By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

The Franklin hockey program went 13-8 last season, earning themselves a 12 seed in the Division 1 State Tournament. After two wins, the Panthers would eventually fall in the Final 4 to Xaverian, who lost to the eventual State Champion State St. Johns Prep. Unfortunately, Franklin graduated 11 seniors from that team.

“We lost a talented group of seniors, a lot of points walked out that door, including our top four goal scorers,” Coach Chris Spillane said. “But we have the players, strong senior and junior classes, to step up and fill those shoes. We have a good group coming back who will give us the opportunity.”

Spillane will be looking first and foremost to senior right winger Carter Balducci to put the team on his back offensively. Last year, the winger contributed 19 points to the Franklin offense, and the coach is looking for him to have a similar season while adding to it.

Left winger Jack Wernig will be another bright spot in the offensive zone alone with Balducci. Last winter, Wernig notched 10 points, and Spillane is looking for him to explode this year and increase his totals. 

In addition to the two seniors putting the puck in the net on a regular basis, Franklin has a strong junior class that should be able to step up and score some points for the Panthers if they are to be successful. A trio of players from that junior class who should be able to up their game are right wingers Thomas Quinn and Drake McAlpine and left winger Robert Fletcher. 

With the multitude of wingers gracing the program, Spillane is going to have to make some adjustments. Having lost a couple of centers the Panther Coach is going to look to move some of wingers into the center position. 

“All of these guys have been playing long enough and with a little bit of coaching they should be able to take on the role,” the Coach said. “Jack (Wernig) is probably the one with the inside track to take on the role in the dot.”

Defensively, the returning Franklin athletes are looking good and should be able to get back onto the ice and continue where they left off last winter. Seniors Jack Harrington and Owen Ariente both have quick puck movement out of the zone and are strong physical players. The duo epitomizes the typical Franklin defenseman being able to move the puck into transition through the neutral zone. 

The last line of defense is up for grabs. Having graduated last year’s starting goalie, Franklin will look to seniors Jack O’Connor and Jo Torraco to mind the net this season. According to Spillane, both goalies are amore than capable of filling the role. The two saw minimal time on the ice last year: O’Connor, who is smaller and quicker, played in five games while Torraco, a bigger and taller player saw action in 2 ½-3 games for the Panthers as a junior.

“At this stage, it is a wait and see situation. We’ll see who practices well during the week, they’ll most likely get the start,” Spillane said. “In addition to how they are playing we will also look at who gives us the best opportunity to win against individual opponents.”

As the season nears, Spillane and the Franklin coaching staff are hoping that the team can continue to improve each week of the season as a whole. As in the past, they would also like to capture the Hockomock League Championship and then make it back into the State Tournament.

“Once you get into the tournament, what happens there takes care of itself in this the second season,” he Franklin Coach said. “The Hockomock League is always tough, and we would love to regain that title (Franklin and King Philip were Co-Champions last year).”

In addition to playing a tough league schedule, the Panthers also play a very tough non-league schedule to prepare themselves for the second season. In the Hockomock alone, Franklin will square off against the likes of Canton (twice) and Mansfield, as well as a skilled King Philip team that brings a neighborhood brawl to the ice each and every time the two teams hook up. Spillane went on to say, everyone plays Franklin like it’s their Stanley Cup, so the team needs to be ready at all times.

The Panthers will open the season on December 18th, when they host powerhouse Catholic Memorial. Although a perennial team in the state, ‘’Spillane believes that it’s good to have a team like CM early in the year, as both teams are still adjusting and getting ready.

“This is the first game for both of us, as everyone starts the season on even footing and begins the season on the same day with the same amount of practices,” he said. “Early in the season, you can catch a team off guard, but you can also learn. I look to pick up something from each game throughout the season to help us improve overall.”

Having lost 11 seniors, it may take the Panthers a few games to form that camaraderie and the ability to play together as a team, but for the most part, the majority of the Franklin players are year-round hockey players and should be up to the task of going after another tournament run.