http://www.kootenayice.net/?pID=2&nID=1031#1031

20 year olds reflect
Mon Apr 16th, 2007

By MATT COXFORD
Townsman Sports

For at least two members of the Kootenay Ice, the departure from the playoffs was especially painful.
Curtis Billsten and Mike Busto, both in their last year in the WHL, had to watch Game 7 in suits. Injuries prevented them from taking to the ice.
“Being out of the lineup, I felt a little bit more vulnerable during the game: you couldn’t do anything,” said defenceman Busto. “Watching your career ending from the stands hurts a little bit.”
So did seeing the Calgary Hitmen score the overtime winner moments after the Ice hit the post.
“When you’re that close to going to the next round, it hurts that much more,” said Busto.
Winger Billsten was closer to returning of the two: he practiced the day before Game 7.
“I was telling myself everything was going to be okay, and somehow I was going to slip back into the lineup, but it showed pretty early in practice that there was no way I could get in,” he said.
“To know that I was that close, and to see a Game 7 basically stripped away from us it’s pretty tough.”
Billsten said it certainly wasn’t the way he envisioned his five years in the WHL coming to an end.
“You can’t really think of something like this, to end on a shift where nobody even hits you. It’s pretty tough,” he said.
The winger suffered what he called a “phantom injury”: as he was skating behind Calgary’s net a couple of shifts into Game 3, he felt something tear through his leg.
It was an abductor muscle.
“All of a sudden that was the last shift you touch the ice. It’s kind of rough to wrap up your WHL career that way,” he said. “Hopefully the guys here next year will take that into consideration and make sure they’re ready to go in the first round.”
Busto limped off the ice after colliding with a Hitmen player during Game 6, also in Calgary. An MRI test last week revealed a slight tear in his MCL, which meant he could have been back as soon as the third round, had the Ice advanced.
Billsten said the playoff seeding wasn¹t in their favour to begin with.
“To play Calgary in the first round when teams like Vancouver were playing Chilliwack is a little ridiculous, when we seed higher than them,” said Billsten. “Either way, we didn’t play our game from the get-go. I think Calgary played a great series, and they deserved to win it.”
The early ouster was unexpected, given the Ice had set and tied franchise records for wins (49) and points (104) in the regular season.
“To set those records and lose out first round almost makes it worse,” said Billsten. “Maybe that’s part of it. Maybe we were setting records and we were kind of thinking too far ahead. Who knows?”
Busto said the veteran skaters’ absence wasn’t as large a factor as simply not starting out fast enough.
“Having two 20-year-olds out for that type of game was tough, but I think the guys who played in our spots did a really good job.”
Both Billsten and Busto were hoping for a long playoff run to augment personal successes this season.
Billsten has already been given offers to play university hockey, and is considering taking advantage of the WHL scholarship program.
“We’ll see what happens there, but obviously I’m still going to pursue professional hockey. I’ve got all summer to take a look at it and see what I want to do. I’ll be able to go to an NHL camp or test the waters wherever I want,” he said.
Busto said the Kootenay Ice brass have been trying to help him land a professional contract. He said he’s going to concentrate on rehabilitating his knee, and let his agent field the calls.
Busto, Billsten and goalie Taylor Dakers can’t return next year. The Ice also had seven 19-year-olds, only three of whom can suit up for Kootenay next season Clayton Bauer, Lukas Bohunicky, Steve Da Silva, Chad Greenan, Paul Kurceba, Ryan Russell and Luke Wiens.
Billsten said Kris Lazaruk is more than ready to pick up where Dakers left off.
Busto said next year’s team shouldn’t be taking a step back.
“Definitely the young guys have a bright future here,” he said. “The playing time they got this year is going to make it much easier for them next year.”
All three of the 1987-born players agreed that it will be tough to be away from the tight-knit group.
“Being in a small town, we got to see everybody all the time,” said Busto. “I think I’m really going to miss that. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be around a group of guys like that. Taking the next step you’re going to have a lot of different age levels, so you won’t have that team tightness.”
Being in one of the CHL’s smaller markets has other benefits, too.
“The way the town gets behind the team is a lot of fun,” said Dakers.
The final game was a sell-out, a rarity for Cranbrook.
“We didn’t get that too much in my career there, so to finally have that at my last game was really nice.”