SUPERIOR — According to legend, numbers for Superior girls hockey sunk so low last decade that former Spartans star Emma Peterson didn’t come off the ice.
So when did she get rest?
“Between periods,” current Superior coach Doug Trentor said, laughing.
That seems like a distant memory compared to today’s Spartans, who improved to 8-1 Wednesday, Dec. 28, with a 6-0 victory over the Cap City Cougars at the 14th annual Culver’s Cup High School Hockey Tournament in Madison. It’s hard to believe that just two years ago Superior was 2-14 and last season finished 8-18.
Trentor, in his third season as Spartans head coach and sixth season with the program, has never never been part of a winning season, but this year could be different. He was asked what has made the difference.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our depth, without question,” Trentor said. “I think all but three or four girls have points on our roster, so we’re really deep. We’ve got three full lines that play consistently. This is the best team I’ve had, both in numbers and in talent.”
Trentor remembers the not so good ol’ days when even post-Peterson, the Spartans were dealing with 12 or 13 players. It’s hard to run two lines, much less three, with numbers like that.
This year the program has 24 players and is fielding the first junior varsity schedule in Trentor’s tenure.
“The girls are developing at a rapid rate, and they’re developing together,” Trentor said. “They’re friends off the ice, and it doesn’t hurt having Autumn Cooper, who is one of the better players if not the best player in the state.”
The 5-foot-7 Cooper, a junior, centers Superior’s top line, with Makaela Reinke at left wing and fellow sophomore Bella Thompson at right wing.
Trentor said he would put his top line “against anybody in the state,” while he called Cooper, who sports a 4.0 grade-point average, “amazing” — the real deal on and off the ice.
“Autumn can score with the puck, and she can distribute it. She is well-rounded,” Trentor said. “She does everything we ask. She is the first one in the corner, the first one at the net, the first one back checking. She’s just an all-around great player.”
“Amazing” just doesn’t happen. Cooper worked years honing her craft.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cooper began playing hockey when she was 5. Growing up in South Range, she skated on a little river behind the family house. In recent years, they’ve added a backyard mini-rink, complete with boards.
Yeah, Cooper plays soccer, and yeah, she plays golf, but ask her what’s her favorite, and you almost get the, “You mean, besides hockey?” kind of answer.
“Hockey,” she said, with emphasis. “It’s not even close.”
Cooper, who is getting some NCAA Division I interest, mostly from eastern schools, leads the Spartans with 15 goals and 11 assists for 26 points, while Reinke is next with 15-5-20. Freshman Addy Benson (8-4—12), Thompson (4-7—11) and sophomore Gabryel Olson (2-9—11) are also in double figures in points.
With only four seniors and one junior — Cooper — the future is bright as Superior has a strong class of 10 sophomores.
“It’ll definitely be weird going to Senior Night next year. It’ll just be me,” Cooper said. “That’ll be kind of odd but maybe I can try to get some girls to come out and play. You always have one or two who like to hop on board and just play JV. The more the merrier. We definitely like when more girls come out and play. It’s always a good time.”
Lately, a lot of people have been hopping on board. Yes, it was a road game, but Trentor said it was close to standing room only when the Spartans knocked off rival Hayward Area, the top-ranked team in the state at the time, 6-3 on Dec. 22.
Cooper remembers what it felt like winning two games two seasons ago. Hockey is always fun, but this season, it’s more fun.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Every year we have progressively built and gotten better,” she said.
Cooper knew there was talent coming up through the ranks as Superior won a U10 state title about six years ago. Then a renewed focus on Superior youth hockey has added a larger pool of talent to draw from.
For her part, Cooper enjoys working with the youth players. She helped out with a jamboree Tuesday night at SAHA. It wasn’t much, just moving around the nets, but sometimes a little can go a long way. Cooper is there, and those players, undoubtedly, look up to her.
Cooper’s fellow students have also taken notice. Everyone likes a winner.
“It’s kind of neat this year, we actually have a bunch of kids that come out to our games,” Cooper said. “It brings so much more excitement to the team and just to the overall atmosphere. In past years we never had students who would come out and watch. Now, if there aren’t too many overlapping events, we usually get a pretty good turnout. That just makes it so much more fun.”
After several near-misses early in the decade, Superior won its only state championship in 2005. Trentor said he likes the Spartans' chances but called the sectional “a grind” with the likes of Hayward Area and Central Wisconsin in the mix. Whoever comes out of that sectional will be a state contender, but win or lose, Trentor said, this season has already been special.
“The community is buzzing — we’re buzzing,” Trentor said. “It’s been a long time, and it just feels good, it just feels real good. It feels good when you look across the arena and you see a bunch of seats filled with people. It’s huge.”
This story was edited at 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2023 to remove an inaccurate reference to the Spartans' history at the state tournament. It was originally posted at 7 p.m. on Dec. 29, 2022. The Superior Telegram regrets the error.
The Trust Project
