Evan Poulakidas, in his 26th year coaching local high school hockey, is in his 14th season as the Glenbrook North varsity head coach – and he started the season 18 wins shy of 600 for his GBN career, which has included a state championship and three SHL Championships.

            “I’m thankful for the opportunity to coach at GBN and thankful for all the wonderful players who have touched my life. The relationships, above all the success, is what has been the most rewarding,” said Poulakidas, who coached Lake Zurich High School and Saint Viator before landing on the Spartans’ bench.

            The Spartans will celebrate Poulakidas with a noteworthy W in October, most likely, and plenty more magical moments this season. GBN is rock solid in goal and boasts a strong defense. Offense, specifically, goal-scoring is the Spartan mystery.

            “Like with every season, you have a bunch of unknowns. We lost a lot of goals with graduation and are only returning three from last year,” Poulakidas said. “That said, the goal remains the same: win the Scholastic Cup and (skate at) the United Center in March.”

            Center Jackson Sturner is a key newcomer to the Spartans, who has the potential to be a major focus in the Scholastic Hockey League. Defenseman Vincent Serra, another newcomer, is a puck-moving defenseman who can add offense from the back end.

            Daniel Rubin and Josh Raub will be called upon to carry a lot of the Spartans’ offensive load. Charlie Walker a big strong defenseman was moved up to wing, “and we expect him to have a dramatic impact upfront,” Poulakidas said.

Key returning defensemen include Jake Semmelhack, Logan Lyons and Charlie Rosen. Serra adds depth. Brennan Contreras, Sully Lyons and Theo Gerothanas are also expected to contribute to this group.

All-State goalie Michael Reyderman is back for his senior season, with senior backup Adam Silver also solid. Stevenson head coach Dan Wood said Reyderman, “was one of the top goalies in the state last year.”

“The league is really deep, (so our) first goal is to make the playoffs and then it comes down to who is hot at the right time of year,” Poulakidas said. “I like this team and it can be special. I think the more comfortable our lines get with each other, the better we should be.

“The keys are: stay healthy, form a strong identity and then play inside that identity.”

The Spartans opened SHL play with a 1-0 road loss to Saint Ignatius.

GBN battles defending state champion New Trier Green on Friday, September 27 in Northbrook.

“The SHL is a monster, plain and simple. From top to bottom, every night is a test,” Poulakidas said. “There are no off-nights and when people (hear) scores, no one should be surprised at who beats who.

“In the past, we had forwards coming back that had a lot of experience and skill and had scored in SHL games. We are hoping that some changes we have made will generate the scoring necessary to win.”

Breakout Player: Keep an eye on forward Charles Walker, who had 3 goals and 3 assists to lead the Spartans in points during the 6-game Warriors Pre-Season Invitational, played in early September.