Ice Hockey | Aurora looks to add wins in second half of season
First-year Aurora ice hockey coach Joe Lawrie is leading a team that is young, not only in age but in playing experience as well, in their attempt to qualify for the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League (GCHSHL) postseason Baron Cup competition.
More than half of the Greenmen roster is comprised of underclassmen and a portion of the upperclassmen are experiencing playing regular shifts for the first time this season.
Lawrie has been a part of the Aurora program for nine seasons, having been an assistant coach on former coach John Sheridan’s staff. Sheridan retired after 17 years at the helm in Aurora and remains active in a player development role for the team.
“We have a really good group of kids, and we have a good team atmosphere,” said Lawrie while discussing the status of his team as the calendar flipped to 2022. “They are all friends on the team.
“I would definitely call it a ‘younger team’ this year and they are learning and growing each game,” said Lawrie. “We have several beginners and we’re happy to have them and they are coming along at each practice.”
“I’d like to see [the team] progress in the areas we are working on in practice. We know we are getting stronger and know where we need to get better. Experience building is big across the board. We have players that are playing better each game.”
The Greenmen have a trio of seniors — Nathan Funk, Michael Mancine and goaltender Max Trem — who have provided valuable leadership to the squad, according to Lawrie.
“We have a good leadership group this year. Our captain is Mancine, a four-year letterman, who is a good skilled, experienced player and leader. He is always working hard,” said Lawrie.
Aurora also identified two alternate captains this year in Funk and sophomore Will Pffifner
“Funk and Mike have been together four years and play well together,” said Lawrie. “Pffifner is a skilled player who can play anywhere.”
As of the completion of Aurora’s recent game against Portage County GCHSHL White East Division rival Theodore Roosevelt, Mancine leads the team in scoring with 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists). Funk has earned 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) and Pffifner has accumulated 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists).
“The league looks good this year. From what I have seen, it should be competitive, and we are certainly looking for wins in the league. We are fighting to take our first [league] win and hopefully get a couple more consecutively after that. We want to pick up those league points and fight for a chance for the Baron Cup this year,” Lawrie said.
Aurora has upcoming games against Solon at 7 p.m. Friday at Gilmour Ice Arena and Western Reserve Academy at 5:20 p.m. Sunday at The Pond.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Aurora's ice hockey team hopes to qualify for the Baron Cup
