RBC CUP 2014 The Excitement Returns!
A publication of the Vernon RBC Cup Host Committee
January 20th 2014 Volume 3, Issue 1
This Is Your RBC Cup Team
It's a veteran team, with six 20-year-olds, eight 19-year-olds, and five 18-year-olds. Twelve of the players have secured NCAA scholarships, with more on the way. Four of the players (Mulcahy, Hannoun, Renz, and Sparrow) have played in an RBC Cup and two others (McNicholas and Bryan) participated in last year's Western Canada Cup.
The team has size, speed, scoring talent, and solid goaltending. What's not to like?
And yet the Vipers have been inconsistent at times, within games and from game to game. The good news here is that the players and coaches are well aware of this tendency and are working hard to become a more consistent group that reflects their talent and experience.
The following series of short biographies brings out the players' views of their respective roles in coming together to form an exciting, winning team. Along the way, we'll learn a little more about their personalities.
# 16 – Building A Comfort Level
Matty Saharchuk starred for the North Okanagan Knights last year, registering 32 goals in 50 games. He hasn't been as productive in Jr. A so far, but he's
getting closer. The rangy 6'2" forward from Fort St. James is adjusting to "the faster pace and the less scrambly, more structured play at this level. Last year," he says, "I had a lot more room to move and the goalies weren't as good, either." In conversations with his coaches, Matty has learned that his current role is to be "a hard-checking power forward, hard on the forecheck." However, he is encouraged to create offensive chances when the time is right. He says, "I'm getting more comfortable all the time and I'm trying some of my moves without worrying about turning the puck over and causing a break the other way." In preparing for the time when he can again be an offensive force, Matty is "working every day on [his] shot and skating." like the kickoff team
# 17 – Speed To The Rescue
Logan Mick expected more offensive production this year – he's contributed two goals and four assists in his first 40 games. However, he's remained positive – "You have to battle though these things and find other ways to contribute." For example, he says that "speed can help the team in lots of ways, so that's one way I can contribute." He wants to be a spark plug: "Willy has TJ and me on that line and he wants us to use our speed to get in hard on the forecheck and cause turnovers." Logan, who turned 17 at the end of July, knows that time is on his side: "My scholarship to Quinnipiac is not until 2015, so I have time to develop all aspects of my game. If I work hard and continue to improve in the D-zone, I'll get minutes and with more minutes will come more offensive chances. In the meantime, I want to help the team in other ways." Speed will help!
# 18 – Flash and Dash
In his third year of Jr. A hockey, Demico Hannoun is turning heads with his flamboyant play. He's also impressed NHL scouts who've ranked him among Central Scouting's top skaters. He was "excited" by that inclusion but he says that "I try not to think about it. Everyone will be watching now, so I have to work hard to justify being on that list." When asked to describe his playing style and role, he replies "I bring offence. I like to do something exciting to get the boys going. Maybe it's a good pass, maybe it's a big hit." He says, though, that he has the most fun "deking out a D-man one on one." Does he sometimes overdo the stickhandling? "Yes," he admits, "I can get carried away. There are times when I should make one move and then shoot or pass." His shooting was on the money at the 2013 Summerside RBC Cup as he notched three goals, two of them on one-time rockets during power plays. However, like most of the other Eagles he was stymied in a semi-final game by Summerside's Kevin Bailie who stopped 50 of 52 Surrey shots to set up Summerside's OT win. He learned from that experience that "you have to bury your chances and you have to be mentally ready to avoid errors in the fast-paced RBC games."
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