Reed Stark has an interesting story to tell when it comes to how he ended up at UW-Superior.
It was late summer, 2021, and he reached out to one of his former coaches about trying to find a place to play at the collegiate level. Fortunately, his former coach happened to be good friends with Yellowjackets coach Rich McKenna.
“He called him up and said, ‘hey, I got this kid that wants to play out west,’” Stark said. “Rich gave me a call, we talked for maybe an hour and then I applied the next day and drove out there. I never toured the school or anything.”
Call it a prayer answered.
“It was a Hail Mary to call my old coach,” Stark said. “The WIAC is a good league and it turned out to be a good fit.”
And he’s never looked back as he has made the most of his opportunities with the Yellowjackets, who are 13-3-1, winners of nine in a row and atop the WIAC standings.
“Everything is clicking at the right time and everyone is playing big,” Stark said. “It’s a fun time to be a Yellowjacket.”
Stark is in his fourth season with Superior and is on track for the best season of his career here.
It’s a welcome sight for Stark, who has battled through some adversity the last two years after finishing second on the team in goals (10) as a freshman.
“It’s been going pretty good,” Stark said. “I’m trying to ride this wave as long as possible, especially after the last two years. “Sophomore year I had covid and moo and missed a good chunk of the year. Last year I pulled a groin week one and played through that. “It’s nice to be healthy and playing well.”
Stark has scored a team-leading nine goals to go along with five assists. He credits his linemates for putting him in a position to succeed.
Justin (Dauphinais) and Daniel Rozsival) are playing great. They are a lot of fun to play with and it makes it easy for me to get opportunities in a game,” Stark said.
Stark is from New York and has always been a hockey player.“My older brother got me into it,” Stark said. “I played a little lacrosse in high school but hockey took over.”
He still returns home in the summer to get work in with a former junior hockey teammate who plays hockey for Providence.
“Logan Will has been my best friend since we were 15 and he stays in New York with me in the summer. We train hard during that time,” Stark said. “It’s really paid off.”
Stark and the Yellowjackets haven’t lost a game since Nov. 30 and the highlight of the run so far has been a championship win in the Codfish Bowl Tournament, the oldest tourney in D-III hockey. Superior was the first team from the west to ever win it.
With the final month of the regular season on the horizon, Stark is looking forward to seeing the Yellowjackets keep things going.
“We just want to keep the Mojo going,” Stark said. “We know the WIAC is tough, but if we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll be okay. Everyone believes that. It’s a cool feeling.”
