USPHL Elite: Dells Ducks look to continue success in new division

Winning has become a routine for Coach Bill Zaniboni and the Dells Ducks.

They have been the best of their league or division the past couple of years, winning the USP3 Midwest Division title last year, as well as the Bush Cup the year before in

the former Minnesota Junior Hockey League.

However, this year will be no easy task, as the competition will be much tougher in their new division.

“I think the way we performed last year proved that we could play at this level. We want to continue our advancement and climb the ladder,” said Dells Ducks head coach Bill Zaniboni.

The Ducks have emerged as a very consistent team, and being moved into the USPHL Elite division is a reward for what they have accomplished thus far. However, just because they have been moved into a higher division, that does not mean they expect to let their winning ways be halted.

Coach Zaniboni praised his team’s hard work thus far and seemed to be really excited about this group’s potential. As players move up the ranks of junior hockey or move on to play college hockey, junior hockey teams rarely stay the same for more than one year.

For the 2016­-17 Dells Ducks, learning to play with new teammates will be just as much of a challenge as adapting to the increased competition of the league. For the six returning players from last year, leadership is expected. One player who is sure to bring leadership is the captain from last year’s team, Christian Vella, a native of Rochester, N.Y.

As for other notable returning players, the team returns its leading scorer from last year, ’96 Sherman Mowery (53 points), as well as ’96 forward Wyatt Nielsen, who finished fifth in scoring last year with 29 points.

Although the season is young, the Ducks have already proven that they are capable of winning at this level. They currently have a record of 2­1, which is not anything to be ecstatic about, but it shows that they will definitely compete.

Coach Zaniboni was impressed with his team’s offensive prowess thus far.

“We have a lot of goal-scorers, which is good. I think we will be able to win some high-scoring games,” Zaniboni added.

In contrast to that, he says that one of the points of emphasis in practice will be the defensive zone. For a team that has had the Goalie of the Year for the past four years, keeping the puck out of the net is something that they take pride in.

The Dells Ducks still have a lot of work ahead of them, but they seem to be moving in the right direction to potentially make some noise in the USPHL Elite division.