MHS senior Dylan Heller was the only member of the Bluejay hockey team to pick up All-Conference consideration when he earned Honorable Mention in the loaded Valley for the past season.
Three teams were ranked in the top 10 in the state throughout the season, and Wausau West worked a runner-up finish in the recent state tournament. Wis. Rapids and SPASH were mainstays in the Top 10, as was area team Antigo.
Heller finished with nine goals and three assists in conference play for 13 points, which tied him for 15th in the WVC. He also tied for second with one short-handed goal.
“Dylan really turned into a leader for our hockey team this year,” MHS coach Chase Nelson said. “He has always had solid hockey skills and the ‘scorer’s touch,’ but he really learned the game this season and it made him a better player and also helped others on the team become better.
“On January 16th, against Medford, Dylan recorded a five-assist night (a Merrill record for most assists in one game), and also his third assist of the night broke the all-time scoring record of 82 career points, which was held by Paul Leder since 2003.
“Dylan ended this season with 33 points, and 93 points for his career. Dylan is looking to go on to play Junior Hockey next season in hopes of getting to play at the college level.”
Austin Burgener tied for 26th in scoring 7 goals and 3 assists and had a short-handed goal.
The Jays finished with a 2-10 record in the Valley, good for sixth place, a half-game ahead of Marshfield. The Jays were 8-16 overall.