State Tournament Preview: Spartan junior Miller is having a season to remember

Superior High School junior Aaron Miller is in the midst of one of the best seasons ever for a Spartan hockey player.

Miller, a crafty center, enters the state tournament leading Superior in scoring with 34 goals and 34 assists for 68 points.

His 68 points currently put him No. 3 on the Spartans’ single-season scoring list.

Marty Wiitala is No. 1 on the list with 40 goals and 43 assists for 83 points in 24 games during the 1981-82 season. Casey VanDamme (1976-77) is No. 2 with 28 goals and 45 assists for 73 points and Pat Dalbec is No. 4 with 31 goals and 35 assists for 66 points during the 2008-09 season.

Miller has also been climbing the SHS all-time scoring charts and is currently No. 12 with 47 goals and 52 assists for 99 points.

Wiitala is considered the top all-time scorer, even though his numbers don’t include stats from his sophomore and junior seasons. The former Wisconsin Badger captain is listed with 66 goals and 43 assists for 112 points. (The 43 assists are from his senior season alone)

Dalbec, who currently plays for the UW-Superior Yellowjackets, is No. 2 (70-97—167) and former Minnesota Duluth Bulldog Tom Nelson (1993-96) is No. 3 (64-76—140).

Up next for Miller is Nate Cockerham, who registered 100 points with 43 goals and 57 assists from 1993-96.

Miller’s goal Saturday, which gave the Spartans a 1-0 lead on Hudson, may have been the pretties of his 34 goals this season.

“That was fun to watch,” SHS coach Jason Kalin said. “On that goal, I was kind of like, wow, that just happened.”

With the game scoreless midway through the second period, Miller picked up the puck in the neutral zone, made a couple of nifty moves around a pair of Hudson players and skated into the left circle. That’s where he let go with a wicked short-side wrist shot that somehow made it between the left post and the shoulder of Hudson goaltender Mac Alboreo.

“Millay’s been phenomenal, he’s a star player and he’s developing into a complete player,” Kalin said. “He’s learning a style of game where he dishes a little bit more or trying to get some misdirection, but when the kid has the puck, I haven’t seen it in a long time, he can just hang on to it.

“I have not seen a player in my 12 years here that protects the puck like Aaron Miller does. He puts his backside into guys, controls the plays, stick handles through feet and he has a center of gravity like no other.”

Superior Spartans

Single Season Scoring Records

Season Games G A Pts

1. Marty Wiitala 1981-82 24 40 43 83

2. Casey VanDamme 1976-77 21 28 45 73

3. Aaron Miller 2010-13 26 34 34 68

4. Pat Dalbec 2008-09 24 31 35 66

4. Bill Flynn 1976-77 21 29 32 61

5. Tom Nelson 1995-96 26 30 29 59

6. Brett Olson 2004-05 26 33 24 57

7. Jamison Lundquist 2003-04 26 27 26 53

8. Pat Dalbec 2007-08 25 20 33 53

9. Nate Cockerham 1995-96 26 20 32 52

10. Mike Sislo 2004-05 26 21 29 50

Career Scoring Records

Seasons Games G A Pts

1. Marty Wiitala 1979-82 66 69+ 43+ 112+

2. Pat Dalbec 2005-09 100 70 97 167

3. Tom Nelson 1993-96 77 64 76 140

4. Casey VanDamme 1975-77 ? ? ? 129

5. Bill Flynn 1975-77 ? ? ? 123

6. Brett Olson 2002-05 78 63 57 120

7. Jamison Lundquist 2001-04 77 46 72 118

8. Nolan Holcombe 2009-12 78 52 61 113

9. Daniel Litchke 2009-12 78 59 51 110

10. Trent Clark 1993-96 77 45 64 109

11. Nate Cockerham, 1993-96 77 43 57 100

12. Aaron Miller 2010-13 ? 47 52 99

13. Chris Bishop 2006-10 101 23 67 90

14. Sean Graskey 2004-07 76 47 39 86

NOTE: All of the above stats are unofficial. … Assists are unknown for Wiitala’s sophomore and junior years. … Games played, goals and assists are also unavailable for VanDamme and Flynn.

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