Head coach Corey Crane and the Nickel City U13 AAA Sons are hopeful that a stiff test courtesy of the Soo U13 AAA Jr Greyhounds will leave his team well prepared as the NOHA champs prepare to open play at the All-Ontario U13 AAA Championships in Thunder Bay on Wednesday.
The Sons and Hounds went back and forth through a five game final in the NOHL (Northern Ontario AAA Hockey League), the Sons claiming victory in games one (3-2) and three (6-3) but dropping games two (4-3) and four (4-2).
With everything on the line last weekend in Chelmsford, the locals rose to the occasion, receiving a two-goal effort from Cooper Niquet and a solo marker from Dacey Dupuis in qualifying for the provincial showdown.
"We were pretty confident," noted Niquet, after the Soo and Nickel City split games regularly throughout the 2022-2023 campaign. "Our coach had pumped us all up, had us ready to go out on the ice and win."
"All we had to do was play our game, don't get no stupid penalties," added Sturgeon Falls native Seth Verbiwski, a valuable new addition to the Sons this year. "Even when we were tied 2-2 (two games each), we were still really confident."
"We had a big, long talk about not letting anybody down - and we really picked it up."
By the time next Sunday rolls around, the U13 AAA Sons will have completed their six game round robin schedule against: Kenora Thistles (Wed at noon); Sun County Panthers (Thurs at 10:00 a.m.); Thunder Bay Kings (Thurs at 4:00 p.m.); Whitby Wildcats (Fri at 2:00 p.m.); Ottawa Valley Titans (Sat at noon); Markham Majors (Sat at 6:00 p.m.).
With the previous SMHA and NCHA U12 AAA teams combined into one unit for the 2022-2023 season, the players can appreciate their additional competitiveness - despite the initial awkwardness.
"It was good to be on one team - but it was also interesting," said Niquet, a grade 7 student at St Charles College. "Just being rivals made it a little different."
That said, the influx of new teammates has forced the Sons to be a little more vocal on the ice, a greater challenge for Niquet, who is admittedly quite quiet by nature. "I talk a lot more now; the coaches got me to talk more this year," he said.
"I am happy that we improved, as a team, talking more on the ice. We know where each other are when we are talking on the ice."
More outgoing by nature, Seth Verbiwski had a whole lot more familiarization to get used to, making the jump to Sudbury from the North Bay U12 AAA Trappers after the latter opted not to ice a AAA team at the U13 level this year.
"I decided to come to Sudbury and it was the best decision I ever made," noted the 12 year old grade 7 student at Ecole catholique Saint-Joseph in Sturgeon Falls. "I had played with a few of their players last year (in spring hockey)."
"It felt really good to play with them because they are an amazing group," added Verbiwski. "It felt strange at first, but then in the next two weeks, I got used to it and it felt good."
A forward who thrives on the forecheck, Verbiwski particularly enjoys when he is partnered with linemates Greyson Hnatiuk and Nick Christakos, the trio feeding off the frenzy they create in the opposing zone.
"We're a really good line; all of our lines are," said Verbiwski. "We talk about the forecheck a lot - and we can switch - and we pass the puck a lot."
Of the remainder of the field, the Sons have only faced the Whitby Wildcats previously, though the players expect the competition to be stiff.
"We haven't seen them play before, so we are going to have to watch out," said Verbiwski. "We'll have to come out in our first game, super strong. We'll have to be cautious and watch what they (the other teams) are doing."
Rounding out the 2022-2023 U13 AAA Sons roster are goaltenders Nicolas Rocca and Ty Imbeau and skaters Ezio Cusinato, Preston Hebert, Bradley Huffman, Whitney Basso, Owen Angus, Ty Belanger, Malik Jakubo, Jackson Mead, Tayden Smith and Ryan Thompson.
Joining Crane on the coaching staff are assistant coaches Todd Crane and Erik Hebert, trainer Joel Belanger and team manager Cindy Robert.
