Pat Canadian savours second shot at playoffs
Alex Kannok Leipert has made up for lost playoff time.
In 2016, a concussion limited the Regina Pat Canadians defenceman to two Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League post-season games. This season, Kannok Leipert has played in all 11 post-season contests with the Pat Canadians, who open play at the Telus Cup west regional tournament Thursday in Steinbach, Man.
“It was nice for me to come back and get a second shot because I feel I got robbed last year,’’ said Kannok Leipert, who has a goal and 11 assists in 11 games in this year’s playoffs. “It was a good feeling to get back and get a second chance at it.’’
Kannok Leipert was missed in 2016 as the Notre Dame Hounds swept the Pat Canadians in a bestof-five semifinal.
“You wouldn’t think that a 15-year-old would make that much of a difference, but we did miss him a lot,’’ Pat Canadians head coach Darrin McKechnie said. “He has such an ability to read plays, skate the puck out of his zone, make a good first pass and shoot on net because he has a good offensive eye. He just carried that over this year because he wants to be a hockey player.’’
The Vancouver Giants recognized Kannok Leipert’s potential when they selected the Regina product in the fourth round (79th overall) of the 2015 WHL bantam draft. Vancouver called up Kannok Leipert at the beginning of the WHL season, when he played in three pre-season games and in eight regular-season games. He made his WHL debut Sept. 24 against the Everett Silvertips and scored his first WHL goal Sept. 27 versus the Prince George Cougars.
“It was definitely an eye-opener,’’ said the 16-year-old Kannok Leipert, who had three points in his WHL stint. “It showed me where I need to be to play at the next level. I need to be a lot stronger, faster and bigger.’’
Kannok Leipert was sent back to the Pat Canadians, with whom he had 10 goals and 25 assists while playing in all 44 regular-season games. The young defenceman was initially disappointed about returning to the Pat Canadians.
“Then I knew that a lot of guys would be returning this year so I thought, ‘Why not have a good year with the Pat Canadians and see what we can do as a team?’ ’’ Kannok Leipert said. “It all turned out OK.’’
The year was more than OK for Kannok Leipert, who was named the SMAAAHL’s top defenceman and a first-team all-star after the Pat Canadians finished first with a 36-6-0-2 record.
“(The award) was surprising because I didn’t think that I did anything spectacular this year,’’ said Kannok Leipert, the Pat Canadians’ captain. “I know that my teammates will always support me and support the puck. They have been helping me out all year. It helped my confidence and the way I played.’’
The Pat Canadians open the regional tournament against the Winnipeg Wild. The other teams taking part are the Eastman Selects (host) and the Thunder Bay Kings. The winner advances to the Telus Cup national championship, April 24-30 in Prince George, B.C.