Minnetonka boys hockey team hopes to go back-to-back at State
MINNETONKA, Minn. — High school state champion teams face many obstacles their following season. Minnetonka's opponents lately, haven't seen it.
"The core of our group is back," said Skippers boys hockey head coach Sean Goldsworthy. "I thought last year we probably won it a year early with our core group of juniors. This year was kind of mapped out to be the year we were gonna be older and stronger."
Minnetonka is dangerous once again and the favorite to go back-to-back at State. Their go-to scoring weapon: University of Minnesota commit Javon Moore.
"Starts with my linemates," Moore said. "I can't do it without them. Gavin (Gary) and Hagen Burrows. All these guys pushing me in practice to get better and the goalies making it hard on me, finding different ways. So it leads to in games against other teams."
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Moore is head and shoulders above much of his competition, talent-wise, and at 6 feet, 4 inches, literally.
"He does a lot of gifted things," Goldsworthy said. "I have not seen a lot of clunky movements out of him. He's really dynamic and he bounces well."
"Leaning on guys. Just taking the puck from them by using my size," Moore said. "Puck protecting, it's a huge factor nowadays in hockey. So it's a huge advantage to have."
Minnetonka's athletic department is dominating the winter. Boys and girls hockey, plus boys and girls basketball are among the best in Minnesota.
"It's really cool," Moore said. "Everyone knows each other throughout the whole school. It's pretty big around campus. We're pretty fortunate to have everything here that we do and just keep that moving forward."