For ice hockey coach Jerry Roberts, tryouts weekend is Christmas in September.

“Tryouts are like Christmas morning,” Roberts said. “Sometimes you know what you’re getting and sometimes you’re in for a surprise.”

Roberts’ surprise present came in the form of two good-looking players who showed up at the Northeast SkateZone complex Saturday unannounced and off of Temple’s radar. That would soon change.

Junior defenseman Dan Redante, formerly of the Tri-State Selects team in the Empire Junior Hockey League, is returning to competitive hockey after a three-year hiatus. Though Redante last saw game action in 2009, Roberts believes that the 24 year old will be an immediate force on the blue line.

“He’s not like the guy in ‘Rudy’ where he barely made the squad,” Roberts said. “This kid’s going to be really good for us and will no doubt be one of our top defensemen.”

Freshman goalie Jon Plester was another who impressed over the weekend, and will join junior Chris Mullen and sophomore Eric Semborski in the goalie mix. Though Plester may see limited ice time this year, there is no question that he could make an impact at some point down the road.

“[Plester] needs some fine-tuning, but he has by far the highest potential I’ve seen out of a rookie goalie in a long time,” Roberts said. “After a year working with [goalie coach Ted Wood], I think he can be really good.”

While Redante and Plester were unexpected arrivals, freshman forward Jayson Merbaich has been on Temple’s radar for some time, and promptly shined over the weekend.

“[Merbaich] is the real deal,” Roberts said. “He was by far our best forward in tryouts. I’m willing to bet a lot of money that he will be our leading scorer this year.”

“I talked to [assistant coach and Temple ice hockey all time leading scorer Ryan Frain] and he said that if [Merbaich] plays out his entire eligibility, he’ll shatter Frain’s records,” Roberts said. “He’s that good.”

Though the Owls are coming off of a season in which it missed regionals for the first time since the 2005-06 season, Roberts was impressed by the intensity and seriousness of his rejuvinated hockey club over the weekend.

“There were a lot of returners who were nervous about whether or not they were going to make the team, and it made for a really competitive tryout,” Roberts said. “No returners got cut, but they were all fighting for a spot and were really serious about it. It was a good way to start the year.”

-Andrew Parent