Mahoney made the most of being a Mariner
St. John’s product named MHL top defenceman and first-team all-star
Throughout his minor hockey days and into his three-year career with the St. John’s Major Midget Fog Devils, Rodney Mahoney never received any individual honours. So when the Maritime Junior A Hockey League honoured the Yarmouth Mariners’ captain with a pair of awards recently, it was a special treat for the St. John’s native.
“The main goal for me in my last year is to win a championship, but if that doesn’t pan out, it will be good to finish my junior career off with a first-team all-star honour and a top defenceman award,” Mahoney says. “It really caught me by surprise.” Mariners head coach and general manger Laurie Barron said in news release that Mahoney’s top defenceman award comes as no surprise to the organization.
“When he is on the ice, he has the ability to control the play and slow the game down. He has excellent vision and see the ice as good as any player,” Barron stated, adding that, “Rodney makes everyone around him better and he has made himself into the best player day in and day out.”
With Mahoney turning 21 next week, this marks the final year of his junior eligibility. Where he goes from here, however, remains unknown.
He has already had some contact with a few NCAA Division III schools, but his first choice would be to stay in the Maritimes and play for an Atlantic University Sport team. Up to now, however, he hasn’t been contacted by any AUS school.
“The AUS hockey is probably just under or tied with Division I in the states. Division III is a little beneath the AUS,” he suggests. “If I ever got a call from an AUS school, I would look at that more seriously than I would Division III.”
Mahoney also isn’t ruling out eventually playing professionally should and opportunity present itself, but he recognizes, that if it does happen, it won’t be at an elite level.
“It’s cliche, when you’re younger, your dream is to go play pro hockey, so if that ever became an option, if I could go to Europe or play in the ECHL, I would jump at it. I’m realistic. I know the NHL and AHL are pretty far off for me right now.”
He has also toyed with the idea of coming home to team up with his older brother, Kenny, on the St. John’s Caps of the Avalon East senior league. The two were teammates for his first two seasons in Yarmouth. Such a move would also allow Mahoney to play a good brand of competitive hockey with some former minor and midget teammates, something he hasn’t been able to do for three years.
“There’s nothing wrong with playing senior hockey, going to school and getting my future going from there. I’m keeping that option open as well.”
The Mariners’ season ended Thursday with a 2-0 loss to the Amherst Ramblers, giving Amherst a 4-2 win in their best-of-seven divisional semifinal.
For Mahoney and his teammates, it’s a disappointing end to what had been a promising season, especially considering the Mariners had gone all the way to the league final last season, losing a seventh and deciding game in triple overtime to the Woodstock Slammers.
That disappointment is added to by an inability to deliver a title to Yarmouth, which Mahoney says is the best place in the league.
“Our fans are really loyal and they really do love the team,” he says. “If we’re winning or losing, we sell out. For anyone who got drafted here or were invited to an open tryout, I’d tell them to jump at the chance.”