It takes competing against the best to become the best.
That’s an opinion shared by coaches Brian Casey and Shane Lukinchuk when it comes to the game of hockey.
The duo runs Impact Hockey, a pay-to-play group for those looking to take their game to the next level.
A team of those players, born in 2006, will be heading out of the province next week for the Montreal Meltdown, one of the biggest spring hockey tournaments that exists, featuring teams from Canada and the United States. The tournament has seen the likes of Connor McDavid, John Tavares and Jonathan Toews participate over the past 26 years.
Casey also serves as the coach of King’s-Edgehill School’s boys’ prep hockey program in Nova Scotia, so he’s picking up a couple of players he’s familiar with from that venture to join the team as well.
Team Impact Hockey 2006 begins play on May 11 against Rebels AAA of Quebec.
Included in those suiting up for the Impact Hockey squad are four players from the area who are hoping to shine on a big stage:
Marcus Kearsey
From: Deer Lake
Parents: Ed Kearsey and Kim Sheehan
Age: 12
Age he started playing: 3
Position: Defence
Favourite thing about hockey: “I love the intensity and the competition. And it’s a lifelong sport, so that’s good.”
Most looking forward to about Montreal: “I’m excited to meet new people, compete against other top teams, and just enjoy the experience as much as possible.”
Anthony Molloy
From: Deer Lake
Parents: Colin Molloy and Lorraine Bloom
Age: 11
Age he started playing: 5
Position: Defenceman
Favourite thing about hockey: “It’s just a lot of fun.”
Most looking forward to about Montreal: “I’m looking forward to the competition and playing with my friends.”
Ethan Janes
From: Corner Brook
Parents: Kirby Janes and Jodi-Lynn Dobbin
Age: 11
Age he started playing: 5
Position: Right wing
Favourite thing about hockey: “I like it all, I just like the sport of hockey in general.”
Most looking forward to about Montreal: “Playing against competitive players from different parts of the country.”
Joseph Wiseman
From: Corner Brook
Parents: Glen and Brooke Wiseman
Age: 12
Age he started playing: 7
Position: Defence
Favourite thing about hockey: “It definitely teaches you to work hard to get where you want to be. If you want to be good at something, you’ve really got to work hard.”
Most looking forward to about Montreal: “It’s fun to play other teams from outside the province. It’s going to be really competitive, and I like hockey that’s really competitive.”
