Gateway

Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Sports

The Lincoln Star's Ryan Kretzer will be one of eight incoming freshmen next season. (Michelle Bishop) [Click to enlarge]

UNO recruit and Lincon Star Ryan Kretzer (center) gets mobbed by teammates after scoring his second goal of the game. (Michelle Bishop) [Click to enlarge]

The Maverick hockey team got a preview of a new recruit during a junior league game earlier this week.

Omaha hockey fans will be glad to see Ryan Kretzer leave the Lincoln Stars. The gritty 5-foot-8 forward netted three goals and added three assists during an intense five game United States Hockey League playoff series against the Omaha Lancers.

With UNO losing their top three goal scorers to graduation, Mav fans can only hope Kretzer keeps that offensive firepower going when the Maverick recruit returns to Omaha next fall.

Even though Kretzer's season ended with the Stars' 5-4 loss to the Lancers on Wednesday night, the native of St. Louis reflected back on his junior hockey experience as a positive one.

"It's just great players on every team," Kretzer said. "You're going to play the best players every night and that's what you'll do next year in college--it's a good experience."

Kretzer, the Stars second-leading scorer, finished the regular season with 22 goals and 36 assists for 58 total points in 60 games.

"He's a very intelligent hockey player; he's got excellent quickness," UNO Head Coach Mike Kemp said. "He makes subtle plays and gets the puck through traffic to the right person."

Kemp and his staff have taken advantage of the plethora of USHL players available essentially in their own backyard. Of the eight incoming freshmen next season, seven are products of the USHL.

"It's been an area where we've been able to have some success," Kemp said. "I think everyone in college hockey would agree that it's the consummate development league. It's the best development in North America for college hockey players to date."

The coaching staff and the facilities at UNO were the main draw for Kretzer, as well as his future teammates.

"The recruiting class we have coming in, it's one of the best," Kretzer said. "We're going to be good."

Future Mavs from the USHL are Tri-City Storm teammates Alex Hudson and Jordan Willert. Hudson, a forward, finished as the Storm's leading scorer with 23 goals. Willert, a 6'3" center, will provide some size up front.

A trio of Indiana Ice players will also call UNO home next season. Forwards Brent Gwidt, a sixth-round pick of the NHL's Washington Capitals, as well as John Kemp and Jake Skjodt, are coming to UNO. Kemp, the leading scorer in the USHL, dished out 59 assists and scored 13 goals for the Ice.

"He's an exceptional player on the power-play. Really sees the ice well," Coach Kemp said. "He's really as pure of a passer as I've seen in 33 years of coaching."

Also headed to UNO is Green Bay defenseman Kyle Ensign.

UNO will add a goalie out of the Western Ontario Hockey League. John Faulkner nabbed first team All-Western Ontario Junior League honors, goalie of the year WOJHL and Sarnia Blast MVP this season.

"Faulkner brings in a real history of solid statistics," Kemp said. "He plays in a league that's largely an offensive league and brings in over a 92 percent save percentage throughout his career."

With the returning players already undergoing conditioning workouts, Kemp anticipates everyone to return from last season's team that finished 17-19-4.

"We're encouraged. We've got a good nucleus to work with," Kemp said. "It's a balanced class, nice combination of size and skill."

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