As the veteran captain of the Penetang Kings, Evan Cole has watched the Junior C team go up, down and sideways at times during past seasons.
The 2008-09 campaign is no different.
As Santa Claus prepares to make his annual visit to the Georgian Bay region, the Kings find themselves near the top of the standings.
But the combination of dominating play by the defending Ontario champion Alliston Hornets, and some unfortunate losses by the Kings, has left the Penetanguishene squad almost needing binoculars to locate the Hornets.
“We are a young team with a lot of development ready to happen,” noted Cole following a recent home win against Schomberg.
After the weekend’s action, the Kings find themselves with a 19-6-1 record and 39 points, 15 behind the 27-1 Hornets.
The Erin Shamrocks sit in third place with a 16-10 mark, seven points behind Penetang.
If Cole is nervous about the future fortunes of the team, he isn’t showing it.
“It’s still early,” he noted. “We have all the time we want to get on a roll before we get into the playoffs.”
In previous years, the Kings were stocked with Penetanguishene-based players, many happy to play for years at the Junior C level.
But this year the team has taken on a different look, with younger players such as Jordan Crandell, Shawn Moser, Jacob McKendry, Michael Mawdsley and Corey Watson all showing signs of development.
Cole said that development could very well result in them exiting Penetanguishene sooner than later.
“That’s the nature of Junior C hockey. The younger guys who aren’t from Penetanguishene are looking forward to moving up to Tier 2 Junior A hockey or higher when they get a chance. That’s just a part of life in hockey,” said Cole.
As much as it might hurt the team foundation going into the future, Cole said he feels the addition of fresh, young players does give the team a renewed sense of energy.
Team bonding is important, and the captain said the current squad is gelling well on and off the ice.
“We don’t seem to have as many Penetanguishene players as we did in the past, but, at the same time, everyone seems to click together in one way or another,” said Cole.
“Some of the guys are going to school together in Barrie, and so they’re hanging out together after hours. Whether it’s going to the gym or playing video games together, it’s still time off the ice together.”
Since the Kings’ back-to-back Ontario titles in 2006 and 2007, other teams in the league have used their template as a way of building championship squads, Cole noted.
A strong focus on off-ice conditioning has also become an essential part of every Junior C outfit.
“We started that, and now all the other teams in the league are following along. We’re the team everyone else is matching themselves against, including Alliston,” said Cole.
He added the real test will come in the 2009 playoffs, when regular-season records are meaningless.
There’s not much doubt about what Cole wants as a post-Christmas present.
A third championship ring around his finger, won prior to hockey retirement, would be nice.
mdodd@simcoe.com
