Jackson Hole Moose Hockey

Moose face off Friday

Jackson hockey club opens 11th season with fresh talent.

By Michael Pearlman

After a decade of delivering fast-paced, hard-hitting hockey to its
loyal fan base, the Jackson Hole Moose Hockey team is determined to
return to its winning ways this season.
The 2007-08 Moose will debut a new look and several fresh faces when
they host the Spokane Railors at 7:30  p.m. on Friday and Saturday at
the Snow King Ice Arena. While there's no shortage of Moose veterans
excited to be back in uniform, the presence of several new skaters
should inject some fresh passion into the lineup this winter.
"We're probably going to be the most aggressive, hard-hitting,
competitive Moose team we've had in a number of years," second-year
head coach Adam Patterson said. "I think that the new blood we
brought in brings a fresh look, and it's going to increase the older
guys' competitiveness. I've seen that the candle isn't burnt out for
the older guys yet."
Veteran defenseman and co-captain Chris DeMarco conceded that the
2006-07 season was a disappointment, with Jackson finishing 9-14 and
posting worst record in the club's 10-year history.
Along with Patterson, DeMarco spearheaded re-cruiting efforts focused
on finding players with hockey skills and personalities that would
mesh both in the locker room and in the community.
"We definitely needed to rebuild, because last year was the weakest
team I'd seen in eight seasons," DeMarco said. "It's a challenge to
rebuild the team and also make sure we bring in the right people into
the community. We wanted quality and not quantity, both on the skill
front and on the personality front."
Among the Moose rookies expected to immediately make an impact are
Alaskan forward Brian Upesleja and defenseman Chris Simpson, who both
played most recently for a Lake Tahoe, Calif., Senior 'A' club.
The Moose also have a new starting goalie in Nick Aulich, a seasoned
veteran who played in the North American Hockey League and spent
several seasons as a minor league backup.
Minnesota native Justin Martin, now the hockey director for Jackson
Youth Hockey, returns to the Moose lineup after completing graduate
school at Minnesota State University. Martin played forward for the
Moose during the 2003-04 season, notching 20 goals and 19 assists.
Also donning a Moose uniform will be valley native Luke Smith, who
returned to Jackson after graduating from Colorado State University
"Justin has one of the best shots on the team," Demarco said.
The Moose return plenty of familiar faces whose passion for the game
hasn't diminished at all.
Co-captain Brian Hannafin and his brother Sean will provide some
scoring punch, along with forwards Gregg Gripentrog, T.J. Thomas,
Josh Theken and second-year player Spencer Morton.
Veterans Dusty Stolp and co-captain Aaron Ackley will also be back on
defense, while center Joe Casey's return is still uncertain. The
career scoring leader for the Moose, Casey suffered a serious
concussion last winter in Texas while playing for the Rio Grande
Valley Killer Bees of the Central Hockey League.
"Spencer came to training camp in shape; he could really turn the
page for us this year," DeMarco said.
Beginning with a series against the Missoula Cutthroats on Dec. 28
and 29, the Moose host games on seven of eight weekends through Feb.
16.
In addition to traditional rival Sun Valley, the schedule includes
teams from Aspen, Colo., Philadelphia, New York and North Carolina.
"I see us throwing a lot more goals into the net and having a lot
more stability in front of the net this season," Patterson said.
Admission to Moose games is $8 for adults and $3 for kids 8 and under.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort employees receive half-price admission