Bears’ Kerluke aiming to double up on goals> Left winger wants to be more difficult to defend

ORONO – University of Maine left winger Dan Kerluke more than doubled his goal output a year ago.

After finding the back of the net 10 times as a freshman, Kerluke scored 23 goals to rank him second on the Bears’ NCAA championship team.

He has even higher expectations this year.

“I compare it to my junior years in Canada. I doubled my output every year. I’m hoping to reach that number of goals but I don’t know if I can reach 80 points,” said Kerluke, who finished with 42 points in 41 games. “I set goals for myself and I’ll see what kind of points I can put on the board this season.”

Kerluke, on the advice of the coaching staff, did a lot of running and cardiovascular work over the summer and he said it has been beneficial.

“I’ve added 50 pounds to my [leg] squats and my legs feel really, really good,” said Kerluke. “I feel faster on the ice and a lot more agile than I was last season. That’s going to help me a lot.”

He said he isn’t going to put any undue pressure on himself to reach his goals.

“I’m going to work hard and see what happens,” said the 5-foot-11, 199-pound native of Brampton, Ontario.

He also said he intends to add a change-of-pace to his arsenal when he is carrying the puck instead of just skating full steam ahead. He wants to avoid being predictable and easy to defend.

Once he gets into shooting position, he is a goalie’s nightmare.

“He has a really quick release and he gets his body into it,” said Bear sophomore goalie Mike Morrison. “He makes that shot come off his stick like a laser. And it’s accurate to boot. That makes it even harder to stop.”

Morrison also said another plus is that it’s difficult to anticipate where Kerluke’s shot is going.

Maine senior center and captain Brendan Walsh said Kerluke is “violent around the net with that stick. He scares the puck into the net. That puck is screaming as soon as it comes off his stick.”

Walsh added that he and his mates could take a page out of Kerluke’s book by releasing shots more quickly and getting them on net.

“You’ve got to put the puck on net or you’ll miss a great opportunity for a rebound or what not,” said Kerluke. “If you get a chance to shoot the puck, you’ve got to take it. You’ve got to shoot and get guys going to the net or stuff won’t happen. It’s so tight defensively in this league [Hockey East]. You don’t see too many pretty goals scored. You’ve got to get garbage goals.”

Maine coach Shawn Walsh said Kerluke is a threat every time he’s on the ice and pointed out that his 20 even-strength goals ranked him among the top three in the nation last year.

He said he wants Kerluke to be “hungrier” around the net and that he has put him on a line with right-hand shots Ben Guite and Martin Kariya in the hopes they can get him the puck.

Kerluke will get some additional ice time this season because he will kill penalties for the first time in his career. He will also continue to get plenty of power play time.