Mark Van Helvoirt knows these opportunities don鈥檛 come around too often, although the Victoria Cougars鈥� head coach seems to be the exception to that rule.
Van Helvoirt will lead his team into his fifth shot at the Cyclone Taylor Cup as a head man.
He is still looking for his first championship as the boss at the prestigious tournament, which features representation from the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League, Kootenay International Hockey League and Pacific Junior Hockey League.
It鈥檚 also his seventh time behind the bench at the event, winning it once as Craig Didmon鈥檚 assistant the last time the Cougars played as host in 2007.
Although the Cougars are once again the host, they enter the tournament as VIJHL champions having defeated the defending league, Cyclone Taylor Cup and Western Canadian champs, the Campbell River Storm, in six games last week.
鈥淚t would be awesome to do it for him and the coaching staff and just the entire organization,鈥� said Cougars captain John Kretzschmar. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the best coach I鈥檝e ever had, for sure. I came here pretty much out of midget hockey, not knowing much about systems, and he鈥檚 turned me into a complete player. I鈥檝e learned tons from him.鈥�
And Kretzschmar is not alone.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great coach who has led us to this point and winning it for him would be great,鈥� admitted starting Cougars netminder Anthony Ciurro, a 19-year-old from Peoria, Arizona.
The two players will be instrumental as the Cougars open Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against the KIJHL-champion 100 Mile House Wranglers after the PJHL-champion Mission City Outlaws face the VIJHL runners-up from Campbell River at 4 p.m. All games are at Archie Browning Sports Centre.
鈥淥bviously, with a chance to host here, we鈥檙e looking forward to another opportunity to try and push forward. There have been a lot of gold-medal games, but we haven鈥檛 found a way to win that game the last couple of years,鈥� said Van Helvoirt, who lost the 2012 final 3-2 in double-overtime to Abbotsford, then dropped a 4-1 decision to Richmond the next season.
鈥淎s a head coach you don鈥檛 want to question yourself, because I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 fair in a short tournament such as this, but you鈥檝e put in a lot of hard work and commitment as an organization,鈥� added Van Helvoirt, who also finished fourth with the Cougars in his first year as head man in 2008.
鈥淥bviously, the organization, leading up to this point, has put in endless hours this year. It would be a nice reward at the end of the day. But, at the end of the day, you control what you can control, so you want to play the way you can play.鈥�
Overall, it鈥檚 his eighth season as a head coach after three years as an associate with Didmon, following four years of playing for the Cougars.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a good week leading up here,鈥� he said of 2016. 鈥淲e鈥檝e done our homework on our opponents so we have a good idea as to what we鈥檙e facing. It鈥檚 important, in a short tournament like this, that you focus on the way that you play. You know their tendencies and strengths and weaknesses, but you want to be dialled in on how you play.鈥�
Winners of regulation-time games this week earn three points for a win, while overtime or shootout victors gain two points with the loser posting a single point, as the format has changed.
Round-robin play continues Friday and Saturday with medal games on Sunday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
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