However, with the addition of some key players and opening of a brand-new home rink, the CeeBees have high hopes and great expectations entering the 2016-17 Avalon East season, which begins 8 o’clock Friday night, when the Northeast Eagles host the Bell Island Blues at Jack Byrne Arena in Torbay.
The Harbour Grace Ocean Enterprise CeeBees play their first game 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Danny Cleary Harbour Grace Community Centre, where they host the defending champion St. John’s Green Sleeves Caps.
Last season, the Caps won all five games in their season series with the CeeBees, outscoring them 37-13 in process. Those contests were typical part of what was a schedule full of lopsided losses for the CBN side, often played out before thin crowds at SW Moores Stadium in Harbour Grace.
"It was something I had never been through," said CeeBees forward Daniel Sparkes, who was injured much of the season. "It was tough."
"You have to learn what you can from last year and learn from it. We don't want to go through another year like we did.”
There’s good reason to believe they won’t.
While the CeeBees’ AESHL re-entry proved difficult, there is much optimism for this follow-up campaign for the Ian Moores-coached club. That’s in large part because of the acquisition of goaltender A. J. Whiffen, which actually became possible because of CBN’s last-place finish in 2015-16.
Whiifen backstopped the Grand Falls-Windsor Cataracts to three straight Herder Memorial Trophy provincial senior championships and had been twice selected the Central-West league’s top netminder. But when — for whatever reasons — the Cataracts and Whiiffen couldn’t agree on terms for his return to the team, he entered his name in the AESHL pre-season draft and was snapped up by the CeeBees, holders of the first overall pick.
Then, netminding depth was assured with a trade for Doug Pippy, who had been the Southern Shore Pugliesvich Breakers’ No. 1 starter last season.
The CeeBees also benefitted when Harbour Grace native and former captain Matthew Thomey — who had been working on the province’s west coast and playing for the CWSHL’s Corner Brook Royals — got a job offer on the eastern side of the province, leading to the veteran forward’s return to the fold.
The defence has been bolstered by Sam Roberts, taking his first turn in the provincial senior ranks after seven years as a pro, two in the ECHL and the last five in Europe. The arrival of the 32-year-old St. John’s native and return to health of rearguard Fred Earle also means that CeeBees captain Robert Slaney, who spent a lot of time on the thinned-out blueline last season, can be counted on for regular turns in his normal position at forward.
The additions of Whiffen, Pippy, Thomey and Roberts and health of Earle and Sparkes have team president Mark Reynolds and the rest of the executive rethinking the five-year plan they had originally laid out — one which figured on a number lean years at the beginning — may be have to be rejigged.
"We're extremely excited with the team," said Reynolds. "We think we'll be a force to be reckoned with.
“We're that much far ahead this year."
