WESTVILLE
“It’s a lot of fun, such a big improvement,” says Thomas Schnare, captain of the Pictou County Major Bantam Bombers, when asked about the difference a year can make.
“It feels good to win games.”
Schnare, a second-year Bomber, missed almost all of last season with a broken leg and said it was difficult for him, “not being able to play and not having our team do well.”
This year’s edition of the Wear-Well Bombers has won five of its past seven games and is 8-6-2 on the season, after the program went through a couple of grim seasons: in 33 Nova Scotia Major Bantam Hockey League games last year, the Bombers had a won-loss record of 1-30-2, the same record as the previous year.
“I hate dwelling on the past,” says coach Jon Sim, who wanted to change the culture in his first year at the Bantam level: by that, he meant to turn a culture of losing into one of winning.
“Last year was last year and this year, we have a new attitude and thinking – believing we can win. So now here we are, and let’s keep moving forward.”
Pictou County, unlike the past couple of seasons in which offence was hard to come by, can score enough goals to keep the wolves away from the door: in 14 games, Matt Carson had 18 points (11G, 7A), rookie Landon Sim has 14 (6G, 8A) and Ryan Green and Cale MacLaughlin have a dozen points apiece.
The Bombers have also fought through injuries the first couple of months: a few players have missed several games, the most lengthy being Lucas Canning, who has only played five games and is still out for another couple of weeks with a lower-body injury.
“We’re finding ways to do it,” says Sim.
“We’ve had injuries, suspensions, and we’re still managing to pick up wins. That’s why I say it’s been a successful season so far.”
Schnare said the first-year Bantams – all six of them were part of a Peewee AAA Crushers team that won silver at Atlantics last spring – bring speed to the Bombers lineup, and “the maturity of the players who played last year helps, too.”
The Bombers will be one of 18 Bantam AAA teams competing this week at the annual Monctonian Tournament, which starts Thursday.
Pictou County is in a pool with the Western Hurricanes (Liverpool, N.S.), the Fredericton Blues and Central Attack (P.E.I.).
Second-year Bantams:
Tyler Matchem, Thomas Schnare, Matt Carson, Ryan Green, Cale MacLaughlin, Tobin MacLean, David Matthews, Iain Horton, Robert Kraitzek, Skyler Earle, Calvin Denny, Landen MacDonald.
First-year Bantams:
Thomas Gariepy, Blaise MacDonald, Landon Sim, Kiefer Avery, Lucas Canning, Cameron Young.
