Being close to one another is one defining trait for the players who make up the Cougars as they head outdoors this weekend to a rink set up near St. Cloud's Lake George to face Moorhead on Hockey Day Minnesota.
Centennial's first HDM appearance comes in a year where the Cougars hold a 9-3-3 record and are ranked 8th in the latest Class AA rankings.
Led by head coach Ritch Menne, the senior-heavy team -- there are 13 soon-to-be graduates -- has wins over Maple Grove and its first season sweep of Elk River in seven years. Two of its losses came against top-five teams in Duluth East and Edina.
"We've gotten good offensive production from (leading scorer Lucas) McGregor, an obvious Mr. Hockey candidate," Centennial assistant coach Ted Cheesebrough said. "He's had a year where he's lived up so far to expectations and to his reputation, but if we were a one-trick pony we wouldn't have any sustained success. We have a terrific class of seniors. The leadership and familiarity they have with one another is something that can only be gained through experience."
The bond was forged before high school. Growing up together in the northern suburbs, familiarity grew on ponds behind houses in the towns that make up Centennial's district. In that area it's more common to go to someone's homemade backyard rink than a park, Kanner said.
"Playing a lot of pond hockey growing up, we had a lot of guys on teams who had nice rinks in their backyards," he said.
One teammate, senior forward Andrew Stuart, even hosts an annual boot hockey tournament where the Cougars play for bragging rights and the Stuart Cup.
Centennial players and coaches have left those outdoor rinks behind in each of the past four summers to see some of the world outside of the State of Hockey. A previous trip was out west to Denver.
This year they went to New York City. Players visited sights such as the Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Museum, and attended a Yankees game and a Kendrick Lamar concert. They also played four hockey games against New York-area high school teams.
"It almost goes without saying we didn't have to call them team bonding trips
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