It’s official. After two years of playing strictly JV teams, the Manitowoc United high school hockey team will be expanding into the varsity ranks next season.
The program was created in 2022, and has shown massive improvement over those two years.
During an appearance on the On the Line Podcast, United Coach Mark Hinz made the announcement that the ship is in motion, and the major step in the evolution of the program is in sight.
“The athletic director for (Manitowoc) Lincoln, Stan Dietrich, is finishing up the co-op arrangement and the application for the varsity program, and his philosophy is ‘We are going to die on this hill. We are going varsity,’” Hinz explained. “It opens up some interesting opportunities for the program next year.”
While Hinz admits that there is some work to be done before the squad can compete with perennial powerhouses like Bay Port and Notre Dame, there are a ton of bright spots on the current team, and the incoming batch of freshmen offers even more talent.
One of the major bright spots he alluded to is the young man who has been the team captain from the start, Sophomore forward Benson Dickrell.
“On any team, you have those kids that are giving the extra effort,” Hinz said. “On the ice (and) off the ice. Every practice, they are the first ones up for a drill. They go as hard as they can the entire practice. That lead by example, that’s really the best quality, in my mind, that Benson brings to the table.”
Hinz spent the vast majority of his time on the program praising all of the players that laid the groundwork for the program and helped bring high school hockey back to Manitowoc County.
“They give up a lot of time for this. It is a commitment,” Hinz explained. “The ones that you see coming out day after day, it’s impressive. I’m glad that they are there because it’s making it a reality.”
Nearly all of the players from this year’s team will be returning next year, with the addition of several new players who were a part of the Bantam 14U team that just concluded their season as the 7th-best team in the state of Wisconsin.