Powell River Kings

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Wednesday.January 18.2012 | Powell River Peak » prpeak.com

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2 Wednesday.January 18.2012 | Powell River Peak » prpeak.com

Kings still the team to beat If Powell River Kings are finding the road to the playoffs a little tougher this year then they only have themselves to blame.

It’s often mentioned and readily admitted that Coastal Conference teams are tired of watching the Kings hoist the Cliff McNabb Trophy over their heads.

For some the answer was to bolster the coaching staff while others did their homework and found themselves some very skilled players.

Several teams have been very successful through the first half while the Kings have admittedly struggled to find their stride. Much of that has to do with injuries, suspensions and distractions such as the WJAC (Western Junior A Challenge) but Kent Lewis, coach and general manager, is relishing

the challenge to finish strong down the stretch.

Q: First, congratulations on your WJAC success. Talk about that experience.

KL: You realize you’re not getting any younger and you want the opportunity. When I applied I knew Mark Ferner [Vernon Viper’s coach for the last three years] had also. I was confident in my abilities but realistic, saying “I don’t care how good you think you are, here’s a guy that’s beaten me in the last three league finals.” When I saw he went to the Western Hockey League, I thought maybe if I was close then something might come about. I got a call in mid-July asking if I was still interested and I said, “Yeah, definitely.” About an hour later we were interviewing assistant coaches and from there, looking back at it now, you realize how much there was to do. It was a whirlwind.

BACKSTOPPING CHANGE: Powell River Kings’ captain Chris Williams gets one in the net on new back-up goaltender Jonah Imoo during the team’s first practice with its new lineup. ALICIA BAAS PHOTO

Q: This wasn’t your regular Kings camp and schedule. Can you take us through the process?

KL: Hockey Canada was an amazing experience. Being around all of that comes with added pressure because you want to do well in that environment. I had great resources, great staff and no one is successful without the support around them; I have to say it was fabulous. We had to get our group ready, like any other team I’ve coached, but we had a short

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Q: What did you learn from all of that and perhaps bring back to the Kings?

KL: I learned a lot and it reinforced everything that we, as a group, already believed in. There’s a right and a wrong way to play and I’ve always believed that. If you want to win a championship there’s only one way to play and we played that way in that tournament

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window of 18 or 19 days to make sure our group was growing and getting better every day. You didn’t have 60 games to get it all done.

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I don’t think [the final] was close.

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3 Wednesday.January 18.2012 | Powell River Peak » prpeak.com

and were successful. There are no shortcuts or easy way to get there.

It’s also how we’ve prided ourselves in playing here. It is attention to detail and learning where you need to be better. Being around Hockey Canada you see that.

Q: This event, combined with suspensions and injuries and the new 21-man roster rule, has been a challenge for the Kings this year.

KL: We had players [Sean Maguire and Evan Richardson] away and I told the kids I’m going to be around in the second half constantly. You’re going to have injuries and certainly the 21-man roster rule has affected things a lot.

I think we need to be consistent in terms of not just the lineup but our staff and our play.

Q: Consistent seems to be the key word in the Kings’ playbook this year.

KL: Defensively, right now we’re best goals against in the league and that’s always a goal. Our goals for have come up and we’ve started to get better at that but, you are right, we just have to be more consistent.

We’ve lost quite a few games where we were bloody awful. If we play the way we’re capable of, and to what I expect, our record will improve.

In the second half we’ve got to be playing Kings’ hockey day in and day out. If it means maybe I’m a grumpier guy then that’s going to be the case because we can’t be as inconsistent in the second

half as we were in the first.

Q: You are middle of the pack in special teams both on the powerplay and killing them. That’s an important statistic for any successful team, isn’t it?

KL: We just talked about being consistent and we were either missing a couple of key people or just not digging down enough. I’ve got to say, where we’ve mostly been inconsistent is our overall grit level and just day in and day out grind it out. That is why we’re sitting at 12 losses and that’s why we’re sitting in second or third place in our division. That’s where we have to be better and when we are those numbers will improve.

