Sports

Jacks to focus on positivity in 2012-13

By Tyler Ohmann

10/23/2012

After a year of deviation from what coach Travis Rybchinski deemed Lumber Jack hockey the Dakota College at Bottineau team look to change the direction of the program to a more positive one this season.

“It’s been really positive,” Rybchinski said. “We’ve been trying to change our culture around here from last year.”

“I think we took a couple steps backward last year in our program from where we want to be,” Rybchinski continued. “I’m real happy with the direction we are going in now.”

The Jacks finished with an 8-19-1 record in 2011-12, and were unable to win a series against Williston State’s new program to advance to Nationals.

However, the Jacks plan to change that in 2012-13. One of the keystones to the new plan is sophomore Seth Serhienko, who was one of the Jacks leading scorers last season.

“You know what to expect after playing at this level last year,” Serhienko said. “We just need to try to improve on last year, and be a better team.”

Joining Serhienko are his former Braves teammates in Logan Millican and Cody Brooks. Millican was the West Region Senior Athlete of the Year in his senior season in 2011-12.

Serhienko, who played on a line with Millican when he was back with the Braves, looks forward to joining his old teammates again.

“It’s a lot of fun, and hopefully we get a lot of the same fans out,” Serhienko said. “I’m on a line with Millican right now, so it’s fun to play with guys from high school.”

“It’s only been a year or so since we played together, so it won’t take too long before we’ll be able to get back up to the level,” Serhienko added.
Rybchinski is happy to have the trio as well.
“It’s really good because they are all quality players,” Rybchinski said of the three former Braves that are currently on the Jacks roster. “We’re real happy with all three guys, and it’s a bonus when you can get players that good that are local.”

Serhienko is also just happy to be out on the ice.

“It’s been nice to be able to skate again in my home rink, it’s been awhile,” Serhienko said. “I’m glad we get to play next Friday.”

“It’s nice to be playing hockey again,” Serhienko added.

The Jacks sport a bit of a different teams this season in another way as well. There are only three Canadians on the team after having 15 international players on last years team.

This is due to a rule enacted by the NJCAA to limit former pros from coming to the US, but it also hits border schools like DCB hard, because they do a lot of their recruiting across the border.

“It is what it is,” Rybchinski said about the rule. “One of our mottoes this year is ‘no excuses,’ so we’re not going to use that as an excuse.”

Rybchinski said that the players he has is a strong squad, and has been working hard so far during practice.

“Our strength right now is our work ethic, it is ten times better than it was last year,” Rybchinski said. “At our off-ice conditioning guys have been really working hard at that, so that’s a positive.”

“I think overall we’ll have a lot more team speed and offensive threats,” Rybchinski continued. “Our key will be our defensemen and goal tending.”

However, one presence not on the ice is returning All-American defenseman Nick Sutton. Sutton recently had surgery on his hand, and will miss perhaps a month or so of the season.

“Obviously we are a better team with Nick (Sutton) in the lineup,” Rybchinski said. “His leadership skills have been really top notch, so we’re missing him a little in the dressing room and his play, but it just gives someone a chance to step up.”

“We have some young guys back there (on defense) that will hopefully step up on the ice, and it will just get us better down the road,” Rybchinski added.

Of course the Jacks will have to get past Williston again this season, if they hope to add to their seven NJCAA National Titles.

However, Rybchinski isn’t focused on the three-game series that the teams will play in February. He wants to work up to that point.

“Honestly we’re not worried about Williston or Minot, we’re worried about ourselves,” Rybchinski said. “Once we take care of ourselves, at the end of the year at the playoff we’ll worry about Williston.”

“We’re just trying to get better every day, and give ourselves a chance at the end to be successful,” Rybchinski added.

Serhienko too just wants to work to getting to their best hockey in February.

“We play a three-game series in February, so we just need to be the better team in February,” Serhienko said. “We need to make sure we get better and better throughout the year, so we can play at our peak in February.”

The Jacks open their season officially on Friday with a 7:30 p.m. tilt against the Kilarney Shamrocks.

“We want to see where we’re at, and I think we are way ahead of where we were last year,” Rybchinski said. “The unique thing with Kilarney is that they’re going to have seven or eight ex-Lumberjacks on the team, so that’s part of the reason we’re playing them.”

The teams will square off again at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“They were champions in their league last year, so they’re going to be a quality opponent,” Rybchinski said of Kilarney. “It gives us a little different team. Instead of opening with a team like Bemidji or Crookston that you don’t know if they are going to show up or night, these guys will show up and will be a real formidable opponent.”

Rybchinski knows the Jacks will have to be ready, because the DCB alum will not hold back.

“We have to come ready play right from the start, so it will be a fun thing,” Rybchinski said. “It will be a little extra incentive for those guys who used to be Lumberjacks, because they’ll want to show the young guys how to do it. We’ll have to be ready to play.”

The annual Green/White game pitting KBTO and the Bottineau Courant will also take place at about 8:30 p.m. tonight as well.