STRONG FIELD FOR SCOTTIES
JONES AND HOMAN LEAD ROBUST LIST OF RINKS
Like any good university student, Justin Valentino has perfect attendance. There’s just one thing missing on the report card of the veteran forward for the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team.
However, that will get checked off the list tonight when the Horns skate into Game 1 of their best-of-three Canada West quarter-final playoff series against the Calgary Dinos in Calgary.
As the Pronghorns get ready for their first post-season appearance since the 2011-12 season, Valentino finally gets his first Canada West playoff game.
“It’s obviously really exciting for our program and for our team,” said the left winger who hails from Thompson, Man. “It’s been a big year for us, but you know what? When you look at it, it’s just another weekend of hockey for us and that’s how we’re approaching it this week. We’re going to start dialling down on certain things and specialty teams and we’re going to play the game the right way and do the little things and we’ll see what happens this weekend.” As for that iron man streak? Perhaps it’s never too late for a little superstition to ensure it keeps going.
“Let’s touch wood on that one,” said Valentino, reaching over and gently tapping a bench in the hallway outside the Pronghorns dressing room at Nicholas Sheran Arena.
Not that the Pronghorns leading scorer this past season was aware of his milestone.
“Not really until that night when they announced it, which was pretty incredible,” he said. “I’ve played with another guy who’s done it, Tim Campbell. He played all 140 games. When he got recognized for it I thought that was a pretty cool streak. It’s something that I’m proud of, to be able to play 140 games.”
Thanks to the Pronghorns 9-17-2 record that earned them sixth place, Valentino gets to play games number 141, 142 and, if necessary, 143 this weekend with the puck dropping on Game 1 tonight at 7 p.m.
No matter what happens this weekend, there will still be a bit more hockey to be played when the Pronghorns host the USPORTS Men’s Hockey National Championship March 14-17 at the Enmax Centre.
“It’s always a bittersweet moment when it’s your last year playing,” said Valentino who had nine goals and 27 points in 28 games this season.
“Being here for five years, it’s been a great experience and I’ve made some lifelong friends and to be able to get a degree while you play hockey is pretty great.”
He’s had less than a year at the helm, but Pronghorns head coach Murray Nystrom has gotten his first-hand
scouting report from his graduating forward.
“He’s an intelligent person and that translated onto the ice,” said Nystrom. “He’s committed and dedicated and he bleeds Pronghorns colours, there’s no question. He takes pride in his performance and his contributions. He’s maybe had some offgames, but never bad games. I think that is why he has hit that level of games played that he has.”
There will be at least two more this weekend.
“It’s a lot of excitement, obviously,” said Nystrom. “But you think as a kid it’s like Christmas coming.
You know it’s coming, but you don’t know exactly what’s going to be there in the morning. I think everybody is just excited about the accomplishment of making the playoffs. These guys have worked extremely hard, not just this year, this is been a multiple year thing that they’ve been leading up to. Right from the get go it’s been something that they wanted to accomplish as a group and I think it’s a great measurements of their commitments and I think it’s a great legacy piece for the guys moving on and graduating after this year, to keep that type of
momentum and hopefully make this an annual thing.”
The Dinos own the season series against the Pronghorns, and three of those wins were shutouts.
“We didn’t get the record we wanted against them this season,” said Valentino. “But we really worked on a few things in practice this week. Broke it down pretty well. We’re just going to do the little things right and stick to our structure and hopefully we can come out on top this weekend.”
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