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WESTMOUNT INDEPENDENT – December 15-16, 2009 – 19
Westmount’s Verdun connection: Atom CC Leafs
Off-Sidel
Noah Sidel
Westmount and Verdun. To some that
might sound like oil and water, but to the
kids, coaches and parents of the Atom CC
Verdun Leafs, the combination of cultures
has been more like chocolate cake and a
tall glass of milk.
“So far, after 10 games, we are proudly
standing in first place with eight victories,
including five shutouts, one loss and one
tie,” boasted Leafs coach Mario Ouellon.
“We will soon have some tough games,
and we expect our opponents to become
stronger at every game, just as we are. But
we are doing very well so far.”
Ouellon’s crew includes seven kids
from Westmount.
“We have 15 talented kids with a very
strong team spirit; whether the kids are
from Westmount or Verdun, they’ve all become
very good friends and teammates.”
Team manager Leslie Landsberger has
enjoyed working with a mix of different
people.
“It’s very inspiring to work with such a
motivated group of coaches, players and
parents, all united with common goals.
The hockey itself is very fast and the standards
are high, but the kids are up to the
challenge,” he said.
Winger Nicolas Huot echoed his
coach’s sentiment, adding that one of the
pleasures of playing double-letters is getting
to see different parts of the hockey
landscape.
“We’re having success because we play
together as a team, and it’s fun to visit and
play in new places. Some are quite far,” he
said.
While giving credit to his whole roster
for the team’s good fortune so far, Ouellon
noted that his Westmount-based players
have all made major contributions so far
this season.
“All seven players bring their own exceptional
skills and personalities to their
team. They all support each other and
cheer together whenever they have the
chance. After all, respect is our very first
team value,” the coach said.
Indeed, Ouellon named Westmounter
Johnathan Carr captain of the Leafs, and
one of his three alternates is also a local
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player, centre Olaf Schöningh.
Wingers Charles Culver and
Henry Molson also make up part
of the nucleus of the team.
“We train hard and play hard,
but the other teams are not as
strong as we thought they would
be so far,” said Schöningh, indicating
that his team will surely
face more adversity as the season
moves along.
It is just that, Ouellon said,
that the Leafs have been preparing
for.
“At the beginning of the season,
we as coaches had the objective
to have all our kids sweating
after each practice and smiling after each
game. So far, this is working very well,” he
said. “They all take their duties seriously
with pride and pleasure. We also had the
aggressive target to finish among the top
five, and with 14 games left we are standing
in very good position to achieve that
goal.”
Winger Brendan Markland said teamwork
has been and will continue to be the
key to the Leafs winning.
“Why are we successful? Because we
make smart passes and we play as a team,
Atom CC Leafs in action earlier this season.
not as a group of individuals,” he said.
And of course, with five shut-outs in 10
games, goaltending has been and will continue
to be key.
“The forwards do their job of keeping
the puck in the other team’s end and
backchecking a lot, and the defencemen
do their job of defending me and taking
away rebounds,” said goalie Bryan Landsberger.
“All I have to take care of are the
shots and dekes.”
You can always reach me at
noahsidel@gmail.com.