Revamped roster has Rochester United’s goals right in front of them

ROCHESTER — Bear the scar — that was Rochester United hockey head coach Tucker Penning’s message to his team prior to this season.

For some it was easy because they just endured a 5-20-1 season and finished in the basement of the Oakland Activities Association Red Division, but for most it was understanding the bruises their new teammates had to endure.

There were 17 new faces that joined Rochester United this season in an effort to try to turn around a program that has two regional championships to its name.

“We really recruited hard,” Penning said. “We knew that we had a lot of kids in the school district that weren’t playing in the program, and we went after them to try to convince them to be the change in the program and cement their legacy with it.”

“There’s too much talent that walks those halls to not be a consistent regional winner. That was kind of the message we had to them, and we challenged them to reset the standard and push it forward to what it was.”

Some players brought in a ton of experience on the ice, coming from AAA, AA, or A, and especially dropping down to the OAA White, Rochester United has changed the narrative around the program.

Currently 12-5-1 and one of the top teams in the OAA White, Rochester United is 8-2 in its last 10 games after working its way through a difficult stretch in the beginning of the year, with losses to Muskegon Mona Shores, Birmingham Groves, and a tie with Rochester Hills Stoney Creek.

“It’s been refreshing, especially considering the year we had last year with being a five-win team, losing a bunch of guys, and bringing 17 new kids to the fold,” Penning said. “I thought we’d take a few games to get our feet under us, which is really what happened, but we’ve started to hit our stride.”

When four of your five top point scorers and your starting goalie are all new to the team, that can bring a pretty quick change to the win-loss column.

Senior assistant captain Greyson Hizer has led the charge offensively with a team-high 35 points (17 points and 18 assists) to his name, while his younger brother, sophomore assistant captain Nolan Hizer, has added 28 points of his own (seven goals and 21 assists).

The Hizer brothers have been deadly together on the powerplay, with Greyson burying a team-high five goals and Nolan second on the team with three. He has also tallied eight assists.

Greyson Hizer mentioned at the OAA media day prior to the season that his brother was a key reason for him joining the squad, but said the entire locker room made high school hockey look like an enticing opportunity.

“They didn’t have the best season, but I knew that it was pretty much a completely new team with a ton of skill and a ton of chemistry from last year,” Greyson Hizer said.

A key part to Rochester United’s offensive attack has been returning starter TJ Maguet, a junior assistant captain with 22 points (eight goals and 14 assists) so far this season.

“He was kind of that conduit to those new guys that came in the offseason,” Penning said. “I have a ton of belief in him and I know he has a ton of belief in me and trusts me.”

Second in points is sophomore Brayden Buckler with 29 (15 goals & 14 assists). He will undoubtedly carry on the foundation laid this season with Nolan Hizer, as both are already all-State caliber players.

Then there’s the captain, junior Mason McCaughtry, who’s tallied 18 points (five goals and 13 assists) while dishing out a team-high nine assists on the power play.

“That kid is just a constant, even keel,” Penning said. “The group would not be where we are without him.”

Other contributors in the scoring department have been sophomore Ethan Haselhuhn (seven goals) and junior Dylan Turnbull (four goals), who will be sidelined for an extended period of time with an upper body injury.

Rochester United will lean on sophomore Nathan Heitchue and sophomore Nathan Mrachina to fill the void.

But even as strong as the offensive unit has been, McCaughtry anchors an impressive defensive core consisting of junior Aidan Reder, junior Ethan Kulasooriya, sophomore Anthony Belloli, sophomore Rylan Zielinski, and junior Noah Weiss.

Ethan Kulasooriya’s twin brother, Sam, has manned the net for Rochester United, posting a 7-4-1 record, a 2.20 GAA, and a .913 save percentage.

He made critical stops against Mona Shores to keep the game close, made a penalty shot save to help Rochester United earn a 2-1 win over Walled Lake United, and has two shutouts to his name this season.

“He deserves more credit than his stats show, and his stats are still great,” Penning said. “There are games where we have defensive miscues and one ends up in the back of the net. He’s an immense talent and he comes from a high program where he played previously.”

With still a month of the season left, Rochester United hopes to stay on the winning track, which will be an easier feat if it learns how to stay out of the penalty box.

It’s an area that Greyson Hizer said the team is working on correcting.

“We’ve had a lot of penalties,” Hizer said. “We dominate teams when it’s five-on-five, but once we hit the box we can’t do as much.”

With regional championship aspirations ahead of them, Rochester United knows this season is the turning point for the future of the program.

“Our goals are still in front of us,” Penning said. “That’s a big thing for us because we’re marching towards that. We’ve rewrote our expectations too based on how successful we’ve been and what kind of a team we’ve seen when we’re playing at our ability. We’re one of the top teams in the state and we’re not putting it lightly when we say we can play with anyone.”