Q: While the defensive numbers are on track, the offence has been led by the blueline. Are you surprised by that and do you expect that to continue?

KL: I think it’s starting to round itself out. You don’t expect a defenceman to lead your team in scoring, I mean he’s [Craig Dalrymple] having a great year so kudos to him. We’re going to have a lot of guys in double digits and we do need some forwards to challenge Dalrymple for top scorer on our team.

Q: Kings have had great goaltending in the last few years and this year is no exception.

KL: We knew coming in that we had two good young guys to push each other. Now in the second half

there are not a lot of games left and we want to have both of them ready. We want to develop both, which is what we’ve said all along, and so far it has worked out very well.

Q: I know you’re not one for predictions but what is the goal of the Kings in the second half?

KL: To be the best team in the league.

Q: It looks like there are a few teams in the conference who don’t want to see that happen.

KL: This is exactly what we said it would be. Whether it’s telling you in the newspaper or telling my players it would be a dogfight— getting out to a 6-0 lead to start the year, I thought that was a little unrealistic and was surprised by that. Surprised because we’ve got a lot of new faces. This year has seen the biggest turnover of new players in the last three years.

Players and even the fans have to realize that this isn’t a cakewalk.

This is going to be a tough division because there are a lot of teams sick and tired of us coming out of the coast and we’ve had a target on our backs for a couple of years, this year in particular. At the same time it’s going to be fun.

Q: Last year you virtually coasted into the playoffs. What’s different this year?

KL: We’ve got 12 losses and I’ll be honest, six or seven of them have been ridiculous. On the road

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this is our team for one year and we want good tenants. That’s in the team picture—guys who are going to represent us well, game in and game out, being consistent, playing the right way. I like our group.

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ADDITIONS ADD UP: Powell River Kings’ coach and general manager Kent Lewis [centre] drops the puck for newcomer Teal Burns [left] and Cohen Adair during a recent practice. ALICIA BAAS PHOTO

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B5 Wednesday.January 18.2012 | Powell River Peak » prpeak.com

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6 Wednesday.January 18.2012 | Powell River Peak » prpeak.com

P L A Y E R

Q U O T E S

What is your favourite Powell River memory?

“Coming back from being down 3-1 versus Victoria to win the series in game seven.”

“My favourite memory of Powell River was when Jutzi scored the overtime winner in game five of the Victoria series last season.”

“The comeback against Victoria in last year’s playoffs.”

CRAIG DALRYMPLE No. 27

STEVEN SCHMIDT No. 18

SEAN MAGUIRE No. 35

“The best memory so far has been skating on the rink on New Year’s Eve and ringing in 2012 with the community.”

“The home opener this season versus Nanaimo and having a packed-in Hap Parker Arena.”

“Scoring two overtime winners in a row this past season.”

JORDAN PADDOCK No. 4

JARRYD LEUNG No. 15

“The first week I was here we got out and explored Powell River. We got to experience cliff jumping at Eagle River and Mowat Bay with the boys.”

DANIEL SCHULER No. 17

“I’m from Calgary and so the first ferry ride with the boys on the Kings’ bus down the Sunshine Coast was pretty amazing.”

BRANDON SMITH No. 2

“I loved my first impression of the town and meeting my billets for the first time.”

TANNER COCHRANE No. 23

MATT SCARTH No. 11

“I’d have to say the best memory was my first goal in Powell River in September 2010 when I scored the overtime winner versus Victoria. The goal cleared the entire Kings’ bench and the fans were out of their seats.”

“In my first season here, the 20092010 season, we made it to game seven of the Fred Page Cup versus Vernon. That was pretty special.”

“I have loved coming out to the Sunshine Coast from Ontario and the experience of living with a family here in Powell River.”

