Brian Kaminskas, in his second year as Clarkston boys lacrosse coach, feels the team will return much of the components that led them to a 10-6 record in his first season.
Defensively, the Wolves return all but one player, a cause for great expectations from the coach.
‘We expect to be really strong there,? Kaminskas said.
Competitive fire seems like the team’s strong suit on D.
‘We have a lot of depth and terrific and smart athletes,? Kaminskas said.
‘They work really hard and they’re not accepting anything less than the best from each other. They just keep pushing each other to get better and better.?
Goalie Zack Lewy, another return player, will play in net after rotating over the winter as Clarkston’s hockey netminder.
‘He already knows the systems. He’s already taking control of different sliding and defensive schemes. It’s going to be a tremendous help to have him back,? Kaminskas said.
The Wolves face a challenge on the other side of the field, where they don’t have nearly the same experience on offense.
‘There’s some learning curves we have to address, but we have great athletes, so half the work is already done,? Kaminskas said.
Junior midfielder Grant Hoben is expected to make a big contribution for the Wolves.
‘Because of his speed and his ability to read the defense, we’re expecting a tremendous contribution to our offense,? Kaminskas said.
?(Last season) he spent some time learning, but at the end of the season, he picked up the pace and became a factor for us.?
A lot of lacrosse players play hockey and vice versa, Kaminskas said. Joining their goalie off the ice are Eric and Chris Salo and Jeff Thompson. The ice-time gives them a better view of the field and increased hand-eye coordination, Kaminskas said.
The boys kicked off their season Friday. Their next home game is this Friday against Flint Powers at 8 p.m.