ROCHESTER, Minn. — After a winless 0-26 season in 2019-2020, there was some work to do for Rochester Lourdes boys hockey.
Skipping forward two years, the sophomores on that team would turn into seniors and would pave the way for a new era of Eagles hockey.
"They just addressed how they wanted to improve and how they wanted to change things ... they didn't want to have another season like the season they had prior," said Lourdes head coach Jeff True.
"They really held themselves accountable, they got in the weight room, they did all the little things. They showed up to camp, they showed up to practice ready to work."
The Eagles did just that in 2021-2022, finishing with a 19-8 record and having a positive outlook on the years to come.
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Two bright lights for the Eagles this year were seniors Charlie Kielty and Matthew Mahoney.
Kielty, who recently signed with the New Ulm Steel of the NA3HL, lead the team in scoring as a defenseman with 42 points.
Mahoney, a forward who was recently drafted in the second round by the St. Louis Jr. Blues of the NA3HL, was second in points on the team with 39. "He's got dynamic speed and a knack for finding the back of the net," True said.
This offseason the Eagles will also lose Brayden Magnuson, who "arguably was our best penalty killer" according to True and that "you want him on the ice when there's a minute left."
Even though there will be many key players departing from the team, there is still quite a bit of young talent to keep up the work of this new era of Lourdes hockey.
Sophomore goaltender Xander Carter-Kleven posted a .930 save percentage this past season with seven shutouts.
Lourdes will also return defenders Peyton Loeslie (36 points) and Brayden Swee. Coach True says that Swee "could've been the best defensive defenseman on our team this season" while sophomore Loeslie will be a big part of creating more offense to fill the void left by the departing seniors.
After continuously growing the past two years, the Eagles will be looking to have another solid season this upcoming year, although they recognize that it will be no easy task.
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"It's going to take another group to step up and fill those roles as not just good hockey players but good leaders off the ice," True said.
For more on Rochester Lourdes' season, more in-depth talk on the players, a favorite memory about a buzzer beater goal, and more on the senior class, listen to the full podcast or watch the full interview below.
