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Smoother ice ahead for Prior Lake

By Brian Stensaas, Star Tribune, 01/04/11, 2:43PM CST

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After a rough start, new coach gets Lakers skating straight


Claire Clark falls as she swipes at the puck. Marlin Levison, Star Tribune

The job was exactly what Jaime Grossman was looking for. And finally, the results are starting to show as well.

A resident of Shakopee, Grossman faced a daily commute – first to his job in Hopkins then to Richfield to coach the Holy Angels girls hockey team – that became too much of a grind. So when the hockey position at Prior Lake opened after last season, Grossman pounced.

"When I saw the enthusiasm down here about trying to build a winning program, I was hooked," Grossman said. "Everything fell into the right place at the right time."

A 14-year coaching veteran, Grossman came into this season with high hopes for a young team. But he brought his systems – namely an emphasis on off-ice instruction that includes weight-room workouts the day before games – to a foreign place. The transition was hardly a resounding success.

"It took some time to find what we had," Grossman said. "And I've never been someone who's overly concerned with winning games in November and December."

Good thing.

The Lakers lost their first nine games of the season, scoring more than one goal only once.

Things finally began to click in a 3-1 victory over Apple Valley on Dec. 18. The Lakers then defeated Bloomington Kennedy 7-0 three nights later and rounded out 2010 with a 2-1 record in the Huskies Classic in Andover last week.

"We've talked to the kids a lot about them having their minds even if they don't have their legs," Grossman said, noting the tough pregame workouts. "We really focus on learning position and learning systems. For these kids, everything was a change. With that, I really think we have a lot of talent; it just took some time to get on the same page."

In addition to working with a new coach, Prior Lake is relying on a lot of young talent.

Senior Alex Citrowske, a Bemidji State recruit, leads the way with 15 points (10 goals, five assists). But from there, of the 13 other players who have tallied points thus far, only three are seniors. Five are eighth-graders or freshmen, and the Lakers' starting goaltender the bulk of the season has been freshman Lexi Brandt.

"It's been interesting," Grossman said. "The kids and their parents have been very, very supportive."

Upperclassmen have had the toughest time adjusting, Grossman said. Along with a new coach with new ideals, Prior Lake veterans also are dealing with the new reality of playing in the more competitive South Suburban Conference. The competition there is a notch above the Missota Conference, where the Lakers finished 10-3-1 in a year ago.

"As the losses [this year] built up, I think some of the kids were looking around like, 'What's going on? Who is this guy?'" Grossman said. "But they never really wavered. To their credit, they came in and what we asked them to do, they did."

You'll hear few complaints.

"This year has been a tough start, but I feel that we are slowly progressing into a stronger team," Citrowske said. "We are starting to understand the concepts that our coaches are teaching us. From here I feel we need to move forward and put what we're learning at practice into our games."


Goalie Lexi Brandt stands with her team. Marlin Levison, Star Tribune

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