By Paul Lecker
Wausau Pilot & Review
Two Wausau West players and one from D.C. Everest were second-team selections on the 2023-24 All-Wisconsin Valley Conference Boys Hockey Team, as voted on by the conference coaches following the season.
West senior goalie Parks Guenther and sophomore forward Cooper Depuydt, and D.C. Everest junior forward Thomas Passineau were picked to the second team.
The first team consisted of four players from conference champion Stevens Point and three from Wisconsin Rapids.
Guenther finished second in the conference with a 1.59 goals against average in five starts and had a .931 save percentage.
Depuydt had seven goals and eight assists for West in conference play.
Passineau topped D.C. Everest with seven goals and four assists in WVC action this season.
D.C. Everest goalie Griffen Bunnell, Wausau West defenseman Grant Wincentsen, and forwards Caden Bohlin and Hendrix Damrow, and Wausau East/Merrill forward Zach Pagel were honorable mention selecitons.
Wisconsin Rapids senior forward Carsen Gause was named the Player of Year and was a first-team selection for the second year in a row. Gause finished the conference slate with 11 goals and nine assists, tying for third with 20 points.
Joining Gause on the first team were Stevens Point goalie Mason Spurlin, senior defensemen Tyler Loomis of Stevens Point and Carter Morrison of Wisconsin Rapids, Stevens Point junior forward Jackson Schroeder and Stevens Point sophomore forward Grady Miller.
Schroeder led the WVC in goals with 15 and Miller was the assists leader with 14.
Spurlin made 140 saves and allowed just seven goals in seven games in goal for Stevens Point, which won the conference title with a perfect 10-0 record.
2023-24 All-Wisconsin Valley Conference Boys Hockey Team
(*denotes unanimous selection)
First Team
Goalie: *Mason Spurlin, sr., Stevens Point.
Defensemen: *Tyler Loomis, sr., Stevens Point; *Carter Morrison, sr., Wisconsin Rapids.
Forwards: *Jackson Schroeder, jr., Stevens Point; *Carsen Gause, sr., Wisconsin Rapids; Grady Miller, so., Stevens Point.
Second Team
Goalie: Parks Guenther, sr., Wausau West.
Defensemen: Jamie Reeve, sr., Stevens Point; Tyson Vilbaum, jr., Wisconsin Rapids.
Forwards: Josh Dekarske, sr., Wisconsin Rapids; Cooper Depuydt, so., Wausau West; Thomas Passineau, jr., D.C. Everest.
Honorable Mention
Goalie: Griffen Bunnell, so., D.C. Everest.
Defensemen: Thomas Cashmer, sr., Marshfield; Grant Wincentsen, sr., Wausau West; Logan Ostricki, so., Stevens Point.
Forwards: Caden Bohlin, jr., Wausau West; Grant Molski, so., Stevens Point; Hendrix Damrow, so., Wausau West; Zach Pagel, jr., Wausau East/Merrill.
Player of the Year: Carsen Gause, sr., forward, Wisconsin Rapids.
