New coach has Jr. Sens back on winning track.
A shot from Jr. Senators forward Devon Rice, right, slides just past the Hawks' goaltender Dean Shepherdson's net during Ottawa's 5-3 win on Oct. 5 at the Jim Durrell Complex.
Matthew Jay
Often good news comes in bunches.
For the Ottawa Jr. Senators, good news has taken the form of a new coach and general manager and three wins in a row capped by a 5-3 win over the Hawkesbury Hawks on Oct. 5 at the Jim Durrell Complex.
The new man behind the bench for the Jr. Sens is Rick Dorval, who spent the past two seasons with the Gloucester Rangers.
“He really brings a very modern coaching approach,” said club president Fred Crouch. “And from what I’ve been able to see, the kids enjoy playing for him.”
Dorval was hired on Sept. 28 and his arrival has led to wins over Kanata and Kemptville in addition to Hawkesbury.
Crouch described Dorval as somewhat of an uncompromising figure, but said he expected that kind of approach would be just what his team needs at this point in the season.
“He’s a little different character than what we’re used to around here, but I think that’s exactly what the boys need,” he said. “He expects these players to perform and the one thing he’ll tell you is that he really despises a lackadaisical-type effort. He demands that the players play at the level they’re capable of, shift in and shift out.”
The chance to coach a skilled roster of players and to get involved and gain experience in the hockey operations side of a club both played a factor in his decision to join the Jr. Sens, Dorval said.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said. “It’s something I wanted to do. Coming in I though we’d be (among the) top six. I talked with (interim general manager) Darren (Graff) and that’s what the expectations were, but coming in here I see all the talent and I expect more out of these guys. I told them I expect big things and we’re going to work together to make that happen.”
After working with a team last season that boasted players like Andrew Creppin, who scored 361 points in 284 games for Gloucester, and Nathan Pancel, who is now playing with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League, Dorval said the Jr. Sens players bring a number of intangibles he didn’t have with the Rangers.
“There’s a lot more depth here,” he said. “I think every night we can roll four lines and be successful. I don’t think too many kids can say they’re not happy with their roles. There’s a lot of skill – the power play shows. We got four power play goals tonight.”
Against Hawkesbury, his charges showed signs of living up to Dorval’s expectations, dictating play for much of the first two periods before the game got a bit chippy in the third.
The Jr. Sens got a pair of goals from forward Devon Rice, who sits third in Central Canada Hockey League scoring with 17 points. Riley Hennigar, Deric Boudreau and Matt Rosebrook also added goals for Ottawa, while Anthony Sanniti, Stefano Momesso and Jake Martin scored for the Hawks.
Eddie Zdolshek stopped 18 of 21 shots to earn his fourth win of the season in goal for the Jr. Sens. Former Ottawa goaltender Dean Shepherdson made 22 saves for Hawkesbury in a losing effort.