Lucas Punkari
For Fort Frances hockey players Carter Brown and Brandon Bodnar, the opportunity to match up with the top 1997 birthdate players in Ontario during the inaugural OHL Gold Cup tournament in Kitchener this past week was something they’ll never forget.
“Everything about the event was great and I really enjoyed being a part of it,” enthused Bodnar, who played in goal for the Thunder Bay Kings this past season.
“I was excited to go down there and I really didn’t know what to expect,” admitted Brown, who manned the blueline for the Muskies over the winter.
“But once I got there, everything was good as it was really fast-paced hockey and I enjoyed myself down there,” he added.
Both players suited up for the HNO squad, coached by Fort Frances Lakers’ bench boss Wayne Strachan, which went up against seven other teams from six minor hockey associations from around the province (Alliance, GTHL, HNO, NOHA, ODHA, and OMHA).
The tournament was designed to showcase the skills of the top under-16 players in the province ahead of this summer’s Team Ontario training camp.
That camp will help determine the final roster for the annual World Under-17 Challenge, which will be held Dec. 29-Jan. 4 in Victoriaville and Drummondville, Que.
After losing their first three preliminary games of the tournament, then losing the consolation semi-final to OMHA Black on Saturday, Team HNO wrapped up play on a winning note Sunday morning.
They defeated NOHA 3-2 in the bronze consolation game to finish the event in seventh place overall.
Bodnar’s play between the pipes was a key factor in that victory as he turned aside 37 shots to help set the stage for Trevor Kavanaugh’s game-winner.
“It was a really fun game to play in,” Bodnar recalled.
“That team has quite a few good players on it, and it was very exciting to go out there and play against those guys,” he added.
Bodnar finished the tournament with an overall record of 1-2 and a 5.75 GAA.
“I felt I played two really good games against NOHA and in our 3-1 loss to the OMHA White team earlier in the week,” Bodnar said.
“I was just seeing the pucks well and stopping the shots that I could, and I also got a lot of help from the defence, which helped out a lot,” he stressed.
One of those defenceman who helped Bodnar get clean looks at the shots he faced was Brown, who made an impact on the ice despite not getting on the point sheet.
“I was really pleased with how I played as a whole,” Brown noted.
“I felt that I contributed a lot offensively, which I was very happy about, and my defensive play was very solid, as well.”
Bodnar is used to facing many of the top players in Ontario from his time with the Kings.
But this past week marked the first time Brown went up against the best of the best in his age group, facing a number of forwards who were drafted high in last month’s OHL Priority Selection.
“It was a real eye-opener to see their speed and how they use their hands as it is a heck of a lot different from what it is in the high school league here,” Brown stressed.
“As I was playing out there more and more, though, I felt that I was doing well in making adjustments to the speed, and I felt that I got used to the pace after I was out there for a little bit,” he added.
While Bodnar and Brown are uncertain as to where they’ll be playing next season, both will be taking valuable lessons from the Gold Cup.
“Now that I have seen and gone up against a lot of the top competition that is the province, I’ll be taking a few things to see what I can work on and what I can do to improve and make my game better,” Brown said.
“One of the biggest things that I’m going to take away from the whole experience is to just stay determined out there,” noted Bodnar.
“You just need to play hard and not worry so much about what the score is, and just do anything to try and play at your very best,” he reasoned.
