By Ryan Laverty /
It may be a new role, but Scott Vokey is hardly a new face around the Southside Athletic Club’s Midget hockey ranks.
After a three-and-a-half year stint behind the bench of one of SSAC’s Midget 15s squads and as the father to a former SSAC Midget AAA captain, Vokey has what few coaches have when they step into a new coaching role — familiarity with his players.
“Out of the 20 players, we’re going to have on this team this year, I think I’ve coached or had affiliated to me, 14 of them,” said Vokey. “So my hope is that familiarity will help us get going (this year).”
Getting going is something last year’s SSAC Boston Pizza Athletics were never able to do. After half a decade competing for the Dodge (North) Division title, the Athletics finished dead last out of the AMHL’s 10 northern teams. That result meant former head coach Taylor Harnett was out and Vokey was in, but as most sports fans can tell you a coaching change doesn’t necessarily relate to positive changes on the ice.
But with only three players from the 2007/08 squad guaranteed to return, Vokey has the advantage of starting anew with a core of players who enjoyed massive success a year ago.
“Most of the guys we have this year played last year with one of our two AA teams and both of them finished right near the top of the league, so they know how to win,” said Vokey, noting that SSAC Don Wheaton extended their winning ways to the provincial championships. “The challenge is we are going to be losing, it looks like, nine players to Junior this year, which means we’ll only have three players back from last year, but I’m okay with that. I know most of the guys on this team and most of them know me. And truthfully, most of them, if they’d been playing in a different organization last year would have been playing AAA not AA.”
Vokey wouldn’t get into specifics, but noted that last season’s deviation from SSAC normally strong team had less to do with talent and more to do with internal adversity. He reasoned that a strong group of 17-year-olds sprinkled with talented youngsters such as Mark McNeill, Caleb Belter and Dillon Simpson, this year’s Athletics squad should be back amongst the Dodge Division’s best.
“Would I welcome any of the kids who are up at Junior now? Yes I’m sure I would, but I’m happy with the team we’ve put together here,” said Vokey, noting his team waltzed through the pre-season undefeated. “I know exhibition doesn’t mean anything, but I think it shows our guys what they can do. It shows them that they’re competitive and hopefully we can ride that into the regular season.” |
