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player ready...After missing over a month of the hockey season with a broken right thumb, Glenbrook South senior winger Joe Emme was asked if there had been any silver lining to his absence.
Had he gained a new appreciation for the game after it had been taken away? Did he see the game differently after being forced to sit back and observe?
“Actually, I did not really see any positives out of (the situation),” said Emme, who lives in Glenview. “I mean, I got more schoolwork done and I didn’t have to go to the late practices.
“But it’s very frustrating being my senior year and not being able to play, and seeing the team struggle without me. It was a rough month and a half. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Emme, a first-line winger who had 11 goals and eight assists in Scholastic Hockey League games, has been one of several Titans to miss time because of an injury during what has been a largely frustrating campaign. A recent two-game winning streak, which included a 4-2 win over Stevenson on Senior Night on Saturday, saw Glenbrook South raise its league record to 5-14-2-0, and boost its overall mark to 14-22-2.
“This year, we’ve been up-and-down and injury-riddled the entire season. It’s been like no other season before,” said Glenbrook South coach Jim Philbin, who is in his 24th season in charge. “It’s always at least two or three people (missing through injury) at a time. It’s been extremely challenging for the boys, but they’ve been working hard.”
On a positive note, the injuries have resulted in some younger and less experienced Titans gaining playing time. That likely will benefit the program in the long run. But Glenbrook South’s 11 seniors no doubt were hoping for a more successful final campaign.
Yet, with the SHL playoffs and the Blackhawk Cup State Tournament set to begin in February, Glenbrook South players are still optimistic about the team’s ability to make a postseason run.
With some Titans returning from injuries and younger teammates gaining varsity experience “I think things might click and we might get hot at the right time,” said senior defenseman Jeff Mitchell, who lives in Glenview.
Mitchell continued: “In the playoffs, anybody can beat anybody, especially in our league. We’re hoping to get a couple bounces our way. We’ll be considered underdogs, but it will be fun to make a run that people don’t expect.”
Philbin said the Titans four main leaders — Emme, the captain, and all alternate captains Mitchell, senior first-line center Nick Stevens and senior second-line center Robert Hopkins — have helped the team persevere through adversity, both through their leadership and play on the ice.
Emme said the quartet has worked hard to keep teammates motivated during a rough season, and that will continue into the playoffs.
“We (the captains) have been (on varsity) the past couple of years and know anything can go on in the playoffs. We have to keep the team fueled,” Emme said.
Emme and Stevens (10 goals, five assists in 20 SHL games) have been linemates since their sophomore year and were club teammates with the Glenview Stars before that. Their familiarity with one another is apparent on the ice. Junior wing Ben Thomas joined their line last winter, and he too has been productive this season. Through 21 SHL games, Thomas had 12 goals and 10 assists.
“(Emme) and I have been playing together for five years and this is our second year with (Thomas),” said Stevens, who lives in Glenview. “I think (the three of us) have that little bit of extra chemistry between us since we’ve been playing together so long. We know where each other are on the ice and where to make that extra pass when we need it.”
Hopkins (five goals, eight assist in 21 SHL games) is a defensive forward with a strong work ethic, according to Philbin.
Mitchell, meanwhile, has been the team’s workhorse. Recently, the Titans have had only four healthy defensemen, and Mitchell, in his fourth varsity season, has been the only veteran of the bunch. That has led to him logging extended ice time.
Mitchell, who had three goals and 10 assists through 21 league games, said the team’s centers often stall before faceoffs so he can catch his breath.
“No one (gets close to) the ice time (Mitchell) gets. He’s out there almost every shift,” Emme said. “I don’t know how he does it. I don’t have the stamina he does. But he holds it down on defense. He’s a wall. With how much time he gets, he’s not fazed. He just keeps trucking.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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