Lakeville South hockey: Out of the nest

Meet Lakeville South's Penguin Line, starring sophomore center Justin Kloos. Named after the goofy ice birds in the popular animated movie "Madagascar," the Penguins are small and inseparable high school hockey rookies who have managed to light up the scoreboard in a big way this season.

"I talk a lot," Kloos said. "I guess I'm the one in the middle who kind of directs things and tells everyone what to do."

Kloos, whose 44 points entering the week (22 goals, 22 assists) are challenging for the Lake Conference lead, centers freshman Kyle Osterberg and sophomore Alex Harvey, and rank among the top three in team scoring.

Headlining the crew at 5-8 and 150 pounds, Kloos is already crushing school records in his first varsity season. He broke out in late December against then-ranked Cretin-Derham Hall. During the second period, Kloos exploded for a natural hat trick -- three consecutive goals, and in a 58-second span -- and finished with five tallies in a 7-2 victory. Last Tuesday against Rochester Century, he notched his fourth hat trick in 15 games.

"It's easy to score when you're playing with linemates like these," Kloos said. "It depends on the night, but really any of us can score because we work so well together. It just happened to be me on those nights."

Kloos, Osterberg and Harvey have played on the same line on and off over the past four years, and head coach Kurt Weber said that's one reason they are a step ahead of opposing teams. There are typically two assists on the scoring sheet, often with six or seven passes leading up to it.

"They do everything together," Weber said. "It's three guys playing as one. If you try to track Justin down, he'll find a way to set up the others. That's how dangerous they are."

Kloos' hockey IQ and work ethic have fueled the early success, but his speed and strength are still coming. That's bad news for the Lake Conference, where teams will have to find a way to defend the Penguins for years to come.

"I didn't expect them to make the adjustment so quickly and start scoring at this rate," Weber said of the line. "I knew they'd be good at some point, but I didn't expect this."

Justin's brother, senior forward and captain John Kloos, has helped him make the transition from Bantams to varsity hockey. Because of the age difference, they haven't had much of a chance to play on the same teams growing up in the youth hockey system. It's an experience Justin had always anticipated.

"I've always wanted to be out there with him," Justin Kloos said. "I look up to him, and he's always believed in me. He always encourages me and makes sure I don't get too down on myself if I have a bad game."

The Penguins have drawn a lot of interest with their recent scoring surges, prompting scouts to visit from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State Mankato and Bemidji State, just to name a few.

"Not too many people would think a 5-8, 150-pound forward would be making such an impact in the Lake Conference," Weber said. "And his maturity level is about to come. It'll be fun to watch."