As many past championship teams have found, repeating your wins is never easy.
In professional sports, you lose key players, coaches and executives to newer and higher bidders or retirement. In prep and college sports, you lose players to graduation or transfers.
The Miners Red hockey program appears to have this problem figured out, however, often reloading with ease. In a town best known for its skiing and snowboarding, the program has carved out a niche for hockey. The Miners Red refueled, as always, with up-and-comers and players from last year’s Miners White team, a varsity and feeder team.
The newly retooled Miners Red team hit the ice in midseason form Sept. 3. They took down the Miners White team in that season opener 4-0. The Miners Red cruised to another comfortable win Monday over Weber County 13-0.
“It’s pretty awesome,” said Miners Red head coach Mike Adamek on his program’s ability to bring on talented new players. “Obviously, replacing some of the players that we had last year is going to be hard, but there’s some good kids that moved up that weren’t on our team last year.”
Adamek has a good chunk of returning players from last year’s state title repeating team. He’s also got a handful of newcomers, whom he and the veterans will have to bring up to their standards. While it can be easy sledding in the regular season, nobody wants to be the team that let up a state title or National Championship run, he said.
“The experience of the kids that were on the team last year goes a long way,” Adamek added. “But, all these kids have watched and known that the Park City High School varsity program is good since they were little kids, too. … I still want them fighting for every single win.”
Adamek’s teams are often so good that they’re working on specific tactical things during games themselves. They know they have to be much better than just what it takes to three-peat state if they want a shot at any wins come nationals in the spring. Adamek tabbed Mitch Berry, Hunter Hutchison and Hunter Jaques as some star players, who will also hold others accountable to the team’s standards on and off the ice.
The 2024-25 team was plagued at nationals by a lack of discipline, Adamek said. In Monday’s route of Weber County, the Miners Red worked on their focus and an attacking mindset on offense. Despite the team’s dominant start, Adamek doesn’t feel they’re yet at the level of last year’s team, due to their lack of experience, but he’s confident they have all the potential to get there.
The Miners Red will face one of their toughest tests of the season Monday visiting Sky Canyon. Sky Canyon was the 2024-25 school-unaffiliated state title winner, opposed to the Miners Red, who won the school-affiliated title. It’s a great opportunity for the Miners Red to test their mettle, but also to prepare for postseason-like conditions, such as lengthier travel.
“They’re returning most of their team and will be our best (Utah) competition of the year,” Adamek said of Sky Canyon. “It’s fun to be able to play them early in the year; it’s a good challenge.”
The Miners Red will hope to walk away with a win and bolstered team camaraderie. The team will be taking a bus to the game, a little over two hours north in Logan, rather than driving individually as usual. The Miners Red will have to get the job done without a handful of players still playing football for Park City High School.
The Miners Red will again test themselves Oct. 1 in a rematch of the last two state title games against Brighton Navy. Adamek encouraged fans to start coming out and giving the team some support, as they always do. Adamek has loved all the work his players have been putting in during the offseason and early on this season to keep the program’s positive momentum rolling.
“I saw them at the rink all the time,” Adamek said. “I was really impressed with our group. This group of players loves hockey. … Park City can take a little bit of pride in knowing that our high school program is a dynasty at this point.”
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