FRONTS HAPPY TO BE BACK TOGETHER
Doug Graham
Sam Bennett has been bursting with excitement to get back to Kingston.
Bennett, like everyone else around the Kingston Frontenacs, senses a good Ontario Hockey League season is coming.
“I have been thinking about (training camp) for a month now. We are going to have a great team this year,” said Bennett, who was among a group that skated and took shots at 6 p.m. after Black and White teams had worked out under head coach Todd Gill and assistant coach Jeff Reid.
Bennett’s group included Spencer Watson and Roland McKeown. All were on Team Canada for its gold-medal win at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka under-17 world hockey tournament.
So naturally, the Bennett group was the Gold team. Ryan Kujawinski, Henri Ikonen, Darcy Greenaway and goaltender Matt Mahalak were the other players.
Indeed the golden group are the players who have Kingston stacking up as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
“We are definitely going to be contenders in the east this year,” Bennett said.
“Looking at our team it’s as good as it was last year just with more experience and maybe even more skill now. It’s definitely going to be a great year for us.”
Sophomore defenceman Dylan DiPerna, who general manager Doug Gilmour and the coaching staff see as player with a rising projection on the club, worked on the blue-line for Team White Thursday.
He, too, was a happy returnee.
“It is exciting coming back here knowing kind of what to expect, having a year under my belt. I couldn’t be more excited to start the season,” DiPerna said.
He comes in off a good summer of training and skating with confidence high from the way he finished last season.
“Knowing the league helps, too. How to play against certain players and just getting used to the pace,” said DiPerna, who scored two goals and had seven points in 46 games.
DiPerna said the team’s talent is there.
“We’ve got a lot of size now, a lot of skill. Guys are now in their second and third year here and know what to expect,” he said.
“We have a new goaltender (overage Mahalak) and his experience on the back end is good for us because we are still a young team.”
DiPerna was all for getting right into camp with the first Thursday on-ice workout followed by Friday’s two scrimmages.
“Absolutely. Just to get back in that skating shape and to be able to compete again is great,” DiPerna said.
