Oct 19, 2023 | Patrick McFarland | 565 views
Season Underway - Trip to St. Lawrence University and Upcoming Home Opener
The U15 North Central Predators started their season on the road with wins against Oshawa (1-0) and Kingston (2-1 in OT). Coach Mark McGrath saw the trip to Kingston as an opportunity to take the team to experience a day in the life of an NCAA Division 1 hockey player, with a visit to see the St. Lawrence Saints in Canton, New York.
The boys travelled over the border into the small university town of Canton, New York, to visit St. Lawrence University. The trip started with a walking tour of the campus led by Coach McGrath, showing the boys some of his old hang out spots when he attended the school between 1994 and 1998. Coach McGrath talked to the boys about his experience being recruited to play hockey at St. Lawrence and his experiences playing over the four years of schooling there. Coach McGrath stressed to the team that its not just about hockey and your skills as a player, you need to bring your "A" game academically to be given the opportunity to play D1 hockey in the NCAA.
After the walk around campus the team headed back to Appleton Arena to watch some of the women's ice hockey game, before being taken on a guided tour through the arena/hockey team facilities. The boys were in awe of the facilities at Appleton Arena, from the private gym facilities and equipment rooms filled with top of the line hockey equipment, to the dressing room that was fit for an NHL hockey team. Appleton Arena is a classic barn with all the modern amenities an athlete could ever wish for. It was truly an eye opening experience for the team.
The team capped off the trip to St. Lawrence by watching the men's team compete in their home opener against RIT, where the Saints came away with a 4-3 win in an exciting, fast paced game.
The second weekend of play saw the U15 Preds on another road trip, this time to Belleville to take on Quinte. The boys played hard, but Quinte was one step ahead, downing the Preds in both games of the double header weekend. The team finished their second week of play with a 2-2 record.
This weekend the U15's will be staying local, with three home games in a row. The home opener is this Friday, October 20th, starting at 7pm, where Kingston will try to even the score this season. Two more games will be played at home on Oct 21st at 5pm against Oshawa and Oct 22nd at 1pm against Kingston again. All home games will be played in Rama at the MASK Arena. Come on out and support the local boys at their home opener weekend!!