by Erik Nelson
Sports Reporter
For the last two years, Rogers’ great regular seasons have ended on a sour note in the Section 5-2A tournament.
In both 2022 and 2023, the Royals lost to Maple Grove in the Section 5-2A championship game. The Crimson outscored the Royals 11-5 combined in those games.
After the games in both years, players cried and broke sticks in frustration. Head coach Dave Brown screamed expletives of disappointment.
This year, Rogers, ranked ninth in Class 2A, hopes to be on the other side of the score in the section championship game. The 2023-24 season is especially significant for the Royals, as the program is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Rogers has come a long way since the program played its first game back in 2003. Five seasons ago, Brown, a former assistant coach with the Wayzata boys team that won the 2016 Class 2A title, became the head coach. He has since compiled a record of 80 wins, 39 losses and eight ties for a winning percentage of .630. Yet, he and his team have failed to reach the state tournament, the ultimate goal.
Brown said the 2023-24 Royals are more experienced and deep than last year’s team and will come prepared for the Section 5-2A championship game if they have the opportunity to play in it for the third year in a row.
“This year’s group has a good understanding that they want to play their best game that night and everything leading up to it is to build for the playoffs,” Brown said. “It’s not just the section championship. It’s the section quarter. It’s the semi. This year’s team has a demeanor to them that they stick together throughout the ups and the downs. Our skating ability wears teams down over the course of 51 minutes. Outside of premier programs, I think this group can skate with just about anybody, top to bottom.”
Rogers continues to have success despite losing three key players on last year’s team to graduation. Forward Sam Ranallo led the Royals in goals with 24 and points with 60 in 2022-23. Ranallo currently plays for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League and has committed to play for the University of St. Thomas next season. He was nominated for the Minnesota Mr. Hockey award last season, as was defenseman Chase Cheslock. Cheslock, who has the playmaking ability of Cale Makar and the size and grit of Victor Hedman, led all Rogers defensemen in points last season with 31. He scored only four goals, but made up for it with 27 assists, which was tied for second on the team. Cheslock was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft last summer, and like Ranallo, will play for the Tommies next season.
This season, Rogers has nine players on its roster with at least 20 points, including two defensemen. Seven are averaging more than a point per game. Leading the offensive attack for the Royals is junior forward Parker Deschene, who is tied for first on the team in points with 40 along with junior defenseman Nolan Geerdes. Junior forward Keaton Weis leads the Royals in goals with 19, and senior forward and co-captain Brandon Swanson is second with 16. Six players have scored at least 10 goals for Rogers this year. Rogers is averaging 5.08 goals per game while maintaining a goals-against average of 2.28.
“When we play as a team and not think about the points, we usually generate the most offense,” Swanson said. “There’s a ton of guys on the team that have stepped up. All the seniors stepped up this year [in] big roles with leading the team.”
Cade Chapman was Rogers’ starting goalie last season, but he graduated from Rogers High School in June 2023. Chapman finished 2022-23 with a record of 16-7-3 with a goals-against average of 2.41, a save percentage of .897 and one shutout. Senior Aiden Dietrich is Rogers’ mainstay in net. In his first varsity hockey season, Dietrich has a record of 14-5-2 with a goals-against average of 2.21, a save percentage of .903 and two shutouts. Both his goals-against average and save percentage are better than Chapman’s last season.
“I’ve watched Cade for a couple years,” Dietrich said. “I’ve learned a lot by watching him. I’ve had a lot of fun this season. Our team is best defensively when we’re protecting in front of the net. We’ve done a good job of blocking shots. That’s been a big part of our defense.”
It’s a cliché, but losing big games can inspire teams to perform better and eventually win. Swanson said he hopes this is the case for Rogers after back-to-back losses against Maple Grove that ended the Royals’ seasons.
“It’s a big driving factor,” Swanson said. “They’re tough, but I think we have it in us this year. We’ll go the distance. I don’t think anybody has a doubt in their mind about it.”
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