Alex Rickoff  knows the time is now.  He is looking forward to his senior season of high school hockey, but he’s pretty sure it won’t be his last.

Three games into to the Winhawk hockey season and the team has a record of 0-­2-­1, having suffered losses against No. 8 ranked Mankato West, Mankato East/Loyola, and earning a tie against Lacrosse Logan/Central, a combined squad from Wisconsin.

Three Cotter students are members of the team: Jack Kauphusman, Alex Rickoff, and John Rickoff. These boys have been skating with each other since they were in elementary school.

Alex Rickoff, a senior, is one of the captains on the team. Rickoff has been playing hockey his whole life. “Hockey is definitely the sport that I want to keep active throughout my life”   Rickoff has put in countless hours in at the rink, and in the weightroom.  In addition to shooting pucks in the shooting range, he hopped on the ice Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the summer at the teams summer camp and did dry land practice Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

Rickoff is a defenseman on the ice, and it is a role he relishes.  He sees defense as the backbone of the team, he says jokingly “Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.”

Rickoff also says he enjoys delivering big hits while playing defense,  as opposed to receiving them. . Rickoff  knows that being a physical presence as a defender can help the team. Jack Kauphusman, a  friend and teammate of  Rickoff’s says, “I really enjoy playing with Alex a ton, he really knows what he is doing on the ice. His hockey sense is great, and his physical ability is fun to watch. I can always rely on him when we are in a tight situation.”

Alex is interested in continuing his hockey career past high school and is looking at playing juniors next year on a team in either Iowa or Wisconsin. Rickoff has gotten a couple offers from Tier­3 hockey teams from around the state, but he says that nothing he has committed to any plan yet.

Tier­3 is like division 3 hockey but in the summer, Rickoff says, “Its an easy way to get

reconginized by colleges.”  A vast majority of Division 1 schools look at the top two tiers, Tier­1, and Tier­2.  Many Tier 3 players move on to play at D3 college hockey programs.