The collegiate learning experience won’t be limited to the classroom for the 2019-20 edition of the Kent State University Golden Flashes A.C.H.A. D-I ice hockey team.

     A roster loaded with underclassman will get an on-ice education and continue to adjust to playing hockey at the college level as well.

     “We have to treat this as a process. Where we want to be now and where we want to be down the road must be different and must be better,” offered Kent State head coach Jim Underwood.

    Underwood is beginning his seventh season as head coach of the Flashes.

    The goaltending trio on the roster includes freshman Ben White, sophomore Shea Spanier and junior Tyler Geloneck.

      Geloneck is prepared to do the heavy lifting for the team after serving as a capable back up goaltender for two seasons.

      “The past two years have been building up to this stage to where (Geloneck) can go into the season as our number one starter,” assessed Underwood. “He can take that opportunity and run with it.”

     “We have a responsibility of putting a lineup in every night that gives us the best chance to win, but by no means is anyone guaranteed a spot. We are excited to see Tyler make that next step as an upper classman and become our go-to guy and I know he is just as excited.”

     While the defensive corps may miss the offensive minded defenseman Mike Sullivan (28 points in 2018-19) who graduated, the grittiness of the blue line returns in the presence of sophomore Justin Bioni. Bioni amassed 67 penalty minutes during last season’s campaign.

     “Justin brings a little bit of everything to the ice. He’s big, strong, skates very well and is very physical. He has a heavy shot from the blue line and moves the puck well. We are expecting him to have a break- out season as our leader of our young defensive corp.” Underwood said.

     Dylan Anderson (sophomore) will be playing his first full season for Kent State after joining the team after the season started last year.

     “We were really excited with his (Anderson’s} progress last year. He was a consistent player in the line up and played a lot of five-on-five situations. We are hoping for him to make that transition to where we can get him on the ice on the penalty kill and even strength situations,” observed Underwood.

     In addition to Bioni and Anderson, the entire defensive group are either freshmen or sophomores. The group includes first year players Zachary Barnes and Drew Jacobs and sophomores Trent Bubanic, Shane Handlovitch, Jacob Herrberg and Tyler Miller.

     “We’re young but there is a lot of potential and skill in the backend,” suggested Underwood. “There are going to be some growing pains and learning by mistakes and experiences. As long as we are better each day we are moving in the right direction.”

    The Golden Flashes face the loss to graduation of over 140 points in scoring and two of the top five scorers in the ACHA in John Buttitta (71 points) and Sean More (70 points). As per the script thus far, several underclassmen will join a small group of upper classmen in trying to earn those points by committee.

     “An advantage for our team this year is we are not going to rely on a player or two to carry the offensive load. This is the best year we have had in overall depth up front with our forwards,” explained Underwood.

     “Again, we are a little on the young side and we are leaning toward our sophomores to take that next step and provide offensive production. I am very pleased without freshman recruits that will play in all kinds of situations. Situations they would not typically be in, if we had an older lineup. We’re well balanced with a lot of good speed and good size. We will find scoring from different lines on any given night.”

     Seniors Rob Ferrari and Rubin Chavarria and juniors Danny Nugent and Jason Smith will provide the experience among the forwards group.

     The underclassman forwards include sophomores Nathan Butkowski, Jacob Friedman, Alex Halupnik, Ian Herrmann, Nathaniel Schwartz and freshmen Joey Gallo, Koby Greenberg, Hunter Hillebrecht, Tommy Kilway, Jordan Pitts and Zach Zwierecki.

     This year’s recruiting class includes several in-state players and included among those are a trio of local players that have made an early impression.

     “Hunter Hillebrecht started his youth hockey here at the Kent State Ice Arena with the Cyclones (youth hockey), played a couple of years for Roosevelt High School, moved away to play junior hockey and has come back home. He has good size and strength, skates very well and makes a lot of plays with his head up,” declared Underwood.

     “Zach Zwierecki (Avon, Ohio) is a big body and will be hard to knock off the puck. He has a good scoring touch and has already made plays in practice you typically wouldn’t see from freshman. Koby Greenberg (Wooster, Ohio) is quick and very good with the puck. He will put pucks on our goal scorers’ sticks in great situations.”

     The team has selected Chavarria and Smith to serve as team captains this year and Underwood believes their leadership abilities will be needed with this youth-filled roster.

     “They need to be the voice in the locker room and on the bench. They both work very hard on the ice and their role will be to develop the culture and expectations of our young players.”

BlueLineNotes:

-The Golden Flashes open this season with a series against the University of Pittsburgh this weekend at the Kent State Ice Arena. Puck drop is 7:30 PM on Friday and 5:30 PM on Saturday.

-Underwood and his team face a bit of early season adversity as freshman defensive standout Drew Jacobs suffered a broken ankle and season-ending injury in practice. Goaltender Tyler Geloneck may miss the opening weekend with an injury.

-Underwood is pleased with the outcome of early season practices and development of his team in the initial three weeks of practice.

--- Jim Smith for Ohio Hockey Digest

Follow Jim on twitter @BlueLineNotes