Sput
01-12-2007, 03:50 AM
from: www.princegeorgecitizen.com
Friday, January 12, 2007
Wasting no time, Bowles to start in Kelowna
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
The Prince George Cougars are going to waste little time in getting Scott Bowles back in action.
The 20-year-old goaltender, reacquired on Wednesday after a difficult stint in the Ontario Hockey League, is expected to get the nod tonight when the Cougars play in Kelowna against the Rockets.
Bowles arrived in Kelowna on Thursday, reunited with some teammates he knew for two seasons in Prince George, and he couldn’t be happier to be a Cougar.
“I was disappointed to leave Prince George, I never wanted to in the first place,” said Bowles.
“When the opportunity came up, I didn’t hesitate. My first word was ‘absolutely.’ There’s no other place I’d rather finish than in Prince George. I loved my time there, loved what the organization did for me, and they never treated me poorly. It was great to see the guys, I gave Real (Cyr) a big hug and it’s good to be back.”
Not only do the Cougars want to get him back in the swing as soon as possible, but part of the reason for rushing him back to the crease is that Bowles’ good friend, 19-year-old Cyr, is still not back to 100 per cent from a knee problem he picked up before Christmas. That was clear in last week’s home win over Moose Jaw.
“That’s the plan, start him and see how he goes,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck.
“I plan to ask him if he’s ready to go, with the travel he’s gone through. I hear he’s traditionally played well in Kelowna. The guys are happy to have him back, and they realize now that if Cyr goes down the whole season won’t go down with it.”
Bowles has spent many an hour wondering why his time in the OHL was so rough. He was 2-8-0-0 with a 4.38 goals-against average and .862 save percentage, was traded from Owen Sound to Windsor as a late throw-in, and was eventually waived through the league.
“I want to get back in as soon as I can,” said Bowles. “If I had an explanation (for his OHL record) I’m sure I’d still be out there, but I really don’t. It is frustrating, it was frustrating. It’s been a frustrating year. I’d go into games feeling good, feeling ready, and after I’d look back and wonder what just happened. I’ve never looked at stats, but I know they’re not good, and I’d like to think they don’t tell the whole story, yet I’m accountable for my own play. In order to stay positive, I’ll stick to that thinking.”
Bowles was hardly surprised he was available to return to the WHL.
“I really appreciate the way Windsor handled it — the GM asked about a week before if I had other options I’d want to pursue,” said Bowles.
“They laid out what was going to happen the rest of the year, and they supported me. It was a classy move on their part.”
Bowles said there are clear differences between the OHL and WHL.
“It’s very different — I found the professionalism of the league, compared to the WHL, was a step below,” said the goaltender.
“I’m talking about organizations, the people who run the league... everyone approaches it in a professional manner (in the WHL). Going to games here, you’re always in a suit, whereas in the OHL you wear track suits to away games. They were things I hadn’t seen before, not since my minor hockey days.
“Overall, I think the (OHL) has less systems. There are systems, but it’s looser. I don’t think there’s a drop-off in skill level, but the way things are approached from an overall professional standpoint is not to the level of the WHL.”
The Kelowna airport was a busy place for Cougar sightings as Bowles wasn’t the only player to rejoin the club on Thursday.
“Bowles just got in, Jesse Dudas just got in, and we don’t know where (Vladimir Mihalik) is,” said Schoneck. “We think he’s stormed in somewhere, flight issues, but we plan to use him (today) if he gets here in time, which we think he will. With Jesse, we’re not sure if he’s been skating much, so we’ll see.”
Mihalik played for the Slovakian squad at the world juniors in Sweden, and was given an extra week off.
Devin Setoguchi is back in Prince George after having his knee checked out by the medical staff of the San Jose Sharks, and Schoneck said the hope is that he’ll be able to return Tuesday, when the Cougars welcome the Kelowna Rockets to CN Centre. The current four-game road trip ends Saturday in Kamloops.
Aside from Cyr’s knee, Dudas’s knee and conditioning and Setoguchi’s malady, Schoneck said there’s just one injury concern.
“Evan Fuller’s hand is a little beat up from beating it on (Myles Stoesz’s) face, but he played in Portland,” Schoneck said, referring to a fight Tuesday in Chilliwack involving the Bruins tough guy who was traded to Regina on Wednesday.
n Ex-Cougars defenceman Curtis Cooper, released in October when Bowles was cut loose, has been set free by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and has signed to finish his 20-year-old season with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Other members of the Traders include ex-Cougars draft pick Jonathan Li, former Lethbridge Hurricane Kyle Pess, and starting goalie Shannon Szabados, the top women’s goaltender in Canada right now. Szabados, a 20-year-old who was briefly with Tri-City, is 21-6-3 with a 2.32 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Wasting no time, Bowles to start in Kelowna
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
The Prince George Cougars are going to waste little time in getting Scott Bowles back in action.
