December 8, 1994
A two-way player
Germantown Academy senior Rich Podulka scored 10 goals and assisted on five others in the first eight games for the Patriots’ hockey team, but he contributes much more than offense.
Rich is such a hard worker, and
he plays at both ends of the ice,” said Patriots coach John Ioia, whose team started the season 6-2. “He’s not just an offensive player; he gets back on defense, too.
“He’s always busy, he’s [in] constant motion when he’s out on the ice. He doesn’t look just to score goals.”
“A center on a line that includes Ryan Kilstein and Rob Shaner, Podulka has experience playing defense with a club team.
I think I understand the defensive part of the game,” Podulka said. “I’m usually the last person to leave the zone.”
Podulka had 73 points last season for the Patriots.
“My line has been together since we were sophomores, and I think that is a big factor in my scoring,” Podulka said. “We work really well together, and we all know where each other is.”
“Last year we were pretty much the sole source of goals on the team. This year, we run a lot deeper as a team, and we’re depended on less to score. I would like to break that mark from last year or at least tie it.” Podulka also prides himself on traditional center duties.
“I like winning faceoffs,” he said. “I win a lot of key faceoffs in defensive zones.”
The original
