Living the Dream
Meet the captain of the Jr. A Valley Wildcats
Anthony Cardinal is aware there are more talented hockey players around, including some on his team, but he gets top marks in terms of leadership and commitment.
“I see myself as a grinder,” the 21-yearold Cardinal, who has been the Jr. A Wildcats’ team captain since midway through the 2013-2014 season, said March 24.
“Everybody,” he said, “wants to score. I’d like to think I play more of an all-round game. I like to play defence, and I’m not afraid of the physical side.”
Simply put, he says, “I like to get involved in the game, in whatever way I can.”
Growing up in Lantz, Hants Co., Cardinal played his minor hockey with the East Hants program. He then played three years of major midget with Dartmouth.
“I started when I was around four years old, then missed a year, then played two more,” he said. He missed a year on the ice while his family was living in Saudi Arabia.
After graduating from midget, Cardinal wasn’t drafted by any major junior teams.
He had a tryout with the Halifax Mooseheads, but ended up playing his first year of junior with the Metro Shipbuilders.
“I got hurt halfway through my first season in junior, and didn’t play after Dec. 5. I ended up having to sit and watch a pretty dismal season,” in which the Shipbuilders won four games all year.
Most of the Shipbuilders’ players welcomed the team’s relocation to the Valley in the summer of 2013, and Cardinal was no exception. “I moved here with the team,” he said, and found that playing hockey in the Valley would be a different experience.
The Wildcats had the Kentville Centennial Arena as their home base last season, then relocated last fall to the Kings Mutual Century Centre in Berwick.
“It’s a really nice arena,” he said of the locally dubbed AppleDome. “Kentville was nice, too, but here is much newer. It’s been a really good fit for us.”
Wildcats head coach and general manager Nick Greenough chose Cardinal as team captain after Brandon Boutilier was traded midway through the 2013-2014 season.
“It’s quite an honour to be team captain,” Cardinal said. “I didn’t expect it, but I was pleased. I appreciate coach’s faith in me, and I try to lead by example.”
Cardinal has been able to be part of what he described as “a big turnaround” from last season to the current one, and certainly compared to the Metro experience.
Cardinal was one of a number of former Metro players who relocated with the team. He had six goals and 19 points in 35 games in 2013-2014.
This regular season, his last as a junior player, he had 11 goals and 33 points in 45 games, by far the best of his three seasons at the junior level.
Last season, the Wildcats finished fifth in their division at 19-28-4-1 for 43 points, then upset Yarmouth in a fourth place versus fifth place mini-series. Valley was then eliminated from further competition by Truro, the eventual league champions.
This year, the Wildcats improved their regular season finish to third, with a 2516-3-4 record for 57 points, then won their opening playoff series four games to one over Yarmouth, winning four straight after losing the series opener in triple overtime.
Given that the team finished the regular season with 11 wins in their final 12 games, as of March 24 Valley was 15-2 in their past 17 games, and entered the Eastlink Division final against Truro March 27 as one of the league ’s hottest teams.
To Cardinal, the keys to the Wildcats’ success this season – and their improvement over the past two seasons – have been teamwork and commitment.
“The biggest difference
between this season and last season is that we’re closer as a team,” he said. “Anyone can talk to anyone,” in the dressing room or on the ice. “We lost a handful of guys, but the players we’ve brought in have had a huge impact.
“We try to work together,” he said. There’s no one player who really stands out as a scorer. Our team confidence starts with Blade (Mann-Dixon) in goal, but we have full confidence in whoever we put out there.”
He added that the addition of defenseman Myles McGurty after Christmas “has made a huge difference.” McGurty has both major junior and university experience, and “has provided an upside offensively” as well as playing solid defence.
Cardinal played most of the regular season on a line with fellow veterans Mike Molloy and Mitchell Jones. Since Jones was lost to injury, Jean-Marc EvansRenaud has stepped in, “and we’ve clicked as a line as well.” Cardinal said he, Molloy and EvensRenaud “have similar backgrounds and similar styles of play,” which has allowed them to become an effective third line.
“The most successful teams are the ones who are able to roll four lines,” he said. “Our offensive depth is one of our strengths, but we can play good defence, too.” As for how far the Wildcats might go this season, Cardinal acknowledged, “we’d like to go all the way. That’s certainly our mindset as a team. We’re eight wins away from winning it all. It’s a long road, but we’re willing to do whatever it takes.”
Cardinal graduated last year from the Nova Scotia Community College with a diploma in construction management. He said he is leaving his options open as far as the future is concerned, both in terms of a career and playing hockey.
“If hockey is supposed to be part of my future, so be it. If it isn’t, I’ll be comfortable with moving on, and with all kinds of great memories.”
Follow www.kingscountynews.ca for live coverage of the best-of-seven Eastlink Division final pitting the Valley Wildcats against the Truro Bearcats. Game summaries will be available for both home and away games in the MHL series.