The 20-year-old goaltender, reacquired on Wednesday after a difficult stint in the Ontario Hockey League, is expected to get the nod tonight when the Cougars play in Kelowna against the Rockets.
Bowles arrived in Kelowna on Thursday, reunited with some teammates he knew for two seasons in Prince George, and he couldn’t be happier to be a Cougar.
“I was disappointed to leave Prince George, I never wanted to in the first place,” said Bowles.
“When the opportunity came up, I didn’t hesitate. My first word was ‘absolutely.’ There’s no other place I’d rather finish than in Prince George. I loved my time there, loved what the organization did for me, and they never treated me poorly. It was great to see the guys, I gave Real (Cyr) a big hug and it’s good to be back.”
Not only do the Cougars want to get him back in the swing as soon as possible, but part of the reason for rushing him back to the crease is that Bowles’ good friend, 19-year-old Cyr, is still not back to 100 per cent from a knee problem he picked up before Christmas. That was clear in last week’s home win over Moose Jaw.
“That’s the plan, start him and see how he goes,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck.
“I plan to ask him if he’s ready to go, with the travel he’s gone through. I hear he’s traditionally played well in Kelowna. The guys are happy to have him back, and they realize now that if Cyr goes down the whole season won’t go down with it.”
Bowles has spent many an hour wondering why his time in the OHL was so rough. He was 2-8-0-0 with a 4.38 goals-against average and .862 save percentage, was traded from Owen Sound to Windsor as a late throw-in, and was eventually waived through the league.
“I want to get back in as soon as I can,” said Bowles. “If I had an explanation (for his OHL record) I’m sure I’d still be out there, but I really don’t. It is frustrating, it was frustrating. It’s been a frustrating year. I’d go into games feeling good, feeling ready, and after I’d look back and wonder what just happened. I’ve never looked at stats, but I know they’re not good, and I’d like to think they don’t tell the whole story, yet I’m accountable for my own play. In order to stay positive, I’ll stick to that thinking.”
Bowles was hardly surprised he was available to return to the WHL.
“I really appreciate the way Windsor handled it — the GM asked about a week before if I had other options I’d want to pursue,” said Bowles.
“They laid out what was going to happen the rest of the year, and they supported me. It was a classy move on their part.”
Bowles said there are clear differences between the OHL and WHL.
“It’s very different — I found the professionalism of the league, compared to the WHL, was a step below,” said the goaltender.
“I’m talking about organizations, the people who run the league... everyone approaches it in a professional manner (in the WHL). Going to games here, you’re always in a suit, whereas in the OHL you wear track suits to away games. They were things I hadn’t seen before, not since my minor hockey days.
“Overall, I think the (OHL) has less systems. There are systems, but it’s looser. I don’t think there’s a drop-off in skill level, but the way things are approached from an overall professional standpoint is not to the level of the WHL.”
The Kelowna airport was a busy place for Cougar sightings as Bowles wasn’t the only player to rejoin the club on Thursday.
“Bowles just got in, Jesse Dudas just got in, and we don’t know where (Vladimir Mihalik) is,” said Schoneck. “We think he’s stormed in somewhere, flight issues, but we plan to use him (today) if he gets here in time, which we think he will. With Jesse, we’re not sure if he’s been skating much, so we’ll see.”
Mihalik played for the Slovakian squad at the world juniors in Sweden, and was given an extra week off.
Devin Setoguchi is back in Prince George after having his knee checked out by the medical staff of the San Jose Sharks, and Schoneck said the hope is that he’ll be able to return Tuesday, when the Cougars welcome the Kelowna Rockets to CN Centre. The current four-game road trip ends Saturday in Kamloops.
Aside from Cyr’s knee, Dudas’s knee and conditioning and Setoguchi’s malady, Schoneck said there’s just one injury concern.
“Evan Fuller’s hand is a little beat up from beating it on (Myles Stoesz’s) face, but he played in Portland,” Schoneck said, referring to a fight Tuesday in Chilliwack involving the Bruins tough guy who was traded to Regina on Wednesday.
n Ex-Cougars defenceman Curtis Cooper, released in October when Bowles was cut loose, has been set free by the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL and has signed to finish his 20-year-old season with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Other members of the Traders include ex-Cougars draft pick Jonathan Li, former Lethbridge Hurricane Kyle Pess, and starting goalie Shannon Szabados, the top women’s goaltender in Canada right now. Szabados, a 20-year-old who was briefly with Tri-City, is 21-6-3 with a 2.32 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.