Submitted Photo from Paul Carlson: Front row goalies: Brandon Hector, Kaden Olson Left to Right: Jace Meade, Mack Anderson, Blake Thompson, Josh Newville, Bryce Scholl, Ian Obernolte, Noah Bettin, Bryce Roeschen, Axel Chapman, Nate Casias, Luther Malo, Tyler Pankow, Dayton Draper, Klay Beemer, Luke Kotewa, Preston Geerdes, Hunter Olson, Caleb Meyer, Logan Madsen, Parker Schwandt, Caden Wickert, Gavin Kester, Noah Meixell, Preston Cepress. Not pictured: Brody Deuel

FAIRMONT – The Fairmont High School boys hockey team is aiming for improvement this upcoming winter campaign, bringing in new coaches, Paul Carlson and Scott Nuss, to guide the varsity roster.

Fairmont went 2-24 the year prior, picking up a 4-3 victory over Worthington in the Class A Sections before falling to Mankato West in the following round. However, Carlson and Nuss return a plethora of upperclassmen to this year’s roster, hoping that last season’s experience can set the foundation for success going forward.

“We’ve got some good senior leadership and some guys that have pretty good experience at the varsity level,” Carlson said. “Those guys played a lot last year, so they’ve got a lot of experience coming back.”

The Cardinals bring back everyone from last season’s first line in seniors Gavin Kester and Klay Beemer, followed by junior Preston Cepress. Carlson and Nuss say this opening rotation has shown improvements in speed and chemistry during the opening practices.

“They transition fast and seem to find each other right now on the ice,” Carlson said.

Defensively, the Cardinals will be anchored by two goaltenders in front of the net in senior Brandon Hector and junior Kaden Olson. Fans can expect both netminders to get consistent playing time this season, with Carlson and Nuss using whichever one matches up best against different opponents on a game-to-game basis.

“They will probably share the net for the most part throughout the season,” Carlson said. “They’ll kind of be in a rotation for the most part. They get along really well with each other.”

Carlson and Nuss plan to use up to three lines on the defensive side of the ice, saying they can rotate constantly given the team’s depth. While the final player pairings haven’t been set in stone during the preseason, both coaches are confident in their team’s defensive ability.

Seniors Axel Chapman and Macklain Anderson, and juniors Caleb Meyer and Noah Meixell are just some of the names both coaches will look to lean on at that side of the ice early into the season.

“We haven’t really decided what we are going to do for games, and who’s going to be partnered with who, but we have rotated them around quite a bit,” Nuss said.