ROSEMOUNT, Minn. — Rosemount had one of the toughest schedules in high school boys hockey last season. The Irish played six teams that went on to play in the state tournament, defeating Prior Lake, Lakeville South and the eventual AA state champion, Andover.
Although the Irish finished just short of their goal with a sub-.500 record of 12-14-1 this year, they are still very proud of their season and results.
"We have upped our schedule quite a bit from the previous years," head coach Ricky Saintey said. "Ten wins in the conference for the fifth straight year is good for us."
The team is optimistic going into next season — and hungry for more wins — but things are going to look quite different with 13 seniors departing the squad this offseason.
One of those departing seniors is leading point scorer Jake Peterson (10 goals, 23 assists). Peterson has not only been lighting up the ice, but also social media, with large followings on TikTok and Instagram.
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"I think he's done some things on there to put himself in a spot where he is kind of a sensation ... he's making a name for himself in the TikTok world as well as the hockey world," Saintey said.
Two other seniors who will be departing the program are goaltenders Will Pasch and Andrew Murphy.
"Andrew and Will are best friends and they compete for the cage every night which was great for us, they made each other better," Saintey said.
No decisions have been made on who will be the starter in goal next season and Saintey says that it's anybody's net at this point.
Some graduating seniors are excited to continue on with their hockey careers after Rosemount. Ryan Roszak, Zach Sweitzer, and Logan Heim have all received interested from NA3HL teams, while Jake Peterson, Carson Liebaert and Owen Hendrikson are also hoping to play junior hockey.
Zach Bade, a Rosemount alumnus who last played for the Irish during the 2020-21 season, was selected by the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL Phase II draft this past week.
Some players who may fill the roles of those leaving this offseason are Hans Hedlund and Jake Toll. Toll, who had 28 points last season, will be a senior next year and Hedlund, who tallied 23 points, is set to play his second season of high school hockey. Coach Saintey believes Hedlund's 14 goals were the most by a sophomore since J.T. Brown back in 2005-2006.
Inside the locker room, Rosemount and Coach Saintey will be continuing their program motto of 'Build from Within' for the upcoming season.
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"We care about every kid, we worry about every kid, we say hey when they come through our program, high school or junior gold, it doesn't matter, they're a part of Rosemount hockey."
Saintey and the team are excited about the challenge of next season but know that things won't come easy.
"There's no night off on our schedule."
For more details about some of the Irish's big wins on the year, up and coming players to look out for, and more on Coach Saintey and the Rosemount program, make sure to listen to the podcast or watch the full video below!
