By / Laurence Heinen
Heading into this season, captain Alex Grieve had high hopes for his Calgary Royals squad.
“At the beginning of the year, I thought we’d come out stronger,” said Grieve of the Royals who had compiled a less-than-stellar 5-8-5 record in the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League as of Nov. 29. “I think we can bounce back and be a plus-.500 team.”
As one of only four returning players to the Royals this season, Grieve earned the nod as captain from coach Rob Miller due to the forward’s leadership capabilities.
“Since the season ended last year, he’s a guy that has stepped up,” Miller said.
Also back for another season this year are forwards Braden Gracel, Chris Perkin and Patrick McNaught. Gracel, who led the team in points last season, recently returned to the lineup after recovering from a back injury.
In Gracel’s absence, a pair of rookies stepped up to shoulder the bulk of the scoring load.
After 18 games, Taylor Vause (12g, 14a) and Evan Warner (11g, 15a) led the team with 26 points each.
“Both of them are just extremely skilled players and have a strong work ethic,” Miller said. “Up front, we can score goals. We’re just having a problem keeping them out of our net right now.”
On the back end, Miller was hoping to have Brock Geiger back for another season but the veteran blueliner was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.
Instead, Miller’s defence corps is comprised of rookies Sean Wallace, Neil Jones, Patrick Howey, Mark McDonald and David Roper.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle,” Miller said. “It’s a big step from the 15-year-old league to here.”
The rookie goaltending tandem of Olivier Favreau and Jeff Magee have been doing their best to hold the fort, but are often under constant fire.
“On average we’ve been giving up 40 to 45 shots a game,” Miller said.
With Christmas approaching, the Royals are looking forward to a break from the AMHL grind and a chance to play in front of large crowds at the Mac’s Midget AAA Tournament.
“It’s something they want to be part of,” Miller said. “It’s just a way to learn how to win and how to have fun.”
A positive result at the Mac’s will go a long ways towards improving the confidence of the young team, Grieve said.
“We can just use that confidence for the rest of the year and hopefully do well in the playoffs,” said the captain. |
