Game On Magazine - April 2017 GameOn-Apr2017-P001-144-ONLINE | Page 22

MANITOBA MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Rybuck, Mathews
Give Raiders
Some Hope
By John Ploszay
Photos by Jeff Miller and James Carey Lauder
I
Raiders Junior Hockey Club owner/
president Ned Sanders thought his team
would be one of the real contenders this
season, especially after they got off to a
great start. But it’s always a long campaign
and after five grueling months, the Raiders
claimed the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey
League’s sixth playoff spot. Still, thanks
to stars such as Carson Rybuck, Nicholas
Mathews and 2016 MVP Tanner Magalas,
the Raiders certainly had a reason
to be optimistic.
22 GAME ON 2017 PLAYOFF EDITION
t’s been said that rebellions are built on hope. So too, are the play-
offs. For the Raiders Junior Hockey Club, the regular season would
suggest that all hope might be lost, but with a lineup that includes
veteran stars such as Tanner Magalas, Carson Rybuck and Nick Mathews,
there is always a chance.
At the start of the 2016-17 season most MMJHL observers felt the Raid-
ers Junior Hockey Club would finish first overall. Although the Raiders
lost their superstar goalie Brendan Fiebelkorn, goaltending responsibili-
ties were handed over to the very capable Ryan Brown and with a solid
core of returnees including Mathews, Rybuck and 2016 league MVP Ma-
galas, selecting the Raiders as the team to beat was almost a default
choice.
Through the first 15 games this season they lost only three times, but
then, for reasons known only by coaches and experts, things went south.
In the end, the Raiders finished with 51 points in 45 games and while they
easily locked down the MMJHL’s sixth playoff spot, team president Ned
Sanders believed they should have been so much better.
Still, for four-year veterans Nicholas Mathews
and Carson Rybuck there was no reason to
panic. Both players are true believers and
are steadfast in the view that it’s not how
you start but how you finish.
“Our team has struggled now and
then and we’ve underachieved this
year,” said Mathews. “However, we’re
working hard and getting back to the
basics. We’ve had some bad bounces
go against us but we’ll be in the thick of
things come playoff time and we plan to
go all the way.”
As they say, “Any good come back needs
some true believers,” and Mathews and Rybuck
are true believers. However, as veterans, they both know that there are
things that must be changed
Playing smarter is the key for Rybuck. Known as an agitator on the
ice, the 5-foot-9, 185-pound ball of energy says he’s toned it down and
is ready to prove he can get the job done and be a leader in the post
season.
“I’m trying to play smarter and maintain my grit on the ice without
getting in trouble with the refs,” he said with a laugh. “I think of myself