When opponents step out onto the ice against the Mitchell Marlins, they may be forced to play zone defense to combat one of the Marlins' greatest assets: quickness.
"One of the greatest things that we've seen so far is the overall speed of the team," Marlins head coach John Lord said. "That will certainly help us out a lot."
Mitchell is coming off a 7-9 season a year ago, but Lord says the Marlins have the talent to be much better in the 2014-15 season.
The Marlins are counting on a plethora of fast skaters to lead their high-tempo offense and create several breakaway opportunities. The team has played in three exhibition games this season, winning two. With the preseason practice, Lord indicated that he already has a pretty good idea of who will be on his first and second lines.
Lord said the first line consists of seniors Jordan Grosdidier, Jacob Cersosimo and Jacob Rice.
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"There's a lot of speed there and they take great shots and all have a good work ethic," Lord said, adding lines may change throughout the year.
Following the group of seniors are sophomores Jesse Grosdidier and Spencer Neugebauer and junior Jacob Thill.
"Spencer is unquestionably the fastest skater on the team right now," Lord said.
When the Marlins aren't on the attack, Mitchell will rely on a trio of veteran defensemen to avoid putting the goalie in a compromising position. Seniors Alex Murtha and Cole Koons will be joined by sophomore Matt Muth on defense.
"Defensively, Alex and Matt are going to be very strong back there," Lord said. "Cole has been with the team for a while, so he understands the game. All three will be pretty solid for us back on defense."
But if the offense isn't there for a night, Lord said his goalie, senior Tate Sutherland, is more than capable of keeping the Marlins in the game by stopping any puck that comes his way. He added Sutherland hasn't had any shortage of reps in the offseason.
"He's a very dedicated athlete," Lord said. "He works hard every practice. He's one of the first guys out on the ice, and he always puts in the extra effort."
The Marlins hope to have more success in the state tournament this time around, as they have gone 0-2 at state the last two years. With a big selection of weapons and experience in every phase of the game, Lord made it no secret that he expects bigger things out of his team in 2014-15.
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"My expectations are pretty high," said Lord, who led the Marlins to a state championship in 2012. "I'd say we're a really capable team as long as we stay healthy.
"I guess success is measured in different ways. Obviously, we'd like to come home with a big trophy, but that's always our goal at the beginning of the season. You never know, time will tell."
The Marlins open season at a tournament today through Sunday in Duluth, Minn. Mitchell opens league play against the Huron Allstars at 8 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Mitchell Activities Center.
