The Skyline hockey team started the new season with a 3-0 record as the Eagles continue to improve and build confidence with some tough games coming up before the holiday break next month.
The Eagles extended their win streak to three games with a 5-2 win Thursday over Madison Heights Bishop Foley. Sophomore goaltender River Swanson made his first career start for the Eagles giving Benny Billings a well deserved night off and coach Frank Garcia made a few other lineup changes looking to find some offensive spark. The changes worked as Skyline netted a season-high five goals.
Alex DiMango (assists Lucas DeYoung and Declan Kowalewski), DeYoung (Cooper Onsted assist), DeYoung again (from Onsted and Colin Barnes), Aidan Bolash (from Isiah Garcia and Barnes), and Ben Begosso (from Onsted) scored for the Eagles.
Skyline opened the season with a 2-1 win over Howell and a 3-2 victory over Jackson.
The winning streak came to an end on Saturday with a 4-0 loss to Plymouth.
The Eagles finished 7–18 last year but return 16 players from that team. With a strong core of experienced players, the goal is to double the win total and make a playoff run.
“We’re looking forward to our rivalry matchups in December at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube during the Jilek Tournament,” said Coach Frank Garcia, in his first year with the Eagles after serving as an assistant coach last year. Joining the coaching staff this year are Jake Tomalak, Eric Holgate, and Jacob Baxter.
The four Ann Arbor schools will face off that week (beginning Dec. 7) to see who can bring home the Jilek Trophy.
The Eagles are led by senior captains Lucas DeYoung and Landon Wilkerson.
“Lucas provides strong leadership on offense and consistently steps up in big moments,” Garcia said. “We’ll look to him to make a major offensive impact again this season. Landon is a lockdown defenseman whose combination of speed and physical play anchors our defensive unit.”
In goal, senior Benny Billings returns after starting several key games last season. “He brings a calm, steady presence in the net and leads by example,” Garcia said.
Other key seniors include forwards Cooper Onsted, Nico DeYoung, and Colin Barnes, who will provide a major boost offensively, and defensemen Gabe Hutton and Ben Begosso, who will play crucial roles on defense and special teams.
“Our biggest team strengths will be our experience and defensive play,” Garcia said. “With so many returning players, our group is familiar with our systems, which should help us in tight games. We also have depth throughout the lineup, with four returning juniors and four returning sophomores. After gaining a full season of experience, our younger players are ready to make a real impact.”
New to the roster this year is junior forward Jacob Forbes, a transfer from FGR, and goalie River Swanson, a talented young player who impressed during summer play.
