WAUPUN – This season, Brady Beekman led the Waupun boys hockey team to heights it hadn’t seen in years.
The Warriors advanced to the WIAA sectional finals, their first trip to sectionals since 2007, and won 20 games. Along the way, Beekman was named the Badgerland Conference Co-Player of the Year and was recently selected to the Wisconsin Hockey Coaches Association all-state first team.
Beekman edged out Fond du Lac’s Caylen Dyni and William Shober for the honor.
2015-16 Action Reporter Media All-Area Boys Hockey Team
Best of the Rest
Caylen Dyni, Senior, Fond du Lac
William Shober, Senior, Fond du Lac
Noah Wilson, Senior, Fond du Lac
Jordan Foster, Senior, Waupun
Honorable mention
Fond du Lac: Ryan Sabel, Junior; Henry Lange, Soph. St. Mary’s Springs: Mitchell Grebe, Junior; Kaine Mertens, Junior; Colin Ahern, Soph. Waupun: Nate Brown, Soph.; Caleb Sauer, Soph.
During the 2015-16 season, Beekman scored a Badgerland Conference-high 69 points en route to a spot on the league’s first team.
Meanwhile, it was his presence on the ice that played a large role in Waupun’s success as a unit.
Scoring an astounding 44 goals and contributing 25 assists, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Beekman was a force to be reckoned with offensively. The Warriors were a team that could score at the drop of a hat and Beekman was the biggest reason.
“I think the way we all played together was really good,” Beekman said. “We knew where each other was going to be and put the puck there.”
Beekman had eight hat tricks in 2015-16 and 16 games where he scored three or more points.
Although Beekman had individually successful years in the past, scoring 57 points as a junior, not many people could have predicted just what he’d accomplish this season and the historic year it would lead to for the Warriors.
“I was always kind of overlooked going into tryouts and stuff,” Beekman said. “They never really thought of me. This year it was nice to get some recognition.”