By Bruce Karnick

[email protected]

As sports seasons go, there are always expectations of a winning season and a good playoff run, especially when you have a talented group of individuals. This year, the individual thought process likely played a role in the disappointment of the Raider season.

Hastings finished with an 8-18 overall record, 2-9 in the conference and was bumped in the first round of sections.

“It was not the season we had hoped to have. I felt we really had a chance at a .500 season with the players we have. We have a lot of great players on this team. It just didn’t work out like we planned,” said Head Coach Tim Duggan.

The great players he was referring too were in part the seniors that Hastings graduates: Nicole Vander Heyden, Lauren Hubbart, Lauren Skov, Ireland Zaruba, Ashlyn Endres and Maddy Daley.

The team showed such great potential at times and truly never gave up, fighting hard in every game. Their grit and determination were inspirational, but that can only carry you so far when the basics of the game are not on the same level as the opponents. Frequently the girls were out skilled in some form. Be it tape to tape passes, quick stop and quick redirection edge work, or shooting, there were some basic level misses nearly every game. The kind of skill gets built up over time starting with the youth programs on up. Some of that is too be expected with the relatively short time that the girls’ hockey program has been around.

The love for the game and for each other was clear in how they carried themselves on and off the ice, and it’s a shame the seniors don’t have one more season to make one more run.

Along with their determination, these girls are simply awesome young adults. Kind, caring and goofy kids that made the season fun for as many people as they could. This helped keep the spirit of the team up and make the little struggles more bearable.

With losing six, that means at least 14 other girls will be returning next season with varsity experience including keeper Alexis Steinke. Steinke returned to the varsity lineup this year and performed well in most of her outings at a position that is not easy to play at any level. The Raiders also return Kiki Radant, a talented skater who can play any position. Jade Schauer has three more seasons left with the Raiders and surely, she will leave her mark on the program.

The offseason will be interesting for the Raiders and if this year is any indication, next year should be entertaining.

Photo courtesy of Dan Rother Photography/DanRother.com.