|
|
|
|
THIS IS MY STORY - The Thrill of Victory
March 5, 2008 THIS IS MY STORY - The Thrill of Victory Before ever stepping onto the ice in a Broncos' jersey, Western Michigan freshman Ryan Watson had already won two championships with the Cambridge Winter Hawks of the Midwestern Junior Hockey League. After hoisting the Sutherland Cup twice, Watson not only became hooked on playoff hockey, but he also had an opportunity to face off against a future classmate and roommate.
Bragging Rights
Winning the Sutherland Cup, which is awarded to the Ontario Junior B Provincial Champion, for the first time in the 2005-2006 season with the Cambridge Winter Hawks, was my first eye-opener to what playoffs are all about. Being one of many young players on the team, I learned a lot that postseason and it really helped me mature as a player. I can honestly say that it was one of the most definitive moments in my career. It was also when I fell in love with playoff hockey. With my new passion for playoffs I just couldn't wait to make the run again.
Being the defending champs and returning a strong core of players, the following season we had a lot of pressure on us to repeat. I knew that now, being an experienced veteran, I would have to be a leader and show the young guys what it takes to win. After the feeling of last year, nothing was going to stop us from accomplishing our goal once again. Not even a future teammate.
I committed to Western Michigan early on in the 2007 season, as did my future teammate and fellow freshman Max Campbell. Max played out of the Western Junior B league for the Strathroy Rockets. Cambridge is in the Midwestern league and there was never a chance for Max and I to play each other until the Sutherland Cup rolled around. After a three-team round-robin between Cambridge, Strathroy and St. Catherine's to determine which two teams would compete for the Cup, it was only destiny that matched Max's Strathroy Rockets against myself and the Winter Hawks.
The series was a best of seven, with my team possessing home-ice advantage. Each game was an intense battle and all of the games ended very close. It was a little odd that my first introduction to my future roommate was lining up as opposition for a draw. For that series it did not matter that we would be living with each other for the next four years. We brought everything we had to the table each night, competing against each other as hard as we could. I remember a few times having scrums in front of the net and going straight after Max. Every time there was a chance to make a hit or win a battle against each other we gave it our best.
It turned out that I was not the only player in Cambridge who had realized a passion for playoffs. The Winter Hawks ended up sweeping the Rockets in four games to once again hoist the Cup that we liked to claim as our own. It was a hard-fought series on both sides but our experience and confidence proved vital at the end of the day. It was something that I will always remember, and I am sure the same goes for Max. Hope there are no hard feelings!
|
