New England-based program returns to international tournament for second consecutive year
Exposure Hockey was a strong competitor in its World Selects tournament debut last spring. The 2006-born group competed in six games in Nashville; four of those were decided in a shootout. Three of those were losses, unfortunately, including its first-round exit in the playoffs, 3-2 to Southeast Elite.
The 2007 squad has a much different look to it than last year’s. Despite Exposure Hockey being based out of Northfield, Vermont, three-quarters of its roster this year consists of players from Minnesota. ‘The State of Hockey’ is a good place to start building, especially when those pieces include Cody Niesen, Jake Faith, Landon Cottingham, Gavin Katz and Malachi MacKinnon.
Niesen is a 5-foot-9 goaltender who is athletic and has a high compete level. Being able to play behind top defenders will make the job a bit easier as well. Faith is big and strong, and patrols the blue line with a heavy shot. Cottingham headlines a group that’s loaded with great skaters, including Tommy Kertz and Henry Brzustewicz.
Up front, Katz does a lot of the little things most forwards overlook. He’s strong on draws and responsible defensively while a player like MacKinnon has a real knack for getting to the net front and can play in a lot of different positions. Owen Chartier and Will Belle add some character to the group with a rugged playing style, size and strength. Can the team’s ability to do the little things in the game lead to big results in the tournament? Exposure Hockey will look to outdo its performance from a year ago to be a legitimate contender in the 2022 tournament.
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