Herder bound CB Blues working hard to make a perfect season come together

By Craig Westcott

For some CB Blues fans, this month’s capture of the Avalon East Senior Hockey championship was a year overdue.

That’s because the team’s disciplined, fast moving style of play seemed to have set them on a course last season for their first league win, only to be eliminated by the eventual champions, the Clarenville Caribous, despite having dominated them in play during the semi-finals.

But club president and coach Jonathan Kavanagh is the first to give credit the Caribous, and to the St. John’s Caps, whom the Blues dominated this year in four straight games setting them on the way to their first ever Herder Trophy final to determine the top senior amateur hockey team in Newfoundland.

“It is exciting and almost a little bit of a relief to finally get that first one,” Kavanagh said of the league championship. “I haven’t actually looked this up, but I’m pretty confident that if we went back to 2018, we’ve lost in the playoffs to the eventual league champion every year… This is actually the first time we’ve ever been in the final of our league.”

Kavanagh said he was growing confident throughout the season that this was the year the Blues would win it. The team had a deep line up that other teams found hard to match.

Against the Caps, the Blues were able to roll out four fast skating, highly competitive lines, whereas the St. John’s squad often found itself shortening its bench to two lines.

“I think the depth was really what separated us against both teams that we played in the play-offs. Depth was the deal breaker,” Kavanagh said.

The reason for that depth is that the Blues probably have more players who have been away to play major junior and higher levels of hockey on the mainland during their younger years. 

“It’s those guys who have played that real competitive hockey their whole lives that really have the ability to elevate and get to this time of year, knowing that you’ve got to make yourself a little bit better and you’ve got to be a little finer tuned to detail,” Kavanagh said. “Of the 25 on our roster, 17 or 18 maybe have played away, if not more. It is a lot, but that is not uncommon for our league now. Just in general, our league has got to a whole new level of competitiveness since I first got involved many years ago. And even in the last five years, there’s a new rebirth of kids coming home a little bit earlier than they were years ago and jumping in and playing senior hockey right away. So, in my opinion, the league is younger than it’s ever been and its stronger than it’s ever been for that exact reason, that there’s a higher number of kids who have played away who are available.”

Four of the Caribous, for example, whom the Blues will meet again next month when they host the Allan Cup in Kelligrews, actually played hockey as professionals. 

What differentiates the Blues from other clubs is the players’ self-discipline, refusing to take the bait when opponents fail to slow them down and turn to dirty play in the hopes of throwing them off their game. That, and their strength inside the other team’s blueline. The Blues’ offensive zone style, exemplified by captain Kyle Tibbo, is characterized by smart and creative positional play, and quick puck movement with lots of short passes and unexpected shots at the net.

“All the credit for that goes to the players themselves, wo have committed to play a certain style,” said Kavanagh. “We do practice every week and we do have team meetings to go over this stuff, but ultimately, compared to a pro team, we’re not practicing as often, so it comes down to the commitment of the players to do it in games and to work it out on the bench. And again, we’ve had so many players who have played away, that it’s easy for them to adapt to new styles and new linemates.”

The team’s main core of players has been the same for a few years too, Kavanagh noted, and the coaching staff, led by former pro hockey player Morgan Warren, also deserves credit, not only for insisting on the disciplined style of play the team uses, but for maintaining accountability.

It leaves the Blues in strong shape to face the champions from the Central West Senior Hockey League in the Herder finals. At the time of this writing, that league’s final is still being settled between the Grand Falls Cataracts and the Deer Lake Red Wings. The Wings swept the Herder in four straight games last year.

“It’s going to be a good team, either way,” Kavanagh said. “Both Deer Lake and Grand Falls have put together really strong teams. Grand Falls upset Corner Brook in the first round, not only by putting them out, but by doing it in a one-sided fashion, and at the start of the year, Corner Brooked was looked at as being the better team.”

