Voyageurs Counting On Their Depth:

This is in the Victoria Times Colonist Newspaper:

Voyageurs counting on their depth

By Ron RauchApril 29, 2009

The Kingston Voyageurs will be one of the most
battle-tested teams at the RBC Cup.
Since Feb. 12, the Voyageurs have played 29 playoff games (22-7 record) just to reach the five-team national junior A hockey championship which begins Saturday at Bear Mountain Arena.
“We have a lot of playoff polish,’’ said Kingston coach Evan Robinson. “We had to go five rounds to make our way to the Dudley Hewitt Cup. It was not an easy road and probably our toughest series was against Peterborough. We won that series by taking Game 6 in their building.’’
In operation since 1974, the Voyageurs beat the Fort William North Stars 4-1 in the sudden-death final of the Dudley Hewitt Cup to book their tickets for Victoria and their first RBC Cup.
“Three years ago, the team was bought by Gregg Rosen [from Kimco Steel] and he wanted to have a winner in three years,’’ said Robinson. “Our wish was granted and now we are the talk of the town.’’
The Voyageurs play their first game Sunday at the Bear (7 p.m.) against the host Victoria Grizzlies. The other teams in the championship are the Humboldt Broncos, Summerside Western Capitals and the Vernon Vipers.
“In a tournament format like this, there isn’t much room for error. You have to hit the ice skating. If you lose a game, you have to make immediate adjustments and get ready for the next one.’’
Robinson says the strength of his team is balance.
“We have lots of depth with four very good lines. Our back end [defence] is also strong and we have a goaltender [Shawn Sirman] who was very hot in
the playoffs.’’
Sirman played in every minute of the playoff games, posting a 2.41 goals-against average. “Shawn has been rock solid in the playoffs and he was playing so well that I couldn’t take him out.’’
During the regular season, Kingston showed its scoring balance as Dustin Walsh led the way with 63 points, followed by Brock Higgs and Ben Power with 58. Mike Farrell, Jeff Blackburn and Adam McAllister all chipped in with more than 50 points.
In their playoff run to the Cup, Higgs was the top scorer, followed by Farrell and Walsh.
“Higgs is a very explosive player for us. But our team is not about one player or one line. We our built around a solid work ethic in both ends of the rink.
“Most of our team has not been too Victoria so it will be like a bit of a holiday but our primary focus will be to win hockey games. We know that all the teams in Victoria will be exceptionally good and we can’t get overwhelmed. We have to respect our opponents and believe that we belong.’’
Kingston has five players committed to NCAA Division 1 schools next year, including Sirman. One of their top prospects is 15-year-old defenceman Scott Harrington, who is ranked in the top five of the upcoming Ontario Hockey League draft. Harrington’s agent is legendary NHL defenceman Bobby Orr.