Carleton Place, Ont. —
With a number of new faces in Carleton Place colours, Jason Clarke’s four-time defending champion Canadians are bearing down on Pembroke’s league-record five-straight titles.
Last season’s Fred Page Cup final defeat to Quebec’s Terrebonne Cobras will have left the Canadians, regulars at the RBC Cup national tournament from 2014-2016, with a sour taste in their mouths.
With plenty of competition from a strong field, Clarke’s newcomers will have to gel quickly if the Canadians are to once again be the last team standing in April.
CARLETON PLACE CANADIANS
2016-17: 50-12-0 (1st, Won Bogart Cup)
Key Losses: D Owen Grant (Vermont, NCAA-I), F Andrew Dodson (Alabama-Hunt., NCAA-I), F Connor Merkley (Alabama-Hunt., NCAA-I)
Key Additions: D Jay Powell (Westminster, Prep), F Sam Allison (Halifax McDonald’s, Mdg.), G Jeremie Forget (Tabor, Prep)
Style of Play: “We’ll still play the typical way we play; pushing a 200-foot game, and playing the game the right way. We’ll be having fun.”
Expectations: “We just want to get better every day. We need to be a better hockey team in March than we were in September. We also have to be making sure we’re playing the game the right way.”
Pre-Season: “It’s been very intense, to be honest. Lots of internal competition, guys playing for the pecking order and for specific roles. A lot of good competition, within the group.” — Head Coach/GM Jason Clarke
