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Mauermanns sweep top hockey honors

JANESVILLE — The postseason awards for Big Eight Conference boys hockey turned into a family affair.

Janesville Bluebird forward Ross Mauermann is the Player of the Year, while his father, John, has been selected Coach of the Year.

Janesville’s high school co-op team also is represented on the All-Big Eight first team by forward Kenny Durfee and goaltender David Jacobson.

The Bluebirds were the undisputed Big Eight champions and advanced to the WIAA state tournament—losing 3-1 in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Eau Claire Memorial. Janesville finished 19-2-2, including 9-1-1 in the conference.

John Mauermann said the father/son recognition was an unexpected, but a pleasant surprise.

“It’s a special honor for both of us,” coach Mauermann said. “But it’s hard to put into words what it means, because as a coach, you try to keep things separate.

“The fact that Ross was chosen the Player of the Year means that the coaches in our league respected him for his ability.

“The fact that I was chosen Coach of the Year says a lot about my assistants—Rick Mussey, Darrel Moore and Kurt Buchs. Rick and I have been together for 20 years, and Darrel and Kurt do a great job taking care of a lot of the pre-game preparations.”

In becoming the conference’s top player, Mauermann led the Big Eight in scoring with 49 points. The Janesville Parker junior had 19 goals and 29 assists, and he got the Bluebirds’ only goal in the loss to Eau Claire Memorial.

“A lot of different guys stepped up this year for us, so this is an award I can share with everyone on the team,” Ross said. “It’s a great way to end what was, overall, a great season for us.”

Ross’s father said his son’s unselfish play and ability to handle the puck set him apart.

“Certain teams have their scorers, and Ross was one of them,” coach Mauermann said. “And the fact that he was not worried about going end to end with the puck, but would rather try to set up a teammate, allowed us as a team to exploit our opponents when they were getting tired.”

Jacobson was solid in the net. The Janesville Parker junior allowed only 33 goals in 23 games and finished with four shutouts. He had a miniscule 1.4 goals-against average and was spectacular in the state tournament quarterfinal loss.

Even more remarkable, Jacobson did not allow more than three goals in any game this season.

“Consistency is the key for David,” coach Mauermann said. “He’s going to keep you in the game every night, and when he was challenged, he was up to the task.

“David didn’t allow many soft goals, and whenever we left him out to dry, he was there to bail us out.”

Durfee excelled despite missing a third of the season with a knee injury. The Janesville Craig senior was fourth on the team in scoring and was one of the top playmakers in the state.

“Kenny has the ability to stand out on a line by himself because he has that ability to create,” coach Mauermann said. “The reason that Kenny was a big part of our success down the stretch is because he worked hard to re-hab effectively, and got himself back into game shape.”

Janesville Craig junior defenseman Derek Mussey has been named to the second team, while Craig juniors Zach Bayreuther and Michael Valentine have received honorable mention.

All-Big Eight

hockey

FIRST TEAM

Forwards—Kyle Popovics, Beloit Memorial, sr.; Ross Mauermann, Janesville, jr.; Kenny Durfee, Janesville, sr.

Defensemen—Johnny Byce, sr.; Madison Memorial, sr.; Skyler Rusch, Middleton, sr.

Goaltender—David Jacobson, Janesville, jr.

SECOND TEAM

Forwards—Brett Bower, Eastside Lakers, jr.; Kevin Kiley, Middleton, sr.; Mike Moss, Sun Prairie, sr.

Defensemen—Derek Mussey, Janesville, jr.; Kyle Annen, Madison West, sr.

Goaltender—Alex Strassman, Middleton, sr.

Player of the Year—Ross Mauermann, Janesville.

Coach of the Year—John Mauermann, Janesville.

HONORABLE MENTION

Janesville—Zach Bayreuther, jr, forward; Michael Valentine, jr., defenseman; Beloit—Zach Woodman, fr., goaltender; Madison West—Brett Opheim, sr., goaltender; Charlie Kolner, sr., forward. Sun Prairie—Jake Dammen, sr., forward; Cody Playter, sr., defenseman; Mike Rusk, sr., forward. Madison Memorial—Reese Mowbray, sr., defenseman; Ryan Reynolds, sr., forward; Patrick Ritchie, jr., forward. Eastside Lakers—Nick Olp, sr., forward. Middleton—Travis Hinkes, jr., defenseman.