Stars' Kretzer keeps proving his doubters wrong
You hate to wish anything bad upon somebody …
But if you’re a Lincoln Stars fan, you probably won't mind if a bit more adversity was sent Ryan Kretzer's way this season.
Say around playoff time? Maybe an opposing defenseman calls him a weeny. Possibly an opposing coach tells his guys they don't have to worry about that Kretzer kid, he's only good for garbage goals.
You see, the Stars forward has done a pretty good job of proving others wrong when told he isn't good enough. In fact, Kretzer playing with a chip on his shoulder has probably been good for a few wins.
Adversity arrived early this season for Kretzer. Convinced he'd merely be another fourth-line guy, the Waterloo Black Hawks released Kretzer following the United States Hockey League preseason. He was headed back to junior hockey's equivalent of the minor leagues when Stars coach Jimmy McGroarty convinced Kretzer he could compete in the league.
Kretzer, 19, had lost a ton of confidence in his short stint with Waterloo, but quickly regained it. All the St. Louis native did was find his way onto the top line of forwards by Week 2 and help keep Lincoln afloat when wins were tough to come by.
Soon Kretzer had found his groove and moved into the top 10 in the league in scoring. He thought he had a chance to be selected for the All-Star/Prospects Game, but when the 20-man West Division roster was announced, Kretzer's name was nowhere to be found.
"It was just another thing like being cut from Waterloo, you just get a little chip on your shoulder and that's how you deal with it," Kretzer said. "Whatever, I'm going to work a little harder and prove to them they're wrong."
Since the all-star teams were chosen, few players in the league have played as well as Kretzer. In the 12 games following the holiday break, Kretzer has 19 points.
That stretch moved him into a tie for first place in the 12-team league in scoring with 45 points.
How is Waterloo's top scorer faring, you’re wondering. Blake Kessell leads the Black Hawks — Lincoln's opponent Saturday at the Ice Box — with 30 points.
As for Kretzer's 19 goals, that's just doing his job.
"I'm here to score goals," he said. "If I'm not scoring or getting points then I'm not helping the team. I'm not going to go out there and fight or anything, we'll leave that to (Brandon Bollig)."
Anybody who has seen Kretzer won't argue. At 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Kretzer is the smallest guy on the team. But there are players 8 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier that don't play as tough as he does.
And while Kretzer has scored some pretty goals — a one-timer against Ohio last week comes to mind — most of his scores are those ugly goals you get rewarded with when you crash hard to the net and get a rebound shot or deflection.
"He's a gritty little player, and that's what separates him from some other goal scorers," McGroarty said. "Ryan's not afraid to stir the pot, and that's what I love about him."
Of course, it always helps your stats with line mates such as Jason Gregoire and Rick Carden. It's a pretty good trio, with the Stars winning 10 of 11 games since Gregoire returned from a personal absence and Carden came back from a wrist injury.
"Gregoire was upset he wasn't going to be able to play those last few games before break," Kretzer said. "But we talked about when we came back we were just going to go on a tear and get this ship rolling, and we have."
That's Ryan Kretzer for you. You bet leading the league in scoring is great, but he’s more interested in winning a championship and earning a college scholarship.
He's visited a few schools, but so far most of the top programs have stayed away. They probably think he's too small to play at the next level.
"Whatever," Kretzer said. "I'll go somewhere and prove them wrong, just like I have this year."
Reach Brent C. Wagner at 473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com.
But if you’re a Lincoln Stars fan, you probably won't mind if a bit more adversity was sent Ryan Kretzer's way this season.
Say around playoff time? Maybe an opposing defenseman calls him a weeny. Possibly an opposing coach tells his guys they don't have to worry about that Kretzer kid, he's only good for garbage goals.
You see, the Stars forward has done a pretty good job of proving others wrong when told he isn't good enough. In fact, Kretzer playing with a chip on his shoulder has probably been good for a few wins.
Adversity arrived early this season for Kretzer. Convinced he'd merely be another fourth-line guy, the Waterloo Black Hawks released Kretzer following the United States Hockey League preseason. He was headed back to junior hockey's equivalent of the minor leagues when Stars coach Jimmy McGroarty convinced Kretzer he could compete in the league.
Kretzer, 19, had lost a ton of confidence in his short stint with Waterloo, but quickly regained it. All the St. Louis native did was find his way onto the top line of forwards by Week 2 and help keep Lincoln afloat when wins were tough to come by.
Soon Kretzer had found his groove and moved into the top 10 in the league in scoring. He thought he had a chance to be selected for the All-Star/Prospects Game, but when the 20-man West Division roster was announced, Kretzer's name was nowhere to be found.
"It was just another thing like being cut from Waterloo, you just get a little chip on your shoulder and that's how you deal with it," Kretzer said. "Whatever, I'm going to work a little harder and prove to them they're wrong."
Since the all-star teams were chosen, few players in the league have played as well as Kretzer. In the 12 games following the holiday break, Kretzer has 19 points.
That stretch moved him into a tie for first place in the 12-team league in scoring with 45 points.
How is Waterloo's top scorer faring, you’re wondering. Blake Kessell leads the Black Hawks — Lincoln's opponent Saturday at the Ice Box — with 30 points.
As for Kretzer's 19 goals, that's just doing his job.
"I'm here to score goals," he said. "If I'm not scoring or getting points then I'm not helping the team. I'm not going to go out there and fight or anything, we'll leave that to (Brandon Bollig)."
Anybody who has seen Kretzer won't argue. At 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Kretzer is the smallest guy on the team. But there are players 8 inches taller and 40 pounds heavier that don't play as tough as he does.
And while Kretzer has scored some pretty goals — a one-timer against Ohio last week comes to mind — most of his scores are those ugly goals you get rewarded with when you crash hard to the net and get a rebound shot or deflection.
"He's a gritty little player, and that's what separates him from some other goal scorers," McGroarty said. "Ryan's not afraid to stir the pot, and that's what I love about him."
Of course, it always helps your stats with line mates such as Jason Gregoire and Rick Carden. It's a pretty good trio, with the Stars winning 10 of 11 games since Gregoire returned from a personal absence and Carden came back from a wrist injury.
"Gregoire was upset he wasn't going to be able to play those last few games before break," Kretzer said. "But we talked about when we came back we were just going to go on a tear and get this ship rolling, and we have."
That's Ryan Kretzer for you. You bet leading the league in scoring is great, but he’s more interested in winning a championship and earning a college scholarship.
He's visited a few schools, but so far most of the top programs have stayed away. They probably think he's too small to play at the next level.
"Whatever," Kretzer said. "I'll go somewhere and prove them wrong, just like I have this year."
Reach Brent C. Wagner at 473-7435 or bwagner@journalstar.com.
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