Tag Archives: Winter Hawks
A third way through
Well, we have just completed the first third of the season, which saw the boys compile a respectable 11-7 record. To this point in the season special team are holding their own and the guys continue to hone these skills at practice. We have also seen some elevated play from the majority of the players which led to a nice little winning streak. The team also experienced some changes as the month wound down with the departure of a couple players. Scott Mitchell was moved to St. Thomas at his request while in a separate move Robbie Bennett was traded to Elmira for Cambridge native Brennon Pearce. We wish both departing players the best of luck with their new organizations and welcome Brennon to our Winter Hawks family Go Winter Hawks! Mike Down Assistant Coach
From the Times: Complete wins for Hawks
Complete wins for Hawks Tyler Snyder did all the little things right. The just turned 18-year-old Cambridge Winter Hawks forward was at his best during Saturday’s 6-0 win over the Kitchener Dutchmen, blocking shots, potting a goal and killing penalties. He also added a bang-on impersonation of former Winter Hawks Kyle Helms, knocking 30 seconds off a penalty by working the puck along the boards against three Dutchmen. But what will people remember most from Snyder’s night? Probably his failed attempt at an open net near the end of the second period when the Winter Hawks could have added on to their 4-0 lead. With Cody Gratton in the penalty box for roughing, the Dutchmen pulled goalie Mario Duscio for a 6-on-4 advantage to try to put a dent in the Winter Hawks’ lead. Snyder managed to get loose and was in a foot race with a Kitchener defenceman for the open net. He put on the brakes to go around him and the puck bounced away. You could practically hear the groans from the Winter Hawks bench. So what happened? “I don’t know,” Snyder said, trying to cover his laughter with the towel hanging around his neck. “I just turned my head and I just lost the puck. It skipped up; I’ll get it next time.” Even head coach Peter Crosby couldn’t resist taking a shot at Snyder. “Snydes had an awesome game. We just have to work on the open net shots for him,” he said with a smile. And there were grins all around the Cambridge dressing room as the team dominated the Dutchmen for 60 minutes and helped Lucas Machalski earn his first Junior B shutout. The fact that they also held onto the 4-0 lead, despite some deficiencies in that area a couple of weeks ago, also put the team in a good mood. “We put up a good performance and closed them out,” Snyder said. “That was something we weren’t doing earlier in the year, but we stepped it up and got the win.” Snyder certainly stepped up his game against Kitchener and his tenacious style of play, along with linemate Lawrence Pagnan, kept the Dutchmen at 0-for-5 on the power play. He’s also a player who knows his role and accepts it. “I’m just a fourth line guy and I just go out there and play defensively, try not to get scored on and my line tries to chip in every once in a while. It’s what I do to have my spot,” he said When Snyder can add to the offence, that’s a bigger bonus. He did get a hometown bounce on his goal, as he put the Winter Hawks up 2-0 when his shot on a 2-on-1 rush with Lawrence Pagnan was stopped, but deflected in off a Kitchener player. Ryan Clarke also scored twice for the Winter Hawks, while Gratton, Brandon Zimmerman and Christian Barnard – on a pretty passing play with Cameron Pentsa – had singles. The Winter Hawks took momentum from that game and used it to beat previously undefeated Elmira 5-3 on Sunday. Courtesy of Bill Doucet at the Cambridge Times. See the original article here!
Character
What a weekend! 3 games in less than 3 days seemingly. The guys came away with 2 wins and very close to a third win vs. London as well. One word describes their effort this past weekend and that word is….CHARACTER! In order for any team to be successful it must be able to show and demonstrate character. That word – character - comes in different forms.
On Ice Victories Don’t Always Show Up in the Stats
Last week, I spoke of the pre-season set-up and organization, as well as the engagement into the yearlong development process of a hockey program. This week I would like to touch upon my thoughts on how I see the start to our process is going with the Winter Hawks.
From the Times: New excitement in Hawkeytown
New excitement in Hawkeytown Doucet’s Dugout There seems to be a new attitude around the Galt Arena Gardens this season. Though we are just one game into the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League campaign, this year’s Cambridge Winter Hawks team looks to have a new attitude. Since the Winter Hawks made it to the Cherrey Cup finals a year after their back-to-back Sutherland Cups, they have won a grand total of four playoff games. And because that didn’t come in the same season, they haven’t made it past the first round since that 2008 league final matchup against Elmira. The Winter Hawks are looking to change that this year. Now, no one is predicting a Sutherland Cup already. This isn’t Stratford, where the parade route is marked when training camp opens. But this year, there seems to be a bit more fire on the team. Facing a bruising Guelph squad on Saturday – obviously not the same team they beat 10-0 in exhibition play – the Winter Hawks came back after being down 3-1 in the second period to win 6-4. Last year, at times, that deficit might as well have been 10-1, as the Winter Hawks weren’t very adept at coming back. Even when Guelph tied the game 4-4 after Cambridge had taken the lead, it just seemed to give them more fire. That hasn’t been seen around here since those Sutherland Cup teams, where, no matter what the score, the team was never out of it. Could this team make some noise? Well, two years ago the Winter Hawks got off to a flying start before the Elmira incident, where players where told to stay on the players bench for the second intermission and wear their equipment for the bus ride home. There was mixed reaction among fans about head coach Ryan D’Arcy’s ploy, but it seemed to backfire as he not only lost the players, but was fined and suspended by the league. When D’Arcy relinquished the coaching duties later in the season, Paul Jennings wasn’t the answer. Last year, general manager Ken Jeysman did his best to get a competitive team together after almost everyone left during the offseason. But Pat Conklin never seemed to get the team going and some of the players were already thinking about the offseason when Jeysman took over the reigns just before Christmas. Unfortunately, last year’s Winter Hawks had a collective of individuals instead of a team. The players where that was evident aren’t in Cambridge jerseys this season. As stated before, only Game 1 of 51 has been dealt with. But a telling tale of a new attitude was an interview after Saturday’s game with new acquisition Michael Christou, who said that a lot of teams used the word family to describe their team. In Cambridge, the way he was accepted, the meaning behind family was evident. So time will tell with this Winter Hawks team if they will go through a wall for each other. Sure, there will be ups and downs and no one expects them to go 51-0, but they may just bring some excitement back to the old barn. Last year’s tagline, created by Jeysman, was, “There’s a new team in town”. This season, how about, “There’s a new attitude in town”. Courtesy of Bill Doucet, Doucet’s Dugout at the Cambridge Times. See the original editorial here.
