The Miners Red hockey team hadn’t lost a regular-season game in years until Oct. 6, when Park City fell 4-3 to East. The Miners Red trailed 4-1 heading into that game’s third period, unable to overcome the deficit despite a valiant effort.
While losing is never fun, it’s potentially what this year’s Park City team needed. The Miners Red were also pushed hard in a Sept. 22, 5-3 win over Sky Canyon. Becoming accustomed to winning, and winning big — complacency can come into the picture.
Park City has since rebounded with two-straight dominant wins over Bingham and Herriman. The Miners Red took down Bingham 7-0 Oct. 15 and Herriman 8-1 on Wednesday night. Wyatt Nellis had a hat trick for Park City Wednesday. Miners Red Head Coach Mike Adamek also credited Carson Owen and Hunter Hutchison for their strong play as of late.
“We took some steps in the right direction,” Adamek said about Wednesday’s win. “Some of the guys are just starting to play the way that we want them to play.”
Adamek said he feels strong leadership from his four captains — Hunter Jaques, Mitchell Berry, Charlie Cusimano, off playing football for Park City High, and Hutchison — has been instrumental in helping the team rebound from the East loss.
The Miners Red are only about a fourth of the way through their season, with the postseason concluding in March. Park City would like to score some big wins over Brighton Navy, East and the Miners White team before Christmas. They hope to have learned lessons from the East loss and be able to use them in building up the team.
“All of our returning players are not used to losing,” Adamek said. “It’s a shock to the system, a wake-up call. … When you play the right way, you’re going to have some success.”
Park City is working on their forecheck and power play in practices and games. Adamek knows the importance of giving such a successful team new tasks to keep their interest high and best prepare them for tougher games down the stretch. The Miners Red will soon have to also work on welcoming back players like Cusimano, Niko Morgan and others to the team after football season.
Adamek said that his dual sport athletes in past years have shown tremendous discipline and will coming from football right to hockey. He welcomes them playing both sports and hopes that they keep their football season rolling. Adamek said that he’ll have Cusimano and others hit the ice for a few shifts as soon as they’re ready because of their tremendous impact on games.
“Still have lots of improvements to make throughout the season,” Adamek said. “Can’t be satisfied with a couple good games. … This is where you put in the work to get better.”
East and Sky Canyon tested Park City with their depth and scorers. The Miners Red will continue to work on their attack, focus and consistency. Adamek tabbed East, Brighton Navy and South County as teams that could contend for a state title and national championships berth later this season.
Park City’s staff is pleased with the rise in the level of competition in Utah this season. The Miners Red know it means there are more opportunities to improve and show the rest of the state who’s still the best.
“I’ve told our kids, ‘Let’s own this. They have caught up a little bit, and that’s okay,’” Adamek said. “We want the competition, and it’s also awesome that the state of Utah has identified the top teams and put them in games against each other more than I’ve ever seen.”
Park City will take on Brighton Navy at 8:45 p.m. Monday at the Salt Lake City Sports Complex. The Miners Red took them down 4-1 Oct. 1 in Park City. Park City has also had East circled on their calendars ever since the loss.
The Miners Red will evaluate their schedule in the new year and see if they need to find time to play out-of-state opponents to sharpen their skills.
“Last year was magical — we went 23-0 and had a +113 goal differential,” Adamek said. “That’s probably not going to ever happen again, and that’s OK … It’s beneficial to our long-term success to be pushed during the season.”
“We have the motivation and skill,” said Jaques, who scored the last of eight goals in Wednesday’s win. “It’s all about teamwork, which we’ve definitely got to step it up with and prepare for a state championship and nationals.”