Kanata, Ontario – Above all the awards that the Kanata Lasers players have received over the past month, right now it is safe to say that they are the real deal.
Currently two points out of third place, the Kanata Lasers picked up a much needed two points last night – shutting out the still third place, Hawkesbury Hawks 2-0 at the KRC.
“Complete domination” explained Lasers broadcaster, Brett Bonisteel after their 2-0 win over Hawkesbury. “If it wasn’t Petizian it could have been five nothing. I thought Carriere was solid but was not tested thoroughly”.
Among notable Lasers achievements through the last month, Bennett Stockdale was named the CCM Player of the Week and December Third Star of the Month while Carriere was the Rookie of the Month. Jack Quinn continued his tear making an appearance for the Ottawa 67’s in the OHL Outdoor game and Tanner Schroeder committed to Division Three Bryn Athyn College.
“Those mentions are well deserved and I’m glad they’re getting recognition” noted Bonisteel, “Quinn is a special player and it’s clear that he’s already amongst the league’s elite at 16 years old. Carriere has been the difference in the end because he’s reliable every night”.
Since the start of December, Kanata has gone 6-0-2 with their last regulation loss coming on November 18th against the Carleton Place Canadians. Since their last loss, the red hot Lasers have been almost unbeatable – going 9-0-2 during that time.
“Really what it is, is that the guys are a team right now” mentioned Kanata Lasers GM, Ian Henderson. “They’re working together, they’re supporting each other and it’s almost like they’ve forgotten how to lose and it’s a lot of fun to watch”.
For a team that was 9-13 at the start of November, things really started to turn around for the club when they took down the Cornwall Colts 8-3 on November 9th and ultimately finished the month with a 6-3 record – back over .500 for the first time in two months.
“That was a big game for us (8-3 win vs Cornwall), it was a start of a long stretch and I thought that it was going to be a make or break game for us” said Henderson. “At that point, we were close in the standings with Cornwall and I did not expect to see the outcome that it was. Ever since that time, the guys have never looked back and have built a lot of confidence”.
As noted by Lasers Head Coach, Nathan Hewitt on the “Inside the CCHL Podcast” a main part for the team’s success has come through better goaltending and buying into a system, to play as a team.
“It’s been a top to bottom, complete buy in and team feel” noted Henderson. “Going to the rink is fun and you’re seeing the result of having fun and hard work at the same time”.
Gabriel Carriere went 3-0-1 in December with a 1.74 GAA and a .941 SV%, winning the Rookie of the Month while backup goalie, Logan Bateman has been a huge addition, posting a 4-3 record, a 3.06 GAA and a .910 SV%. Making both of these goalies a reliable option every single night.
“I brought both guys onto the team in a matter of 24 hours and I got a lot of phone calls saying “what are you doing” but that was one of the areas that we needed to solidify if we were going to have success”.
“Being able to get Carriere and Bateman was a huge part of this push” explained Henderson on the team’s situation in net.
Outside of goaltending, the Kanata Lasers have received under the radar performances from forwards Luca Nocita, Jack Quinn and Bennett Stockdale while defensemen Ryan Bunka, J.J Boucher and Liam Markhauser continued to get the job done on a nightly basis.
“Those are our key guys but I think we (Kanata) has done a really good job of surrounding them. Bringing back Merrell, Brochu, Austin gave our guys confidence to show that this was not one of those years where we will just see where we finish and I think that gave the team that extra bit of confidence” beamed Kanata Lasers General Manager, Ian Henderson.
Kanata’s next game is Sunday, January 7th against the Nepean Raiders at the Nepean Sportplex. Forward Ugo Roik is expected to make his Lasers debut against his former team.
As far as the rest of the schedule, among teams in a playoff spot, Kanata takes on Ottawa, Rockland, Carleton Place, Brockville and Smiths Falls this month making the road ahead difficult but in reach.
From here Henderson believes third place is “not out of reach but it’s up to the guys”.
Dante De Caria, CCHL Tier 1
