New captain Woodworth leads Eagles into meeting with Mooseheads
SYDNEY — The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles have a new captain, a new head coach and hope to head into a new direction for the remainder of the 2012-13 season.
Over the weekend, the club handed the ‘ C’ to 19-year-old defenceman Stephen Woodworth, taking over from overager Simon Darveau who’s out for the season with a serious shoulder injury. On Monday, the organization announced they had relieved Ron Choules of his duties and replaced him with Marc-André Dumont both behind the bench and as general manager.
After the change was made on Monday, Woodworth said it was hard news to take and that the players had to shoulder some of the blame for Choules’s departure.
“There have been games where we haven’t played up to par and we feel really bad for Ron and wish him the best,” he said. “In saying that, we’re obviously excited to work with the new coach and see what he has to bring to the table.”
Woodworth leads the Screaming Eagles against the Canadian Hockey League’s top-ranked team, the Halifax Mooseheads, tonight at Centre 200. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
“I’ve been here since I was a 16years-old and I’ve seen a lot of captains come through this organization and a lot of good captains,” said Woodworth. “I got the opportunity to live with Nick MacNeil my 16-year-old year and then of course Morgan Ellis was a good captain.
“It was an unfortunate situation with (Darveau), but we wish him the best of luck. I just want to do the best job I can leading the group.”
Cape Breton is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak heading into tonight’s game. They’re coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the P.E.I. Rocket on Sunday in Charlottetown, a game in which they relinquished a 3-1 lead.
Woodworth said his team put in a strong effort against the Rocket, but an unfortunate bounce resulted in a short-handed goal that tied the game late in the third.
“There are points in the season where you’re going to face adversity,” he said. “It’s how you go about facing the adversity that makes you a good team or a bad team.
“I think moving forward, we look to Halifax (tonight) and try to come out with a big effort for our fans in our home rink and get our first win against them.”
But getting back into the win column won’t be easy against the visiting Herd. They boast a formidable offence with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Drouin and Martin Frk. Halifax is also perched atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League standings.
Woodworth said as a defenceman, being fully aware against the Mooseheads top stars when they’re on the ice is a necessity.
“They’re obviously very offensively gifted and you do play a lot more in your own zone when they’re on the ice, but it’s a team effort against those guys,” he said. “It’s not just one or two guys shutting them down. We have to come together as a team and be aware when they’re on the ice.” NOTES: Screaming Eagles forward Jakub Culek (upper body) is out four to six weeks. Kyle Campbell ( flu) has recovered and should be available to play.