Shorthanded Mayfield hockey seeks to stay course on ice as numbers improve
Jan. 16—Much like an annual checkup, conditions can improve or deteriorate over time.
Thankfully for Mayfield, conditions seem to be on an increasingly better trajectory.
When the Wildcats snapped a losing streak last season that had stretched over nearly two calendar years with a win over Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, veteran coach Steve Bogas spoke of his hope for the future.
As Mayfield recorded its second victory of this season, this by mercy rule, in GCHSHL Blue South play at Brooklyn on Jan. 5, that hope for brighter days ahead continues to not wane.
Mayfield hockey: Lex Schneier takes unlikely path from novice to hat trick in mercy-rule victory
One aspect that buoys Bogas' optimism has been the addition of freshman J.D. Sega to a squad with fewer than 10 skaters and goaltender Tyler Krueger.
Out of necessity, the standout ninth-grader, who had five goals against the Hurricanes including a natural hat trick in the first period, plays on defense. But Sega's puck skill affords him the chance, once roster numbers hopefully iron out a bit better, to be a first-line mainstay for the foreseeable future.
"J.D. is going to be fun to watch," Bogas said.
"His hockey IQ is great. He's doing things that I haven't seen done — I couldn't do it when I played. It's a lot different game from when I played to when he played. Just his hockey IQ is up there. It reminds me of some of the guys when I first started — Jake Malone, Joe Wilson, guys like that. Seeing his hockey IQ, it's great to see a guy like that."
Sega had a brief viral moment earlier this season when WKRK-FM 92.3 afternoon host and former WEWS-TV 5 weeknight sports anchor Andy Baskin, a longtime hockey coach within Gilmour's system, tweeted Sega managing to clear a goal-line dribbler on the crease with a diving stick tap during the Wildcats' other win, 2-1 over Aurora on Nov. 26.
Unreal. Mayfield Freshman JD Sega scored both goals in Wildcats 2-1 win over Aurora. Mayfield only has 7 skaters. He played almost entire game. Then with less than 5 minutes in go in game. He did this.. #nhl pic.twitter.com/MhVDSf6UhU
— Andy Baskin (@andy_baskin) November 27, 2022
Sega is on the first defensive pairing with Mayfield senior mainstay Austin Jackson, who started his career as a forward but — again in a common theme, out of necessity — has taken on more of a D-zone role for the team as the years went on.
"It's great to have a guy you can put back there and have the trust in him back there that he's not going to make a mistake because of his hockey IQ and knowledge of the game," Bogas said of Jackson. "And it's great to see someone like that.
"It's back to the team thing. 'Hey coach, I'll come back and play D. I'll do whatever you need me to do. ... To have somebody like that to go back there and rely on, it's a huge weight off our shoulders to put a guy like that back there."
(... do me a favor & pretend you didn't see this; I'm tweeting it to go with a Mayfield story in the coming days )#NHhockey Mayfield senior Austin Jackson discusses 1st year player/senior forward Lex Schneier netting a hatty vs Brooklyn, along with long-term program outlook pic.twitter.com/71ZDwxEPnN
— Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) January 12, 2023
Just like their GCHSHL Blue Division counterparts, of course, it's about taking those building blocks and complementing that with a full bench.
For now, the squad is plugging along well all things considered. Against Brooklyn for example, Lex Schneier, a senior playing hockey for the first time after being convinced to come out for the sport this season following his primary sport of soccer, had a hat trick.
Not to belabor a point that was similarly stated when Mayfield was profiled after snapping that aforementioned streak last season, but the program is not all that far removed from its days as a back-to-back Baron Cup III champion and Blue power broker.
Mayfield hockey, fresh off first win in two years, remains optimistic for roster numbers spike
"I've got possibly six next year," Bogas said. "Seventh graders, I think there's another six there. I've got some good numbers coming in. I don't look too much past sixth, seventh grade — who knows with mom and dad are going to do? I don't know what's going to happen in two years. I don't look that far deep.
"But we've got guys coming in, and they're quality players. Hopefully, we'll be back here hanging some more Baron Cup banners and everything and having fun again. Not that we're not having fun. Having a good time and everything is rolling."
