The jump in White Bear Lake forward’s Nate Wilke’s skates is powered by several forces. 

There’s the fact that he’s a senior, with no next year as a Bear to look forward to.

There’s the fact that as a bubble player last season as a junior, Wilke dedicated himself over the summer to cementing a spot on the varsity. 

There’s also the Pepe sandwich at Jimmy John’s (no tomato or mayo) that Wilke devours before every game, which may be the real key to his success. 

Wilke’s inspired play late in the first period ignited the Bears, ranked No. 10 in the latest Class 2A state coaches’ poll, and the home team rolled to a 4-1 victory over No. 13 Cloquet-Esko-Carlton on Tuesday night at the Vadnais Sports Center. 

With the game dragging in the early minutes, the line of Wilke, fellow senior Connor McMurtry, and junior Blake Meister showcased a grit and tenacity that seemed to breathe life on the White Bear Lake bench.   

“We saw it this summer,” Bears’ head coach Tim Sager said of the line’s chemistry after the win. 

“They had a lot of good karma going on, they talk a lot, they really get after it,” Sager continued. 

“They complement one another.”

Meister scored the Bears’ third goal midway through the third period, giving his team much-needed insurance before Wilke iced the game with an empty-net goal with just over one minute to play in regulation. 

Defensively, the line was expected to wear down the Lumberjacks’ top unit. 

“We knew that we were going to have to put that line against their top line and make (Landon) Langenbrunner work,” Sager said. 

Wilke’s physical play and dogged defensive work against Langenbrunner stems from a need to play bigger than his diminutive stature. 

“I don’t have the size going for me, so you gotta take every advantage you can get,” Wilke said of his above-average drive. 

Sophomore forward Billy Rose opened the scoring for White Bear Lake (2-0) with his first varsity goal, before the Lumberjacks’ Langenbrunner knotted the game at 1-1 early in the second period. 

White Bear Lake’s Max Jennrich scored the eventual game-winner with 6:46 to play in the second frame. 

Joining Rose in the youth movement for the Bears was junior goaltender Evan Foss, who made 18 saves in his first taste of varsity action. 

“I was just treating it as like another game,” Foss said, adding that his prowess on shots through traffic is crafted during workouts with goaltender coach Derek Simon. 

“During practice I work really hard with my goalie coach, getting guys in front of me, working on bending my knees, watching the hands of the players who are shooting,” Foss explained. 

After riding goaltending mainstay Bob Parenteau for two seasons, Sager is in new territory with Foss and senior Stephen Uremovich. 

“We’re just figuring it out, it’s a long journey,” Sager said. 

“It should be interesting to see how it all works out.”