By Mark Janzen /
Darcy Oakes walked into the weight room at Quinnipiac University for the first time.
It was nice. It had all the bells and whistles. But it was a little intimidating.
“I felt like a boy in there for the first few workouts. You can tell everyone is a lot stronger and all of them are basically men. That was a little bit of an adjustment.”
Coming from the BCHL’s Powell River Kings where Oakes led the league in scoring with 42 goals and 57 assists in 59 games last year, he knew it was going to be an adjustment. But he also knew it would just be a matter of time.
“A lot of the guys are older and stronger. It took a couple skates to get used to it and to feel how much work you actually have to put into it. It hasn’t been that much of a change but I’m sure once we start playing games, it will be even more of an adjustment.
“It’s been a lot of hard work these past two weeks. You kind of have to start over again and work your way up the totem pole.”
Oakes, and fellow Powell River teammate and linemate Clay Harvey, graduated from the BCHL last year, but now comes the hard part. Playing hockey with men.
“They’re so much faster,” said Harvey, who had 79 points in 60 games last year. “The guys are stronger and faster. It’s a little tougher to keep up. Defence is highly emphasized. And it’s a lot more technical. There’s a different play for every faceoff situation.”
The two former Kings are living together in dorms and, despite very few team practices thus far because of strict NCAA restrictions, are pegged to play on the same line. For now.
“They both have looked good,” said Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold. “It’s a little early to make a complete judgment, but they both were great players [in the BCHL].
“I think we will start the season with them playing together and I’m not quite sure who will play the middle with them. Certainly there’s chemistry there and you always want to find that with any linemates. So we’ll give it a try out of the gate and see how it works.”
Just as the on-ice adjustment will be aided by having each other around, the same can be said for the off-ice changes.
There’s this thing called school. Neither, Oakes nor Harvey have gone to school for a few years, so life is a little different these days. And while they’re both taking business, their reaction on the whole classes, tests and essays part of college life is quite varying.
“We both haven’t been in school for two or three years so we’ve been helping each other out with school,” Oakes said. “I wasn’t a huge fan of going to high school, but I’m actually enjoying the whole school aspect. It’s a lot of fun actually. If you apply yourself and as long as you go to class, you’re pretty much set.”
As for Harvey?
“School seems to be tough. School sucks, but everything else is awesome.”
Such is life at a school where the hockey team is required to take a full credit load.
But with the season kicking off at the beginning of October, hockey is starting to rev up as well.
And for both Harvey and Oakes, if they hope to have a strong impact this season, it’s time to become men. |