Photo stubmitted to Daily Mining Gazette Members of Team Copper Country pose with the trophy after winning a tournament in Ohio over Labor Day weekend. Team CC is made up of players from the western half of the U.P.

HOUGHTON — When they got back together in the spring after the high school hockey season ended, Team Copper Country Tier II U18 had one immediate goal, win a state title, and then a longer-term goal, win the national tournament. They came up just short in the state tournament, but then bounced back to win the national title a few weeks later.

After three seasons of catching teams off-guard and picking up a tremendous number of victories over that stretch, Team CC has final reached a point no one expected: teams not only take them seriously, they are now game-planning for the local stars.

The fact that teams are game-planning for them is a huge credit to the efforts of the quality of the players Team CC has had on roster each season.

“When we’ve started to play games, there is definitely a target on our backs,” said head coach Micah Stipech. “We experienced that this past weekend. We accept that. It’s nice that people know who you are and are gunning for you.”

Team CC saw this for the first time this past weekend while playing in a tournament in Ohio, one in which the team played six games over the course of three days.

“I think, for the most part, it went well,” said center Dawson McKay. “There were a couple of games where we could have played better.

McKay, a Houghton native, is one of the bigger players on the team, is just happy to be able to play this season after missing much of last fall due to a shoulder injury that carried over into the high school season.

“Last year was upsetting that I couldn’t finish off the fall season with the guys,” said McKay. “I’m back now and hopefully I won’t end up getting injured again.”

Injuries are just one challenge that Team CC deals with on a weekly basis. Defending their national title will not be easy, but Team CC would not have it any other way.

ROSTER CHANGES

Given that they are made up of some of the best high school-aged hockey players in the area, from Hancock’s Alex Nordstrom and Teddy Randell, to Calumet’s Brent Loukus and Nicholas Voelker, to Houghton’s Kevin Bostwick and P.J. Donnelly, several of their players are also some of the top prep football players from around the area.

Normally the fact that a number of quality athletes play football would not be a big deal for hockey teams — since the seasons are not at the same time — but for Team CC, the two seasons coincide, which can create problems for the team when it travels for a weekend of multiple games with just 10 or 11 skaters.

This issue with roster reduction due to football has led to Stipech and his coaching staff taking on more players this year than they have in the past, adding Joe Phillips from Marquette, and Donte Fortner and Max Curtis from Kingsford.

NEW LEADERSHIP

About half of the roster is back from last season’s national champion, and Stipech is really excited about the progress of the returning players.

Loukus, one of those returning players, learned a lot from playing alongside teammates Rory Anderson and Ed Beiring, and he is using that experience to help lead this season.

“It helps that Rory and Ed were on both teams,” said Loukus. “I think the chemistry started here and carried over to the high school season.

“I learned tons from them last year, especially playing on the same line with them most of the year. I looked up to them. Rory, especially, carried himself in a good way, and I have tried to model my game after him.”

EXPANDING HORIZONS

Several new faces have stepped in this season and have already shown signs of the potential they have. Three players who have caught the eyes of the coaching staff are Calumet’s Sam Erkkila, Gabe Coppo and Donnelly.

Erkkila, who played well in his freshman season last year with the Copper Kings, has shown a penchant for using his body to separate his opponents from the puck. If there was one area where Team CC struggled a little last season, it was in the physical game, and Erkkila has helped change that this season.

“He probably leads our team in hits,” said Stipech. “He’s been amazing for us and is [often] the fastest kid on the ice.”

Coppo is another bigger bodied player, but what impresses Stipech is his ability to get to scoring areas and make something happen.

“He can handle the physical game, but he is always in the right scoring area,” said Stipech. “He’s young; he’s got that knack. He is getting chances to get into our lineup. This is valuable for him over the course of the next three years.”

Donnelly gives Stipech and his staff a third versatile player who can play forward or defense. Last season, between injuries and football, Team CC found they needed some of their forwards to be willing to play defense. This season, with the addition of Donnelly, they have no shortage of players who can affect the game no matter where they are slotted, even within the same game.

“He’s competent in both areas,” said Stipech. “When we were in Green Bay, he played both positions in one game. He can handle the physical challenge of both positions and be able to think through it.”

THIS WEEKEND

Team CC is already off to a fast start, having won that tournament in Ohio last weekend. This weekend, they travel to Duluth to take on Thunder Bay.