Ikkala Going Dutch:

This is posted in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Ikkala going Dutch

By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star

Published: April 22, 2010

From a healthy scratch as a rookie, to earning quality minutes as power forward with one of the best junior A hockey clubs in Canada, Cole Ikkala has made the most of his opportunity with the Vernon Vipers.

After spending half of the 2008-09 season watching from the press box, Ikkala, who turns 20 in July, worked his way into the lineup at the January trade deadline, and went on to play a part in the Vipers’ run to a Royal Bank Cup championship last May.

After collecting 17 points in 34 games as a rookie, Ikkala cranked up his offensive production this year, posting 22-23-45 and 30 penalty minutes in 58 games.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Philadelphia product (via Colorado) was rewarded Tuesday with an NCAA Division 1 scholarship with the Union College Dutchmen, located in Schenectady, N.Y. (three hours north of New York).

“They showed the most interest in me out of all the schools, so I felt the most comfortable committing with them,” said Ikkala. “All three coaches (head coach Nate Leaman and assistants Rick Bennett and Ben Barr) came to watch me play, and all three talked to me, so it made it easy deciding.”

Ikkala’s older brother, Cody, just finished his freshman season with the NCAA Army Black Knights. Neither sibling is overly flashy, but they are effective. Cody, also a Viper grad, is the epitome of a stay-at-home d-man, while Cole is a straight-line forward who crashes the corners with abandon and isn’t afraid to linger in the ugly areas to make things happen.

Head coach/GM Mark Ferner says Ikkala’s role with the Vipers is a vital one.

“You win with people like that. They don’t necessarily show up on the scoresheet every night, but he’s more valuable than people think,” said Ferner.

“He’s everything that a coach wants in a player. He’s a safe player, he can play in every role, he can play with anybody and he makes them better.

“He’s not the flashiest player, but he wears teams down.”

As responsible academically as he is on the ice, Ikkala was looking for a solid education to go along with a hockey program.

“Throughout the process, I wanted to go with a good academic school. I wanted to play in the ECAC, and they’re (Union) almost an Ivy League school.”

Even though the Ikky brothers won’t be playing in the same conference, Army and Union are just two hours apart, so they meet every year for an exhibition game.

“This will be the first time in my career, so it should be unreal,” grinned Cole. “Whenever we went up against each other (in practice), the first thing he always says is ‘Keep your head up.’”

In playing with the Dutchmen, Ikkala will have a chance to get reacquainted with some adversaries from this year’s Fred Page Cup championship. The Powell River Kings’ Mat Bodie and Daniel Carr are also committed to Union. Bodie’s older brother, Kyle, just finished his freshman year with the Dutchmen, who finished third in the ECAC at 12-6-4.

“They’re both good players, and they’ve also got Matt Hatch (Alberni Valley Bulldogs) going there. It’s good to be going in with such a strong freshman class, and that played a part in my decision. Hopefully we can have a strong team like they did last year.”

Wherever he’s played, Ikkala has made a habit of winning. In addition to the RBC title, he has won a national Pee Wee title with the Littleton Hawks when his family still lived in Colorado. He also earned bronze with the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers at Under 18 U.S. nationals before joining the Vipers.

Ikkala admits it was a tough decision to leave Vernon with one more year of BCHL eligibility left, but he feels he is ready for the college game.

“They (Ferner and assistant coach Jason Williamson) would have probably liked me back, but they supported my decision to leave this year instead of next year,” said Ikkala. “I can’t thank the coaches and owner, Duncan Wray, enough for helping me progress so much.”

Ikkala also credits playing with last year’s veterans for opening his eyes.

“Last year on such a good team, you just had to get a feel for the league and what it takes to win. Playing with guys like (Ryan) Santana and seeing how hard they work really helped.”

The Snakes now have 10 NCAA committed players on their roster, tied with the Langley Chiefs, and second only to the Penticton Vees, who have 16.