 Wellenstein has been solid gold for Lakers!It seems only fitting that Oconomowoc senior Rusty Wellenstein is finally enjoying some success in hockey. After struggling for victories playing his first three years for the Oconomowoc-Pewaukee-University Lake School-St. John's Northwestern Military Academy combined varsity team, Wellenstein and the Lakers have finally found a winning stride. No, the Lakers are not the dominant team in Lake Country; that honor is shared by Arrowhead and Kettle Moraine-Mukwonago. But the combined Oconomowoc team is having a solid season.
The Lakers finished the 2006-07 regular season last weekend by recording a pair of victories, moving their record to 12-8. While those numbers are not the least bit overwhelming, they mean the world to Wellenstein, who is in the process of finishing a successful individual four-year career with the varsity. You see, before this season, wins were few and far between for the Lakers.
Wellenstein, 17, has been a varsity hockey player for the last four years. As a freshman, Wellenstein and the Lakers managed just one victory and finished with a 1-20 record. One year later, the victories doubled, but that meant Oconomowoc closed the year with a 2-19 mark. Last season, Wellenstein could see improvement. The Lakers played improved hockey from start to finish, and completed the year with a 6-15 mark.
And that brings us to his senior year. The Lakers have played well, winning an unprecedented 12 games. "It feels great to be finally winning games with some regularity," Wellenstein said. "Everything is going good. The guys are playing together, and we're finally playing as a team. That wasn't the case several years ago. It feels like we have a real team this year. "Wellenstein, who plays as a wing for the Lakers, is just one of the many reasons for the success. His game has picked up a since he joined the team four years ago as a scrawny 5'10" 155-pounder. Now, three years later, he's a physical presence for Oconomowoc, standing 6'2" and weighing a solid 195. "I've worked a lot in the weight room the last three years and it's really helped," Wellenstein said. "I've been lifting since eighth grade, but I finally started to grow a couple of years ago. I'm in the best shape of my life right now and it's really helped. It's made me a lot better hockey player.
" Wellenstein is the lone Oconomowoc High School senior on this year's varsity team. That's also allowed him to help fill the role of one of the team's leaders. "We have a lot of younger kids on the team, so being a senior has given me the chance to be one of the team leaders this year," Wellenstein said. "I've been through this before, so, hopefully, my experience of playing high school hockey has helped the team this year."
While things are going well for the Lakers, it hasn't been an easy task playing four years of varsity hockey on a cooperative team. Lakers coach Scott Noles has to constantly juggle the practice schedules of players from four high schools. "I'm sure that's the toughest part of the job for Coach," Wellenstein said of trying to put players from four different schools on the same sheet of ice. "St. John's has a lot different schedule than the other three schools, and that's tough. I feel bad for him at times. That's a tough job he has of trying to get us all together for practices."
While Noles has a tough assignment, Wellenstein admits it hasn't always been easy playing with so many different players from year to year. "Since my freshman year, it hasn't been easy trying to blend in with other players from three different high schools," Wellenstein said. "You have to remember the kids from St. John's come from all over the country. That means each kid has a different style and a different idea of how the game is played. Coach Noles has to deal with the egos of a bunch of kids from four high schools. " Wellenstein admitted that's caused some arguments over the years. "There's been some pretty good arguments over the years between the players," the OHS senior added. "But this year has been good. We get along well both off and on the ice. That's one of the biggest reasons why we're winning, if you ask me."
Wellenstein, besides scoring a career-high 14 points this season and playing a strong overall game, tied a team record for most games played in his career (76), tying Alison Wright and Pat McCarthy, both of Pewaukee. Wellenstein will break that record Thursday at the Naga-Waukee Ice Arena when the Lakers meet the Kettle Moraine Lasers in the WIAA regional final game. Previously, the most varsity games played by an Oconomowoc High School student was 34 by Christina Russart.
Wellenstein is going to school at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire next year and hopes to join that team if he can. "The Eau Claire coach wants me to play one year in the juniors first, but I really don't want to do that," Wellenstein said. "If that doesn't work, I'll play club hockey up there. It's a great sport. It's been a lot of fun. I'm going to miss it a lot when the season ends." And that's just how the Lakers program feels about Wellenstein |
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