Junior B Titans player helping Cougar ice hockey squad
By: Justin Feil
When Yuri Tarnavskyj heard that one of his Montgomery High ice hockey players might be hosting a top junior level player for this school year, the Cougar head coach didn’t want to get overly excited.
"In the summer, Doug Desario mentioned it. I was happy," Tarnavskyj said. "But I was thinking, ‘Let’s see what happens.’ In the past, I know where guys who play on competitive teams have the potential to create conflicts."
Thankfully, Andrew Wert wasn’t worth any of that worry. About the only regret that Tarnavskyj and the Cougars have is that Wert can’t make more of their games due to conflicts with his Junior B Titans team.
"He can play in critical situations," Tarnavskyj said. "He can get us some scoring when we need it. He can create some confusion for the other team when he controls the puck. We’d love to have him more.
"It’s a mixed blessing. Without programs like the club teams, you wouldn’t have the talent. But I think there’s not enough sensitivity to kids playing high school hockey at the same time. During the season, they don’t scale it back. It’s a tough marriage. And who’s caught in the middle? The kid."
Wert, however, has made the most of what could be a difficult situation. He is living with the Desario family in Montgomery, 150 miles away from his parents, who reside in Enola, Pa. He’s finishing his senior year more than two hours away from the friends he grew up with and his old teammates from the East Pennsboro High team that went 11-3-2 and won the Central Penn Inter-Scholastic Hockey League when he was a sophomore. Last season, he did not play high school hockey while concentrating on playing for the Central Penn Panthers, a Junior B level team.
"I’d been looking at leaving for a while," Wert said. "I was looking at prep schools, but that would have been tough. I decided to leave my (Junior B) team. This is my third year of Junior B, and I needed a place to live near the team.
"It’s very common. We also have a kid from Nebraska and from Dover, Pa., on the Titans team."
Junior B hockey is open to players ages 15 to 20, but few players start playing before they are 17. Wert started at that level as a 15-year-old.
"It’s pretty much the highest level of amateur hockey," said Wert, who is hoping that a Junior A team in Chicago or Massachusetts will be his next stop. "The next level is Junior A and that’s right under college. I went to tryouts for teams in Pittsburgh and Chicago and I did well."
He’s continued to do well for his newest Junior B team, and he’s fitting in at Montgomery.
Doug Desario is a sophomore for the MHS ice hockey team. His younger sister, Nicki, also plays hockey. They’ve welcomed Wert and tried to make him more comfortable in his new surroundings.
"My parents come every weekend," Wert said. "They haven’t missed a game on the weekend. It was a big adjustment though. I miss my friends. The first two weeks that I was here were the toughest because I wasn’t in school. I didn’t really have anything to do."
That isn’t a problem anymore. Wert made friends quickly at MHS and has done his best to make as many MHS games as possible while he’s in the midst of a 75-game Titans schedule.
"We started Sept. 16 and we play every weekend," said Wert, who is 18. "We had 15 preseason games and we play 75 games.
"In the beginning of the season, I did miss (MHS) practice," added Wert, who also suffered an ankle injury early in the season. "Generally on Tuesdays and Wednesday, I usually get two practices a night. It’s tough. The past week and a half, I’ve been on the ice every day."
The extra work is partly in preparation for this weekend’s Northwood Prep Tournament in Lake Placid, N.Y. The tournament features many Junior A teams as well as a college team and several Canadian entries. For Wert, who would like to play at the Junior A level next year, it’s a golden chance.
"For scouts, it’s a really big game," he said. "Our first game is against an A team. It’s really a big tournament."
Wert wasn’t on the ice when Montgomery fell to 8-6-1 with a 6-3 loss to South Brunswick on Tuesday. And in leaving for Lake Placid, he also missed Thursday’s scheduled game against Princeton High.
"I think we’re doing pretty well," he said. "There are two or three games that kind of slipped away from us. But we’re doing pretty well. I think we should do pretty well in the playoffs if we can work together."
And certainly having Wert back on the ice will help. When Wert has played, he’s contributed to quite a turnaround for the Cougars, who won just twice last season.
At 5-foot-8, and just a shade under 170 pounds, he brings energy to a line that also includes Greg Kusterbeck and Ben Salasko. Wert is a playmaker, better at setting others up than scoring, and an aggressive forward who retreats well to defend. He has six goals and six assists for the Cougars.
"The hardest thing is I sort of try too hard for high school," said Wert, who plays center for MHS and left wing for the Titans and is looking to play in college in two years. "The games are shorter and the level is a lot slower. That’s nothing against high school hockey. It’s just different than what I play outside.
"I’m doing pretty well. I’m not a goal scorer. I’m more of a two-way player. I’m on the penalty kill and power play."
It didn’t take long for the Cougars to embrace Wert after he started skating regularly with them.
"He’s great to have," said Tarnavskyj, whose team is off until playing at Monsignor Donovan 6:30 p.m. Thursday. "He’ll do anything for you. And he’s experienced.
"He’s a great defensive player. He’s very physical. He’s fast and he can control the puck. It’s what you look for. He’s blended in well. The guys all like him."
It’s helped to assuage any fears that Tarnavskyj or the MHS ice hockey team had about taking on a high-level newcomer with a busy hockey schedule. It’s not the easiest of unions, but Andrew Wert has made it a positive experience for both sides.
"If a situation like that arises again," Tarnavskyj said, "we’ll take him."

