Nov 26, 2008 - 04:05:26 CST
With his background as a hockey player and coach, everybody figured Brett Gendreau couldn't wait to introduce his daughter, Maddy, to the world of pucks.Instead he started her figure skating at the age of 3.
"When she was 5 or 6, she really wanted to play," he said. "Ireally made her bug me before Ilet her play."
It only seems like Maddy has been in the Bismarck Blizzard lineup ever since.
Though still just a sophomore, Gendreau already has a couple of terrific seasons under her belt. She is one of the reasons Bismarck - which opened its season with a 9-2victory over Mandan on Tuesday - should be in the mix for the 2008-09 girls hockey title. Gendreau collected two goals and three assists against the Braves.
Bismarck coach Kevin Mahon said Gendreau's talent was evident the first time she stepped on the ice for the Blizzard.
"She's just one of those players who you can see is special,"Mahon said. "... She has that special something, that talent. And she has what some people would call touch."
Bismarck won its first state title in 2006 and had a veteran team coming back the following season. Gendreau not only cracked the lineup as an eighth-grader, she was the Blizzard's second-leading scorer with 15 goals and 19 assists, playing a key role as Bismarck repeated as champions.
Although the Blizzard couldn't quite pull off the threepeat, Gendreau took her game to the next level.
She finished second in the state in scoring with 71 points, trailing only Rachel Hennessy of Williston. Her 35 goals ranked fourth in the state, and she led everybody with 36 assists.
"I think she'd probably rather have an assist than a goal," said Brett Gendreau, who is an assistant coach for the Blizzard.
Maddy agreed.
"I had more assists than goals, and Itry to be a playmaker," she said. "When we do a score a goal, it's an accomplishment for the team, not just the individual."
No doubt Gendreau's playmaking ability comes in part from her hockey background. Brett, played at Bemidji State and North Dakota State. He has been coaching for 20 years.
In fact, Brett helped coach his younger brother, Cole, for Bismarck High. Cole, a St. Mary's graduate, went on to play at Providence, finishing his career with an NCAAtournament appearance in 2001.
Being around the game her whole life no doubt helped, but Brett said Maddy showed a natural aptitude for the game.
"She has got hockey sense," Brett Gendreau said. "She knows the game, she sees the ice - where players are and where they should be.
"It's hard to teach," he said. "You have it or you don't, and she had it since she started."
During the offseason, Gendreau played select hockey for the first time, and competed with the top 100 16-year-olds in the nation at Rochester, N.Y.
Brett said that experience helped Maddy learn where she needs to improve, as well as getting a chance to play in front of college coaches from around the country.
Last season Gendreau played on a line with Miranda Glatt, who won North Dakota's Miss Hockey award. Glatt graduated, but Mahon is hoping Gendreau can develop similar chemistry with senior Laura Maddock.
It's a calculated risk. Maddock has long been a mainstay on the Bismarck defense, earning second-team all-state honors last season. Along with Lauren Kringstad - a multiple-time first-team all-stater - Maddock has given Bismarck an unbeatable 1-2 punch on the blue line the last few years.
"I'm hoping it won't hurt our defense at all,"Mahon said with a laugh. "But I think Laura can make the shift. She can move the puck."
Maddock just wrapped up volleyball season last weekend, so it's too early to tell how the experiment will work out. But Gendreau is optimistic.
"Miranda was a really good player, but Laura is really good, too," Gendreau said. "I think we should play together really well."
Mandan thinking big
Although Mandan has a ways to go before it can be competitive with the likes of Bismarck, coach Mike Jones is hoping the Braves can make a breakthrough this season.
In their first four seasons, the Braves have won a total of 10 games. Twelve of Mandan's 19 players are freshman or younger. But all of them are veterans, including all-state defender Katherine Berger and all-region goalie Ree Metz.
"Our goal is to make the state tournament, and Ithink we have the opportunity to do that," he said. "We think we will be a little better this year."
"We're looking forward to a positive year," Jones said. "With a positive attitude and hard work, we can do good things."
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