TEAGAN WAUGH No. 21

JON JUTZI No. 24

COHEN ADAIR No. 22

“Winning game seven versus Victoria last year in the second round of the playoffs.”

““I loved the New Year’s party.

That was a lot of fun.”

JORDAN BENTON No. 10

“Seeing the sunsets here.”

EVAN RICHARDSON No. 9

CHRIS WILLIAMS No. 11

“My best memory so far was my first day in the new town with my billets.”

JAMES NEIL No. 25

MITCH BALL No. 23

BRANDON TIDY No. 12

Kings by the Numbers

Team Leaders Road Penalty Kill 75% thirteenth Short-Handed Goals 13 first Short-Handed Goals Against two tied for second Goals Against 93 first

Goals Against Average 2.38 first Goals For 128 fifth Goals For/Game 3.28 eighth Home Ice Points 28 tied for third

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Assists Craig Dalrymple 22 Games Played James Neil 39 Goals Cohen Adair 20 Penalty Minutes Chris Williams 65 Points Craig Dalrymple 38

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ICE TIME: Matt Scarth makes a difference for Powell River Kings with shill homed on backyard ice.

of the things that lead to injuries.

“Nutrition-wise I’m just trying to get the fuel I require before and after an ice time so my body isn’t drained.”

Now that his diet and fitness are where they need to be, Scarth is performing at nearly a point-per-game pace. His offensive explosion couldn’t have come at a better time as the goal-challenged Kings desperately needed a boost.

The Kings’ rebuild has been made more difficult with new league rules that cut back roster sizes and forced teams to carry a 16-year-old player, as well as a new playoff in which only the top four teams from each conference qualified. After bursting out of the gates 6-0-0, Kings find themselves hanging onto second spot having played more games than any other team in the league.

“It really takes a lot of baring down,” Scarth said of what the team needs to do to earn home-ice advantage come playoff time.

“We’ve got great leaders on our squad. The younger players have to bring their best every night, play with a little more intensity to get the two points we need and make sure the little things are done right.”

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Powell River Kings entered the 2011-2012 season with the task of replacing 20-yearold forwards Andrew Pettitt and co-captains Matt Garbowsky and Chad Niddery. The trio tallied 89 goals last season. The search began over the Christmas break at 2010 Mac’s Midget AAA World Hockey Invitational.

First-year Kings’ assistant coach Geoff Grimwood was scouting the event, held annually in Calgary since 1978, and discovered Calgary Buffalo centre Matthew Scarth.

“As the season went on I narrowed it down,” Scarth said of the recruiting process.

“I had a fly out and I knew this was the place for me.”

He finished the season and spent the summer training at Crash Conditioning alongside Canadian hockey icon and Edmonton Oiler forward Jordan Eberle, and other professionals.

“I just learned from observing him. When you see them on a day-to-day basis, they’re so much physically stronger and better in every way.”

One thing that caught Grimwood’s eye initially was Scarth’s heavy shot, a skill he honed on an outdoor rink.

“Back home we’ve got a nice big backyard.

Every winter I make a backyard rink with my dad, and every summer we have a plastic glass sheet that we borrow from the rink so I can practice shooting.

“It’s a little depressing not to be able to walk out to the backyard rink,” Scarth said of his change of address. “But the sunsets here on the Sunshine Coast are unbeatable.”

By the time the Kings opened the season in Nanaimo Scarth’s confidence was skyhigh. He earned first star in his first BC Hockey League game, scoring two goals in a 3-2 Kings’ win. He wouldn’t bulge the twine again until Remembrance Day, a drought that spanned 15 games. “I was on a bit of a dry streak adjusting and learning what it takes to be a successful Junior A hockey player.”

To improve his foot speed and conditioning Scarth started a rigorous training regime, which included changes to his diet and sleeping patterns, and a lot of gym time.

“In the gym I’ve been concentrating on stretching. At the beginning of the year I wasn’t doing that, and I wasn’t taking care

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