Original Article

The last time a Fox hockey team skated onto the ice, it was a pretty special occasion.

But it was also nearly four years ago, March 2, 2015, to be exact, that the Warriors dropped a 3-1 decision to Francis Howell North in the Mid-States Club Hockey Association championship game of the Wickenheiser Cup at Scottrade Center (now Enterprise Center).

After that loss the program disbanded, at least from varsity competition. But the Warriors are back, under new head coach Jim Schaper, and they’re off to a 4-1-1 start. 

“We’ve got a really good core of sophomores right now,” Schaper noted of the return to varsity play. “I’ve got one senior and five juniors, so we had to wait (to bring a varsity team back) because we just didn’t have enough players.

“We had most of this current group playing on JV last year, so that gave them a chance to stay with the sport. But we’re lucky to have a lot of talent on this squad, and I think that’s indicative of the start we’ve had.”

While the Warriors have been spreading the scoring around in the early going, Jared Bratton has certainly been the brightest star in the Fox sky. Through the first six games, Bratton has 11 goals and 19 points. Scott McRoy and Alec Zoph each have five goals, and Jacob Horrall has netted four.

“I love it,” Schaper said of Bratton’s contribution. “That line he’s on (with Zoph and Danny Walters) has been phenomenal (with 37 total points). They’re starting to put it together, and really mesh. But, Jared’s also a AAA player (with the Junior Blues), so there will be four or five games where we won’t have him.”

The Warriors are rolling four lines, and Schaper said that’s something they can do against most of the teams they play.

“We did take a blow, though, when we lost Connor Liebman, one of our top defensemen, for the season with a concussion,” Schaper said. “Without him, I think we’ll be alright back there, just a little short. We may have to run some guys from up front back there, or we could play with only five if we had to. On offense, if you look at our first three lines, as long as we can keep them together, we’ll be all right. Zoph is our senior, and this is the first time he’s gotten to play for the varsity. He’s a big body who gets in front of the net, can shoot the puck, and hopefully tip some shots in.”

When it comes to stopping shots, Schaper calls upon Kyle Turner and Christian Flamm, and the coach made it clear that he’s in no rush to anoint one of them as No. 1.

“We told them that our intention is to use both,” Schaper said. “But if one shows that he’s surpassing the other that could always change. With this team, we’re going to see where it goes right now. They’re not as polished as they need to be, if they want to get back to Enterprise (Center), but a lot of that is because we only get one practice a week (at Affton Ice Rink in south St. Louis County). They just have to start trusting each other, and once they do that they could get back there.”