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Thread: Foucault a steal, Broda happy to be in round 2

  1. #1
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    Default Foucault a steal, Broda happy to be in round 2

    Foucault proving his worth Friday, March 27, 2009 By SCOTT FISHER, Calgary Sun

    Chalk up another huge 'W' in Kelly Kisio's column.

    The Calgary Hitmen GM is a finalist for WHL executive of the year.And you need to look no further than forward Kris Foucault to see why.

    Kisio plucked the Calgary product out of the AJHL at the WHL trade deadline in January in exchange for seldom-used winger Ryan Fox.

    Foucault was property of the Kootenay Ice, a team he played four games with this season before joining the Tier II Canmore Eagles.

    From being a healthy scratch to arguably the club's MVP of its opening-round sweep of the Edmonton Oil Kings, it's been quite a ride.

    "Yeah, from being a healthy scratch in Kootenay, and then being sent home, it's been quite a change," said Foucault, who leads the Hitmen with four goals in the post-season.

    The 6-foot, 190-pounder said it was hard to sit in the pressbox in Cranbrook.

    "It always feels like somebody saying stuff behind your back," he said. "It doesn't feel like you're a part of the team.

    "You're just kind of there in case somebody gets injured. "It's not a good feeling."

    Foucault resurrected his career in Canmore, where he played himself onto Kisio's radar with 41 points in 32 AJHL tilts.

    "Andrew Milne was my coach in Canmore and he helped me out a lot," he said. "He was all for me going to Calgary, even though he knew he might miss me a little bit."

    Foucault was viewed by many as a depth addition, a player who wouldn't be in the lineup on a nightly basis. But he opened the door by scoring a goal in his third game in Hitmen silks. He kicked it wide open with a two-goal, three-point performance in his next outing and never looked back, going on an eight-game points streak.

    "Coming here, I didn't expect to have any ice time at all," he admitted. "I hoped to get into one or two playoff games and show what I could do. "But Dave (Lowry, head coach) has given me an awesome opportunity and I have to thank him for that." But for all his newfound success, Foucault insisted he's not finished trying to prove himself. "I haven't proved anything yet," he said. "I haven't proved I can play in this league. I just proved I got lucky a few games and got a few bounces. "But I'm extremely happy to be putting some pucks in the net. I'm starting to get some recognition for being the goalscorer I am."

    Foucault will likely never see the pressbox again. But he's focused on showing the coaching staff he's worthy of playing with top forwards Brett Sonne and Kyle Bortis.

    "Sonne's been a great mentor to me," he said. "He's a great player, so I need to prove, night in and night out, that I deserve to play with him. "It's pretty easy to learn from Brett Sonne. He's a Canadian world junior guy. "I have to play to his level every game. And I think it's easy for him to play with me because I just try to get him the puck."

    Sonne, who was scratched for Wednesday's series finale in Edmonton, should benefit from the club's eight-day break.

    For everyone else? It's back to work. "We're back on the ice (today). Dave runs a tight ship," Foucault said with a laugh. "I think Dave's going to keep us sharp and make sure we're working hard in practice."
    Foucault is a steal of a deal

  2. #2
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    Broda delighted to be in second round Friday, March 27, 2009 ADAM HAWBOLDT, The Prince Albert Daily Herald

    It's safe to say Joel Broda hasn't had much luck when it comes to playoff hockey. The first three seasons of his Western Hockey League career were marked by first-round exits. The year he spent playing midget for the Beardy's Blackhawks also saw his team bounced in the opening round of post-season play.

    In fact, the last time Broda made it past the first phase of the playoffs was back in 2004 when he was playing bantam hockey. So when his Calgary Hitmen completed their sweep of the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday night, the 19-year-old Prince Albert product was understandably excited. "I was kind of laughing about it all after the game," said Broda, who leads his team with seven post-season points. "It's been a long while. But it feels pretty good to get out of the first round ... It wasn't as tough this year as it has been, which just goes to show how strong of a team we have this year." And while Broda is poised to make his first playoff run in years - and it looks as though it could be a long one - his teammate and fellow Prince Albertan Tyler Fiddler is wading into old, familiar territory.

    A key member of the 2006-07 Prince Albert Mintos that won the Telus Cup national midget championship, Fiddler is no stranger to playing deep into the playoffs. Even though the series against Edmonton was his first in the WHL, the 18-year-old forward says things aren't much different from his post-season days in a Minto uniform.

    "The hockey is a bit more intense and a little more physical, but everything is pretty much the same," said Fiddler. "The bottom line is you have to win. You got to do whatever it takes." And according to Fiddler, it's going to take a whole lot of focus on the here and now for the Hitmen to continue their playoff run. "We just have to take it one game at a time," he said. "We don't want to look too far ahead." Broda agrees. "We're not taking anything for granted," he said. "We know every team is going to be a challenge. We've had success against pretty much all of them this year, so whoever we play next we have to remember why we were successful against them and do that ... Right now, there's a very businesslike attitude in the dressing room."

    The top-seeded Hitmen don't know yet who their opponent will be in the next round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
    Broda happy to be round 2

  3. #3

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    im thrilled with the play of Foucault, I still cant believe Kooteany had him playing in the AJHL. He has soft hands and a great finish around the net.

  4. #4
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    I always love it when kid gets a second chance and shines. Sounds like Lowry is an excellent mentor-type of coach willing to give players a chance to elevate their game and to be blunt .. that's what the Dub is all about.

    Dave was a stand up player and seems to be an equally stand-up coach .. good for him and for Foucault.
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