BELOIT — With an extra year of experience under its belt, the Beloit Memorial co-op — comprised of Beloit Memorial, Beloit Turner, Clinton, Parkview and Brodhead — looks to improve upon its 4-18 record from last season.

“I expect the team to take the next step,” head coach James Hoey said. “We were a pretty young team last year, but with five seniors and ten returning juniors, the expectations are higher for this team.”

Beloit’s defense will be its strength with senior Jameson Flanagan (Beloit Memorial) in net. With a .908 save percentage last season, he earned All-Conference Honorable Mention recognition.

“Goaltending is always a strength of ours with Flanagan in net,” Hoey said. “We have a solid defensive unit, and our top forward line should be fun to watch.”

While the team can defend, they need to be able to score to win. Senior Tyler Katalin was the team’s top scorer last year, and Hoey will look to a slew of players to fill that role. 

Nathan Fiebig (Parkview) had the most points of the returners with eight. He is followed by Max Allen (Beloit Memorial) with seven, Cole Rowald (Beloit Turner) and Nathan Anastasi (Clinton) with five, and Sam Rowald (Beloit Turner) with three. 

Four underclassmen will also have the opportunity to play at the varsity level: sophomores Jayden Piccione (Beloit Turner) and Jaxon Walenga (Beloit Turner) and freshmen Marcus Allen (Beloit Memorial) and Drake Juhl (Parkview).

Verona and Janesville will be good tests for the team, as Hoey anticipates the two to be contenders for the conference title.