Lucas Punkari
For any hockey player, having to make the jump from playing for a team in your hometown to one that is far away can be a challenge.
But for Davis Ross, his twin brother, Nolan, and Scott Parsons, the fact that all three Fort Frances natives are suiting up for the Kenora Thistles in the Manitoba ‘AAA’ Midget League has made the transition a lot easier.
“We’ve been playing together since we were little, so it really helps to have someone from back home like Scott playing with us, as well,” said Nolan Ross, who plays forward for the Thistles.
“I’m pretty much friends with everyone up there, as we’ve played in tournaments together and things like that,” Parsons noted.
“But it definitely helps to have guys there that I’ve grown up with for the most part,” the 17-year-old goalie added.
All three are in the first year with the Thistles and quickly have gotten used to style of play in the Manitoba league, especially when compared to their time with the Muskies and, in the case of the Ross twins, the Fort Frances Midget ‘AA’ Canadians.
“A lot of the first-year kids that do well in this league will go on to play in the WHL, the MJHL, or another junior league,” Parsons noted.
“With the Muskies, I had the opportunity to play against those good American teams, especially with the tournament in Duluth, and playing those tougher teams really helps you gain experience in those pressure situations,” he reasoned.
“The teams in the Manitoba league really like to play the body,” said Davis Ross, a defenceman. “And when you were playing the teams from the States when you are on the Canadians, they don’t hit as much.
“But those teams are very fast and skilled, so it helped a lot for me to go that route,” he stressed.
Joining a team that struggled in league play but then upset the Thunder Bay Kings to capture the HNO ‘AAA’ title and earn a spot in the Telus Cup Western Championships last spring, all three players were familiar with many of the guys they would be playing with as they had faced off with one another in the past or took to the ice together on regional rep teams.
That camaraderie is evident between the pipes as Parsons and his goaltending partner, Brandon Beaulieu, have been very effective in helping the Thistles to a 18-10-0-5 record, which had them in third place in the East Division heading into last night’s game with the Eastman Selects.
“We’ve always played on regional ‘AAA’ teams every second year since we were in PeeWee,” Parsons recalled.
“A couple of the kids on the team have also played with us when we would go on tournaments to Grand Forks, so it was nice to know some of those players already,” he added.
In 17 appearances in goal, Parsons has a 9-5-2 record with a 3.01 GAA. He also possesses a .910 save percentage, which has him in the top 10 among all goalies in the league.
“I feel like I’ve been playing really well, and it also helps a lot when the team is keeping a lot of those shots to the outside and they really limit the other team’s scoring opportunities,” he explained.
“It makes my job a lot easier in being able to stop pucks instead of moving around a whole lot.”
At the back end, Davis Ross really has started to come into his own, sitting third in team scoring with seven goals and 20 assists in 33 games.
“Normally around Christmas time is when I get used to playing in a new league, and that’s what happened to me again this year,” Ross noted.
“In our first game of the new year on Jan. 4 in Thompson, I was able to score four goals in the second period and I also had an assist to help the team get the win.
“That game really surprised me as I only had two goals all year long before then, so I was shocked to get four in one game,” he admitted.
Ross’ play also has been noticed by the league as he was invited to participate in the all-star game in Dauphin last Saturday.
“I wasn’t really expecting it so I was glad to be picked for that game,” he enthused.
“My teammate Mikko [Keski-Pukkila] also got invited this year as a rookie, and it was nice to go and play with some new faces out there,” Ross added.
As for Nolan Ross, the 17-year-old forward also has played a key role in the Thistles’ success, notching nine goals and nine assists in 30 games.
“It’s been all about just adjusting to the league and I’m happy with the way that I am playing,” he remarked.
“I find that I have been able to adapt to the physicality and the speed at the higher level, and the team itself has been playing well.
“We have been able to come together a lot as a team since the season started, and we are just coming off of a six-game win streak so we are hoping to keep that momentum rolling,” Ross added.
The next few months will be a busy time for the Thistles as they’ll compete in the Manitoba ‘AAA’ playoffs and take on the Kings for the HNO title before hosting the Telus Cup West region championships April 4-7.
Having finished last year’s regionals with a winless record, the Thistles will be looking to go all the way this time around and earn a spot at the Telus Cup national Midget championship, which will be held April 22-28 in Sault Ste. Marie.
“All of us on the team are really looking forward to it, and we’re hoping to have a lot of fans come out for those games,” Parsons said.
“The guys that went to Virden [Manitoba] last year for the regional tournament talked about how the home fans really supported their team, and we hope that sort of thing can help us out here in April,” he added.
