Minnesota Duluth senior wing Kyle Osterberg already has posted a couple of big goals for the fourth-ranked Bulldogs this season, heading into a weekend nonconference men’s hockey series against fifth-ranked Notre Dame at Amsoil Arena.
He’s also been on the wrong side of two scary hits.
The first came the second night of the season against Michigan Tech when Osterberg was kneed and the culprit was tossed from the game. The second scare came the second night at Massachusetts-Lowell when Osterberg went hard into the boards on a legal play. He described it as being “hit by a bus.”
Both times Osterberg left the ice and went to the locker room. Both times he returned to finish the game thanks to the aid of Dr. Susan Hoppe. But the Bulldogs athletic trainer had a little help getting Osterberg back on the ice both times from Dennis Osterberg - Kyle’s father.
“You want to finish the game and you want to be there for your team,” Kyle Osterberg said. “A lot of scary things happen in hockey and it always seems to happen to me, but my dad made me a tough cookie.”
Most 5-foot-8, 175-pound wings would fall into the the finesse category, but that’s not exactly how anyone would describe Kyle Osterberg. He’s the smallest player on the 2016-17 roster, and also one of the toughest.
And, as Osterberg said, his dad gets most the credit for that. Dennis Osterberg coached Kyle through peewees and bantams in Lakeville, Minn. Kyle said his father always made sure he put in 110 percent when it came to effort, and even when his son played well Dennis Osterberg was there to tell Kyle where he could improve.
Kyle Osterberg went on to play one year of high school hockey at Lakeville South, followed by two season with the U.S. National Team Development Program and a season of juniors with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. By then his father was offering more support than constructive criticism, and that continues today.
Despite the change in roles, Dennis Osterberg is still a strong influence on his son.
“I owe a lot to him for making me tough,” Kyle said. “Best advice my dad said was, ‘Always beat the player you’re lined up against, no matter what size he is and no matter who the player is. When you go into a battle, make sure you come out with the puck.’ ”
Osterberg finished as the Bulldogs’ third-leading scorer his freshman year, tallying 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points playing alongside scorers like Tony Cameranesi and Justin Crandall. His role changed as a sophomore and junior, however, and Osterberg tallied just 28 points over the next two seasons combined, scoring just four goals and six assists last season.
Osterberg was asked to play a more defensive, grinding role the past two years. He was a key part of the team’s penalty-killing unit, which a year ago ranked second in the NCHC and fifth nationally at 86.6 percent.
Osterberg was a big part of that success on the penalty kill, constantly chasing opponents back into their own zone on the forecheck. He even created a few offensive chances while pestering power plays, notching one of UMD’s four short-handed goals a year ago.
“He wasn’t playing the power play, we was a big time penalty killer for us (last year),” Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said. “But this year he’s had an opportunity and buried his chances. It’s a good start for him. We need all those guys. He certainly capable of putting the puck in the net a few more times. His start has been good.”
Osterberg isn’t killing penalties as much this season as he was a year ago. He’s on the power play and also playing alongside scorers like junior wing Karson Kuhlman of Esko, senior center Dominic Toninato of Duluth and sophomore wing/center Adam Johnson of Hibbing.
The result is four games into 2016-17, Osterberg is on pace for a career year with three goals and four points in four games. His most recent goal was the game-tying one to cap a three-goal rally and 4-4 tie in Lowell. He also had an assist that night on Kuhlman’s goal that sparked the comeback late in the second period.
“He plays a gritty game for how small he is,” Kuhlman said. “I think he’s getting rewarded for how he’s playing. One of his goals was a breakaway right on the stick; another one a rebound laying right there. That’s just accumulating all of his hard work. The puck is going in for him and that’s great to see.”
Osterberg’s role with the Bulldogs may have changed this season, but no one - coaches, teammates or Osterberg - want to see his style change one bit on the ice.
They still want Osterberg to play with energy, go 100 miles per hour and not be afraid to use his smaller frame to lay out a much larger defenseman. They want him to be the gnat that’s constantly hovering around the opposing net. They want him to forecheck from one end of the ice to the other.
Could it lead to a few more scary plays for Osterberg? Yes, but that’s when he’s the most effective, teammates and coaches say.
“That’s just him as a person and as a player,” said UMD junior center and Hermantown native Jared Thomas, a linemate of Osterberg’s the previous two seasons. “That’s what makes him successful. That’s why he’s here. That’s why he’s been successful wherever he’s played. That’s his style. Everyone has their own style of game and can bring different things. His is getting after guys and playing physical, getting dirty, creating havoc.”
No. 5 NOTRE DAME (2-0) AT No. 4 UMD (2-0-2)
What: Nonconference series
When: 7:07 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Where: Amsoil Arena
TV: FSN tonight/My9 Saturday
Radio: WWAX-FM 92.1
Twitter:
@mattwellens
