Virden’s Ty Plaisier cannot wait to hit the ice with the Southwest Cougars at the Telus Cup Western Regionals next week.
The Cougars host the event, which runs April 28-May 1, at the Tundra Oil and Gas Place. The tournament victor advances to the U18 AAA national championship in Okotoks.
“I am extremely excited to play in front of my hometown,” said Plaiser, the son of Debra and Shawn. “I’m happy that my friends and family will be able to watch me play. Even though I am the only one from Virden, it’s still exciting for lots of other guys, as they live pretty close, and they will also have friends and family at the game.”
Virden had been slated to host the event in 2020 and 2021, but both were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Telus Cup Western Regionals pit the Cougars against the champs from the Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario U18 AAA leagues. From the latter, the Thunder Bay Kings are the representative. The two other playoff winners had not been determined at press time. Cougars forward and Pipestone product Luke MacKenzie said he is excited about the level of competition the team will face. Many players competing at the tournament will move onto the major junior and Junior A ranks.
“We know that every team there is going to be good, and they are there for a reason,” the son of Gavin and Cheryl MacKenzie said. “It is going to be a once in a lifetime experience and I am looking forward to being able to play in front of hopefully a big crowd.”
Southwest head coach Troy Leslie, a Virden resident and Elkhorn product, said that as the hosts, the Cougars have nothing to lose. Plaisier said, “It’s a very short tournament, and in hockey anything can happen.”
With a young roster featuring 11 15-year-old, the Cougars posted an 18-19-3 regular season record. In the playoffs, No. 8 Southwest was beaten by the top-seeded Brandon Wheat Kings (33-4-3).
“Playing for Southwest has been great,” MacKenzie said. “I have been fortunate enough to play with good people and to play for some great coaches. Our playoff run didn't go the way we wanted it to, but I think we are ready to play at our best level to hopefully win the championship. It is going to be a very exciting weekend and I am looking forward to every second of it.”
After their time in the league playoffs ended, the Cougars took some time off and then headed back to practice to prepare for the Western Regionals.
“When we brought them all back together, the one message I wanted to get through to them was ‘You know what, this has been like a mini-offseason for you. You’ve had some time to recharge your batteries. You guys who are 15 have to treat this like this is your 16-year-old year and you guys who are 16 have to treat it like it’s your 17-year-old year.’
“The benefit our young kids have had, just with the way our team is structured, is our 15-year-olds have had to play a lot this year. I want them to go in with the mindset that we are second-year midget players and we’re ready to roll and we know what to expect.”
Offensively, the Cougars score by committee. Six players accumulated between 30 and 40 points in the regular season. Killarney’s Austin Cuvelier paced the team with 40 points in 42 games. Fellow Killarney product Nicholas Cullen had a team-high 20 goals. MacKenzie posted 32 points with 14 goals. Plaisier led the Southwest defencemen with 26 points. Fellow blue liner Josh Fluker of Boissevain has played 10 games this season with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League.
Leslie said what has impressed him the most about the Cougars is how they play a well-structured team game. Southwest was among the best in the league with only 119 goals against. Leslie said the team has the luxury of having a standout goaltender in Owen LaRocque. The Wawanesa netminder had a 2.72 goals against average and a .912 save percentage in the regular season.
“We just have to make sure A: we’re not allowing odd man rushes, and B: we’re making sure we’re pushing people to the outside and make sure they’re taking shot from outside of the dots so he can make those first saves,” Leslie said.
Plaisier is excited to compete with his teammates in the prestigious Telus Cup Western Regionals.
“I wouldn’t bring a different group of guys into this tournament,” he said. “I’ve played with a lot of these guys for the last three or four years of my hockey life, and these are some of my best friends. We have gone through so much hockey together and we all want to finish it strong.”
Cougars Schedule
Thursday vs Thunder Bay, 8 pm
Friday vs Saskatchewan, 8 pm
Saturday vs Manitoba, 3:45 pm
