Trappers Day in the Bay showcases local talent

It was billed as a day to celebrate the legacy of a name synonymous with North Bay hockey and the best that the local minor and junior teams now bearing it have to offer – and the results of the first-ever “Trappers Day in the Bay” did not disappoint organizers.

“We’re happy...two of the four Trappers teams came away with W’s”, said Jr. A Trappers president Chris Dawson.

“I think it`s a tremendous idea, I think there`s a lot of things we can do more to make it bigger and better next year,” Dawson said.

“There’s never been a day like this before.”

The Peewee and Bantam Trappers both fell in their contests to start the day, 3-2 and 12-3 respectively, to teams from the Soo. But the midget AAA Trappers then came out in the afternoon and dominated New Liskeard 6-1.

That was despite missing four key players, including Brodie Whitehead and Brett Hargrave, who injured his shoulder in Saturday`s game.

Danny Desrochers gave the fans something to cheer about with a hat trick, while Kyle Baril scored twice and added an assist for the third-place Trappers (11-6-2). Cody Levasseur and Jake Staples also chipped in with two helpers each, and Kenny Appleby was solid between the pipes to earn the win.

Desrochers says he and his teammates, who regularly play home games at West Ferris Arena, were pumped up about the chance to play at Memorial Gardens.

“It was great, it was a big difference...in our play,” said Desrochers, who feels the larger Gardens ice was a direct factor in enabling his scoring chances.

“Everyone was focused, and they were all happy to play here `cuz we were having trouble in West Ferris, it`s just too small," Desrochers said.

Midget head coach John Couch was pleased with the win.

“Our guys stayed focused,” Couch said.

“The guys played the system pretty well tonight, they locked their wings off in the neutral zone, which just brings pucks to you.”

Couch says there’s no question he’d like to see more midget games played at the Gardens.

“I’ve let it be known to everybody in the organization that we want to play here,” Couch said, while at the same time conceding that playing a full midget schedule would be hard with the Junior Trappers and Lakers already being primary tenants.

Thus, moving from West Ferris, Couch says, could end up being counter-productive.

“As a coach, I want the players to feel at home playing at home.”

Still, the idea does appear to have some legs going forward.

“Next year, we’re seriously gonna look at...(trying) to do the doubleheader thing with the midgets next season,” said Dawson.

As for attendance, Dawson noted between 200 and 300 turned out for the peewee game.

"I`m sure that they don`t ever get that kind of numbers, they don`t get a chance to play in this rink," Dawson said.

A similar size crowd turned out to see the midget game, while nearly 800 saw the Jr. A Trappers beat Sudbury 3-2 in a shootout in the nightcap. Head coach Ian Swalucynski says his team was able to feed off the extra energy and buzz in the building on Sunday.

“There’s like a tournament atmosphere, it felt kinda nice,” Swalucynski said.

The event also gave hockey people a chance to see what the younger Trappers may have to offer down the road. Among those at the rink Sunday was former NHLer Mark Hunter, now with the OHL’s London Knights.

"When you have a big day like this...it gives an opportunity for more scouts to come out," Dawson said.

"It's so practical for the teams to be able to do that."

Sunday also marked the debut of the Trappers Donut at local Tim Horton`s stores. Sales were said to be brisk, with some stores even selling out of the red, white and blue sprinkled vanilla dips.

The Trappers Donut will continue to be available on Jr. A Trappers game days this season.