In addition to local players, many of whom like the Blues have played away, each of the CWHL teams are allowed to carry three imports from outside the province. Grand Falls has two defenceman that played pro hockey, as well as two former Newfoundlanders now living on the mainland, one of whom played pro, the other top calibre college hockey.

“So, they’ve really padded their lineup,” said Kavanagh. “And out in Deer Lake there has not been a lot of turnover from last year… They have an impressive D-core, A bunch of the guys played university sports, or in the Q (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) or Junior A. And then they’ve got two import forwards, one of which actually was supposed to be on France’s Olympic team. He also played in the World Juniors years ago.”

But Deer Lake’s biggest advantage, may be its goaltender.

“They’ve added Keith Kincaid, who two or three years ago was playing for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL,” said Kavanagh. “He has 169 games played, I think, so he was a legit NHLer.”

In the first two games of the finals, Kincaid back-to-back shutouts. “So, he’s a real difference maker,” said Kavanagh.

The Blues are awaiting word from Hockey Newfoundland on whether they will be allowed to pick up “strengthening players” from within their own league for the Herder, like the teams from the Central West League were allowed to do the past few years. (Editor’s Note: Since this story was published, Hockey Newfoundland decided that Deer Lake, which won the CWHL title, can add two more imports to its roster, despite the protests of the CB Blues)

“We feel pretty strongly that the fact that they have imports should eliminate their access to strengthening players,” Kavanagh said.

In any case, the Blues are excited to meet whichever team comes in for the Herder. The first two games will be played at the CBS Arena this weekend.

“We’re confident in our team,” said Kavanagh. “I’ve looked at both teams’ rosters and I’ve watched some of their teams’ games recently, I think straight up roster against roster it will be a great series with either team having the ability to win. We’re excited to take them on, roster versus roster.”

One factor that might make a difference, he allowed, is fan support.

“The fan support is so important,” Kavanagh said. “We were really amazed down at Mile One. I’d go so far as to say 75 per cent of the fans were Blues fans. Even after we won and we were on the ice and looking up, we were recognizing so many faces and we saw people wearing Blues hoodies and Blues jerseys, it was really nice to see. A bunch of them crowded around behind our team picture. And that’s going to be important for the Herder. Our players love nothing more than when they come out for a game and the stadium is full. It just gives you that extra little push, that extra little giddy up… It’s a huge factor for us at home. It means a lot to us, and it’s a big part of what we’ve been trying to build over the years. It’s a long time coming on the ice, but we’ve also spent a lot of time building a following off the ice as well, so it’s nice to see it all come together.”

HEADING TO THE HERDER—The Baker Flooring CB Blues are heading to the Herder Trophy finals for the first time ever after sweeping the St. John’s Caps in four games in the championship series of the Avalon East Senior Hockey League. Celebrating the win at the Mary Brown’s Centre March 13 were, starting in the back row, from left: PA Announcer Sheldon Barker, Asst. Equipment Managers Nathan Farewell and Aiden Foley, Head Equipment Manager Trevor Blackler, President Pat Rose, Cole Gosse, Nathan Kelly, Tyler Wall, Danny Wicks, Zach Moody, Liam Smith, Nathan Tucker, Head Coach Morgan Warren, Andrew Ryan, Coach Bob Stead, Alex Doody, Athletic Therapist Ben Dooley, Avery Heath, Coach Keith Neary, Coach Derrick Kent, Nolan Cleary, Adam Janes, General Manager and Coach Jonathan Kavanagh; and in the front row, from left: Trainer Ben Eason, Brad Connors, Treasurer Aaron Perry, Dawson O’Toole-Didham, Nick Lindstrom, Jack Connors, Matt Jenkins, Jimmy Kennedy, Kyle Tibbo, Tyler Nickson, Andrew Rose, Brandon Bussey, Lee Dower, and Kris Hodge. The Blues will tangle with the champions from the Central West Senior Hockey League in the first game of the Herder series tomorrow (Friday) night at CBS Arena. Story page 13. Photo courtesy of Geoffrey Hynes, NLDivisionX Sports Photography