Isles icing a winner

Seafair coach says skill alone doesn’t guarantee success

Don Fennell, Sports Editor

In the spring of 2003, goaltender Paven Sangara stood tall as Seafair skated to the B.C. Peewee AA hockey championship. But last year the Islanders failed to even make the provincials, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of the veteran players on the now second-year Bantam A team.

“It was major disappointment for us, and a surprise to a lot of hockey people,” coach Ken Hamaguchi says. “We started off strong by winning the (Seafair) Icebreaker tournament as well as having good results in tournaments in Victoria and South Delta, but unfortunately we ran out of gas at the end. This year we hope to reverse that trend and get strong as the year goes on. So far, we seem to be going in that direction.”

The Islanders are coming off a 3-1-1 record at this year’s Icebreaker, played last weekend at the Richmond Ice Centre. Their loss, 4-3, was to a team from Ashburn, Virginia which scored on a penalty shot in overtime in Sunday’s semifinals.

“Although the loss was a disappointment, it was probably the most exciting game of the tournament,” Hamaguchi said. “I was proud of how the boys responded without having Trevor (captain Hamaguchi was serving a one-game suspension) on the ice. A lot of players stepped up. This was our first real test and despite the third-place finish it gave the boys an idea of the high level of hockey they will have to play if we are going to be successful this year.”

The team started the year slowly, which coach Hamaguchi attributes in part to scheduling too many games and not enough practices.

“Since that has changed you can see the improvements,” he says, adding one of the Islanders’ goals is to play in the Tier one group along with the likes of the North Shore Winter Club, Burnaby Winter Club, Abbotsford, South Delta and Maple Ridge.

“We won’t be able to consistently beat them, but we feel if the boys work hard and play smart we can give them a good game,” he says. “As for the other five teams in 11-team division, we feel we can be competitive with all of them and be a serious contender for the provincial title.”

The Islanders are led offensively by Trevor Hamaguchi, who is regarded throughout the province as one of the top players in Bantam Division hockey. The team will rely on his leadership and scoring prowess.

But Hamaguchi also has a good support cast that includes gritty Sam Smith who plays a physical game but can also put the puck in the net, Landen Huculak, considered by the coaching staff to be “one of the top ’91 born players in the province,” Jaime Manhas, a strong defensive player who also handles the puck well, and Sangara who will again be the anchor in goal.

But while the Islanders may have plenty of skill, coach Hamaguchi says that alone won’t guarantee the team success.

“There are so many teams with a lot of good players, but that doesn’t mean they will be good teams,” he says. “For a team to be successful the players not only have to be skilled but disciplined, unselfish and willing to work hard every shift.”

The goal is to have all the players buy into the same game plan, avoid taking stupid penalties, and play as a team not as individuals.

“I think we can,” he says. “They are very focused and overall I am very optimistic about this year.”

•Juan de Fuca won the Bantam A title with a 7-5 win over Ashburn. Vancouver Thunderbirds edged Kamloops Raiders 4-3 for the B Division title, while Hollyburn Huskies topped Alaska All-stars 5-1 for Peewee A honours, and Surrey Hurricanes shaded Tier-Cities Junior Americans 5-4 for the B crown.