Hamrick looking to Furbee as leader in 2015

With that, the expectations begin to rise — both for Furbee and for a Bridgeport side that lost in penalty kicks in regionals with an opportunity at the state tournament on the line last season.

“We’re expecting a lot from this team, but especially him and our other upperclassmen because they’re going to be our leaders,” said Bridgeport coach Danny Hamrick. “I really think Tanner could potentially have a really nice season for us.”

One of the things Hamrick, who returns to coach Bridgeport this season after taking last year off, likes so much about Furbee is his motor and the way he plays as hard as he does at all times. For a team that needed a solid veteran leader to look up, having a presence like Furbee in the attack will always be encouraging moving forward.

“That’s his biggest strength,” Hamrick said. “He just keeps going non-stop. It doesn’t matter what the score is or how he’s been playing, he’s going to be going 110 percent the whole time.”

It’s an invaluable asset for the team as it looks to build off the success from last season and keep moving in the right direction now that the Indians are back under Hamrick’s watch. He said he has seen the way that the younger players look up to Furbee’s energy and how you could see it rub off on them during tough times last season and during workouts this summer.

“It’s just something you can’t replace. Everyone feeds off that energy, especially when the younger guys are looking up to older players like Tanner,” Hamrick said. “It’s something we’ve sat down and talked about actually. We need him to keep that motor going because we have enough talent to have a chance in every game, and that could make all the difference in a close game when people might start to doubt in other situations.

“If he’s still moving forward and pushing to get us some chances, we’ll have a shot in any game we play.”

While he had a good season a year ago, Hamrick said Furbee is determined to get better in any way he can. One of those big areas he’s hoping to get better at is with his touch around the net once he’s in the box and has a chance to score. If he can convert more consistently, Hamrick believes Furbee could be primed for an impressive senior campaign.

“He could have easily doubled his goal last year if he was just a little bit more efficient in the box,” Hamrick said. “If he can make some more of those and keep getting better like he has been, he has a chance to really be great for us.”