Bump and grind
Marcus Larade brings physical presence to Cabot Highlanders lineup this season
CHETICAMP — It’s not hard to know when Marcus Larade is on the ice.
The Cabot Highlanders left winger is considered to be one of the most physical players, not only on the Port Hawkesbury-based team, but in the entire Nova Scotia Minor Midget ‘AAA’ Hockey League.
The Cheticamp product is tied for the second-most penalty minutes (69) in the league and believes his style of play has helped him get where he is today in hockey.
“I definitely like to play a more gritty style of hockey,” said the 16-year-old forward. “I want to be the type of player that other teams are scared to play against.”
Along with his forechecking ability, Larade also has some offensive upside to his game, having found the back of the net five times this season, with three of those goals coming on the power play.
“I would like to put up more points than I have, but if my physical play can help the team more than getting points, I’m okay with that too,” said Larade. “My number one priority is this team and helping it succeed.”
Larade began his hockey career at a young age and was inspired to play the sport by his father, Marc Larade, who won the Island Junior Hockey League championship in P.E.I. with the Summerside Western Capitals in 1989.
“My dad taught me a lot about the game,” said Larade. “From what I’ve been told, he was a pretty good hockey player growing up — I get my love of the game from him.”
He started playing hockey with the Cheticamp Minor Hockey Association and later moved on to play his remaining minor hockey years in Port Hood with the Cape Breton West Minor Hockey Association.
Larade would suit up for Cape Breton West in the Atom ‘AAA’, Peewee ‘AAA’ and Bantam ‘AA’ divisions, before joining the Highlanders during the 2018-19 campaign.
Last season, Larade appeared in 31 games in the Highlanders' inaugural year, recording seven goals and nine assists along with a whopping 122 penalty minutes.
This year, Larade has posted 12 points through the first 20 games of the regular season.
Highlanders' head coach Jesse MacLean said Larade is one of the team’s leaders, both on and off the ice.
“You know when he’s on the ice, there’s no question about that,” said MacLean. “He’s a physical force, hard on the puck, a battler and a grinder — he leads by example and the guys have taken notice.”
MacLean considers Larade to be most effective when he’s throwing the body and getting pucks deep in the offensive zone.
“I’m not talking about always getting the big open-ice hits, but just being strong on the wall and not being shy to go in the corners and make plays for his teammates.”
Larade’s efforts on the ice have not gone unnoticed.
He’s currently an affiliate player with the Cape Breton West Islanders of the Nova Scotia Eastlink Major Midget Hockey League and has appeared in five games with the team over the past two seasons.
“It’s always in the back of your mind, wanting to play for the Islanders, but right now I’m focusing on trying to win a championship with the Highlanders,” said Larade.
This weekend, the Highlanders (10-10-1-2) will host the Cape Breton Jets (2-19-0-1) in minor midget action, but the game will be extra-special for Larade.
The contest will be played in his hometown on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the Cabot Trail Arena in Cheticamp, instead of the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre where the team usually plays its home games.
Larade isn’t the only Cheticamp player on the Highlanders' roster this season. Landon MacIntosh and Stephane Delaney are also from the area.
“This isn’t something you have the chance to do very often,” said Larade. “This is a chance for us to play in front of family and friends for the first time in a long time.”
The Highlanders are using the weekend as a bonding trip. The club will arrive in Cheticamp today and will spend time together, while helping out with a minor hockey novice practice on Saturday.
“Being able to play in Cheticamp is huge for those three players,” said MacLean. “The main objective of the weekend is obviously Sunday’s game, but with 10 games remaining in the regular season, a team bonding trip is never a bad idea.”
Cabot and Cape Breton last played on Jan. 4, with the Highlanders beating the Jets 5-1 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, but MacLean isn’t looking back at the game.
“The Jets like to play physical and our team has to be ready to play them,” said MacLean. “It’s the battle of Cape Breton, so it’s going to be fun, but I expect nothing less than a hard-working and full game effort from the Jets.”
As for Larade, he’ll be ready for the contest.
“It’s going to be a good game and I’ve been looking forward to it for a while now,” said Larade. “I can’t wait to get things started in Cheticamp.”