Bateman and Adamo Chase OHL Cup History
For many players competing in the OHL Cup Showcase Tournament, it symbolizes the end of a minor hockey career with just one opportunity to win top prize on the minor midget circuit.
But for Adam Bateman and Robert Adamo this opportunity has come around again, and they are on the verge of something special.
They were teammates on the underdog 2010 OHL Cup Champion Mississauga Rebels as underage players and have found themselves in the hunt again on Saturday morning with Bateman’s Don Mills Flyers and Adamo’s Toronto Jr. Canadiens both in Quarter-Final matchups.
They are looking to become the first two-time OHL Cup Champions in history.
“Last year we were ranked something like 18th coming into the tournament,” Bateman recalls. “We caught a lot of teams by surprise and with every game we won the boys got more and more excited in the room, we had so much fun.”
Bateman played most of last season with the Rebels, while Adamo joined the club midway through the season, playing only a few games up until Rebels’ injuries put him in the role of starting goalie.
“I was definitely freaking out when I played that first game last year,” Adamo says of his first OHL Cup. “The coaches calmed me down, told me to relax and play my game. Adam and I are great friends and he helped me a lot last year, gave me tips on all of the other teams which made me feel better.”
On the other side of the ice, Jordan Subban was on the losing end the Rebels’ 2-1 win over the Toronto Marlies also playing as call up. Another unique opportunity, he looks forward to a shot at redemption.
“It hurt a lot last year,” Subban said. “I only played a couple of games but looking around the room everyone was devastated, I am lucky to have another shot and don’t want to feel like that again.”
The chance to win the title for a second time and create an elite place in OHL Cup history excites both Bateman and Adamo, but doing it with this year’s group of players would make it even more special.
“This group of guys, we are all like brothers,” said Adamo, MVP of the 2010 Final. “Winning it once was amazing, to do it again, that’s the biggest thing you can do at this age and it would be unbelievable.”
“I’ve told the boys this year to relax and just work our butts off,” said Bateman. “Last year we were not the most talented but we just worked so hard. Winning it was the greatest feeling and to do it again, there would be nothing better.”
– by Paul Krotz/OHL