The Bay Port hockey team fell painfully short of reaching the WIAA Division 1 state tournament this season after losing a 3-2 overtime heartbreaker to Green Bay Notre Dame in a sectional final.
But the Pirates’ campaign still resulted in success for a few of their standouts, with senior forwards Sam Lyons and Eliott Mikesch both receiving an opportunity to play at a higher level.
The Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in Canada announced last month the addition of Mikesch, while Lyons signed a tender with the North Iowa Bulls of the North American Hockey League.
It continued an encouraging trend for local prep hockey, which included Notre Dame’s Sam Kappell being drafted by the Madison Capitols with the first overall pick in Phase I of the United States Hockey League draft last month and teammate Joseph Coghlin selected by the Lincoln Stars in the 17th round of the Phase II draft.
“Any time players want to move and go to the next level and see where it takes them and potentially play collegiate hockey, it’s exciting for the rest of the players, the coaches and obviously the players and families,” Bay Port coach Mike Buchan said.
The path to reach this point has been different for Lyons and Mikesch, but both proved themselves with the Pirates.
Sam Lyons overcomes serious injury
It wasn’t even certain Lyons would play hockey again after sustaining a serious noncontact leg injury last year right before he was set to take part in tryouts for Team Wisconsin.
He dislocated his right knee two separate times and had to get both a scope and microfracture procedure.
It knocked Lyons out of action for the entire summer and forced him to be on crutches for two months before beginning physical therapy.
He couldn’t skate until the end of October, just weeks before Bay Port’s season started.
“Once I actually figured out what it was, I was really positive about it because I knew it wasn’t as bad as it could have been,” Lyons said. “But it still was something I really had to work for to be back to the physical shape I was in prior to the injury.”
The doctor told Lyons it would be about a year before he was back to 100% and pain-free, but with all the hours of therapy and work he did to return to the ice, it took more like six months.
“He was probably one of the hardest workers on our team, our captain,” Buchan said. “He led our group. Guys followed him. … He saw a lot of adversity (with the injury). There was a chance − it wasn’t a good chance − that he might not play again. I think that just fuels him. Any time you lose something, and anybody loses something, when you get it back you realize how lucky you are and how important that is.
“He came in as a senior and worked that much harder and wanted it that much more.”
Lyons answered any lingering concerns about his knee with a decorated senior season in which he was a unanimous first-team all-conference selection in the FRCC.
He had seven points against Sheboygan the first game and followed with another four against Fond du Lac.
Lyons scored 15 goals and had 35 assists, registering at least one point in 19 of 23 games during the regular season.
He started on varsity since he was a freshman, finishing his career with 57 goals and 76 assists.
The tender Lyons signed with North Iowa is the type of contract that gives the team exclusive rights, which means a player no longer is eligible for the NAHL draft.
The Bulls clearly wanted Lyons, and Lyons clearly wanted to play for them after speaking to several teams.
“I really liked the place, the coaches really liked me,” he said. “They invited me back for another weekend and I went down there, practiced a few times, had a good few skates. They offered to sign me.
“I wanted to sign so I had a place to play. I wanted to more pick and choose instead of just being drafted. Basically, I did get drafted, but I signed to that original team, so that tender counts as a draft pick for them. But it’s just a committed draft pick before the actual draft happens.”
Eliott Mikesch no longer an underdog
It’s no surprise Mikesch grew up to be a hockey player.
His father, Pat, was the longtime coach of the Green Bay Gamblers before stepping down last year. He led the team to winning records in five of his eight campaigns and to the playoffs three times.
He was credited with helping coach and assist in the development of almost 30 former Gamblers players drafted by the NHL.
Pat played at Michigan Tech from 1992 to 1996 and went on to play eight seasons of pro hockey.
“He is the biggest helper, for sure,” Eliott said. “He gets asked a million questions every night by me.”
Eliott always hoped to play at the next level after high school, and it became even more realistic this season.
Both Eliott and Buchan described him as a late bloomer. He’s always displayed a strong hockey IQ and had the skills, but he really had no choice other than to be patient while waiting for his body to catch up to him.
“I kind of always grew up being that little, small kid,” Eliott said. “I was just kind of used to it. It also helped me use it as motivation.
“I finally started growing and getting bigger and stronger.”
It resulted in a breakout senior year in 2022-23.
Eliott scored 21 goals and had 20 assists in the regular season and added four goals and two assists in three playoff games.
When Bay Port traveled to Michigan in January to play Houghton, one of the coaches on Houghton also is a scout for Grande Prairie.
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The two spoke after the game, and the coach sent Eliott’s info to the team. Eliott had a Zoom call with their coach a couple weeks later and signed with the team after the season.
He’s prepared to prove himself all over again.
“We always knew right from Day 1 he had a very good hockey mind,” Buchan said. “We knew at a certain point he was going to become a bigger, faster, stronger player. Everybody develops differently and at different times.
“He really came into his own. He put in the work. He put in the time. He was always at the rink working out, shooting pucks, doing whatever he could to get better. Once he hit his growth, he just kind of elevated and took his game to another level.”