Extra game an honour for busy Braves trio
Being recognized as a Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League allstar brings with it honour and pride, but it will also include a fatigue factor for a trio of Saanich Braves playing in today’s North vs. South event at the Comox Valley Sports Centre.
“Yeah, I’m not crazy about it,” Braves’ head coach Brad Cook said of his players, Seamus Maguire, Ben Meek and Jack Rachwalski, all forwards who will be playing their third game in 2 1/2⁄ days after outings on the road against the Peninsula Panthers on Friday and Comox Valley Glacier Kings on Saturday.
The good news is the three remained in Comox overnight before playing the 1:30 p.m. allstar affair, joining Team South — which will be coached by Victoria Cougars head man Mark Van Helvoirt — against the North. A banquet starts off the day at 10 a.m.
“The other part of the equation for us is we play Wednesday, Thursday and Friday [of this week], so essentially these kids have six games in eight nights, but it is what it is,” Cook said. “It’s nice that they get recognized and appreciated, though.
“It will be a nice weekend to spend some time off the ice with these guys and their families.”
What’s even more interesting is all three players have come up through the Braves’ organization. They had split their separate ways in junior, with Maguire returning to B.C. after two seasons in Flin Flon of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
“He returned with a great attitude, which isn’t always the case,” Cook said of Maguire.
“Jack has been an absolute rock for us for two years. He’s durable, never misses games and this year assumed a leadership role as well,” Cook added of Rachwalski.
Meek is a different story in that he played parts of the last two years with Peninsula of the VIJHL, never playing lots of minutes. The 20-year-old is working toward becoming a firefighter and also fishes commercially, which takes up a portion of the hockey season.
“I reached out to him. It was a day where he had just got off the boat in September. I asked if he had interest in coming back and he said he did,” said Cook, who was glad Meek accepted his offer to return.
“He’s developed an all-round, 200-foot game. He has eight points in his last six games and he brings a physical presence,” Cook said.
“It’s funny how things went full circle for the three of them. Ben and Jack had played major midget and Seamus had gone the SJHL route.”
The trio will join South teammates including Cory Peterson, Clay Carson, Jamie Severs and Drayson Pears of the Westshore Wolves; Sam McMullen, Grant Payne, Ryan Carson, Michael Fretz, Jake Stolz and Robert Zadra of the Cougars; Braedon Cross, Matt Osmond, Leighton Williams and Lyndon Eddy of Kerry Park; and Conner Mowatt, Mitchell Newman and Ben DeJong of the Peninsula Panthers.
“It’s a chance for them to go have fun, join the guys around the league, enjoy the spectacle of it all and enjoy it for what it is, a showcase for the league,” said Wolves head coach Brian Passmore.
“It’s always a good experience,” said Van Helvoirt, who has become a mainstay behind the South bench along with his Cougars’ staff. “You compete hard against these players through the course of the year and to be on the same side is pretty special.
“You don’t really appreciate the talents of some of these players until you get to coach them all together.”