From the Times: Hawks overcome jitters
Hawks overcome jitters Team comes back to win after rough first half The Cambridge Winter Hawks definitely had some opening night jitters. Starting the season at home for the first time since 2007-08, the Winter Hawks overcame 30 minutes of miscues and defensive breakdowns for a 6-4 win over the Guelph Hurricanes on Saturday at the Galt Arena Gardens.
From the Times: Winter Hawks open main camp Aug. 15
Winter Hawks open main camp Aug. 15 The Cambridge Winter Hawks can’t wait to get on the ice. Even though the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League regular season schedule usually doesn’t get started until the second week of September, Winter Hawks brass are making sure they have the team picked well ahead of time, opening the main camp on Aug. 15 at the Galt Arena Gardens. Prospective Hawks will break into two teams and the players better be ready when they hit camp as the first cuts will be made on Aug. 18. Players will also be released leading up to a pre-season tournament in Port Colborne, from Aug. 26 to 28, before final cuts are made on Aug. 29. Courtesy of Bill Doucet at the Cambridge Times. See the original article here!
Peter Brill in HOF
Brill goes to HOF Courtesy of Bill Doucet Brill goes to HOF. Winter Hawks celebrate winning the Sutherland Cup.FILE PHOTO When it came to Sutherland Cup rings, Peter Brill almost ran out of fingers. Known in Waterloo for winning two Junior B championships as a player and four as a general manager, Brill is worshipped in Cambridge for bringing the only three provincial titles to the city in 2000, 2006 and 2007. With that resume, Brill was an easy choice to be inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. The ceremony is on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Waterloo Region Museum. “It caught me by surprise. I was ecstatic when I found out,” Brill said. “You get pretty excited about this stuff, especially when you’re going into the hall with 400 other recipients and inductees. I haven’t really followed it that close over the years, but I probably know a lot of them.” Though Brill resigned as general manager in Cambridge after the 2008 season – admitting he came back to the Winter Hawks to try and do something no other team had done, win three consecutive Sutherland Cups – he was considered royalty within the organization. Then owner John Hamilton said both he and head coach Greg Bignell had jobs with the organization as long as they wished. Brill, who is quick to deflect accolades, said Hamilton, as well as Cambridge executive members Lloyd Harding, Bill Millsap, Bill Hammer and Murray Ewing, who brought him to Cambridge, should be right there with him. Besides Gerry Harrigan and Greg Beaupre, who were with him during his run in Waterloo. “The one thing that kind of bothers me I guess is that it would be really be nice if everyone I was associated with could share in it,” he said. “You almost feel geez, shouldn’t they be playing a part in this somehow. That was the only thing I feel a little sheepish about. “You really want to share it with everybody.” Besides his work with the Siskins and Winter Hawks, Brill was director of scouting for London and Sudbury in the Ontario Hockey League, and was a scout for the Los Angeles Kings from 1995-97. In addition, he was director of hockey operations for gold medal-winning Team Ontario in 1995 in the under-17 world championship. Still, he cites his first Sutherland Cup in Waterloo in 1984 and first in Cambridge in 2000 – besides his two as a player – as career highlights. “I went out on a limb in Cambridge and I said within three years we’re going to win a Sutherland Cup and it happened that way. That was just luck, obviously,” Brill said. “That was a thrill because of the two Bills, Lloyd Harding and Murray Ewing, they had never really accomplished anything, I guess, from what they told me. All of a sudden, bam, we win the Sutherland Cup. “I was just so happy for everybody in both organizations when we won.” Brill said the support the Winter Hawks received from the community was something he’ll always remember. He was glad to bring back those crowds that he remembered from when he went to Galt Terriers games as a young adult. That place was jammed and it was loud in the old building then, before the renovation, and I thought, wouldn’t it be great if Cambridge could get back to those days. Little did I know think that I would be managing or anything.” That feeling was also felt in the back-to-back Sutherland Cups won in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, Brill admits the fan support was so great in 2006, that he received letters from the fire marshal and from the city after packed crowds Game 7 against Listowel and Game 5 against Brantford, threatening to take away their practice time if they didn’t stop breaking fire codes for attendance. One game had 2,400 fans. The final series against Niagara Falls, especially the Cup clincher, was no different though, with people sitting on the stairs and four-deep in standing room. “That was wild because they were such a bunch of animals,” Brill said. On regret though, was not winning that third Sutherland Cup. “If we wouldn’t have had those four players bolt to tier II, well, I’m sure we would have beat Elmira.” Nothing can take the glean off this year’s induction, though. “Holy cats, what an honour,” he said. See the full article at Cambridge Times.
