14 goals.

“Nwaiga is definitely a leader on our team,” Weiss said. “He just comes to the rink and plays. I think a lot of guys feed off his emotion and want to do well. He’s a big kid with a lot of speed. I would love to see him continue playing hockey. I think he could have a future in it if he sticks with it and works hard.

“Plante is a good all-around athlete. He’s a competitor. He’s become a good overall player for us. He’s the emotional leader for our team who led us in points this year. It is going to be good to have him back next year.

The Tigers won or tied the last 14 games in their 23-game season, propelling them to the No. 5 seed in the Section 2AAA playoffs. After gaining an early lead of two goals on multiple occasions in the quarterfinals, the Tigers couldn’t hold on to the lead and ultimately fell to No. 4 Mankato West Scarlets, 5-4.

11 of the Tigers’ 14 losses were by two or fewer goals.

“It was quite the game,” Weiss said of the quarterfinals. “They have a cool rink there with seats on both sides. It was rocking. We got out to a good lead right away. Our goalie was playing well. In the third period, though, we got a couple of penalties and the Scarlets were able to come back. I felt bad for the kids because they put their best effort into it. Tough way to go out but good to go out in a tough competitive game.”

Despite 11 seniors graduating, the Tigers will have Plante coming back alongside Andrew Seanor, who had multiple hat trick games this season. The team also has an abundance of young talent coming up.

“Our expectations are going to be pretty high next year, ” Weiss said. “We have Renslow coming back who was a leader for us as a sophomore. Plante as well with Seanor. Chase Mellenthin and our goalie, Gavin Welsh, is coming back. We’re going to have good leadership. We want to get back to a winning record and make a push for state. I think Isaac Gross, Sam Poff or Luke Elhers could be a breakout player for us. Those guys didn’t get a lot of time this year but we’re looking for them to step up for us this next season.”