Trio leads Raiders to victory

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This article was published 23/11/2021 (1758 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Players from the Oak Park Raiders AAAA varsity boys hockey team are gearing up to be leaders on and off the ice this season.

Despite a tumultuous last couple of years, with cancelled sports and classes bouncing back and forth between online and in person, Riley Dudych, Raf Padua, and Andrew Caron — all 17-year-old Grade 12 students — are more than ready to mentor their teammates.

“We know what it takes to play in these leagues, how to play in playoffs when times get tough, so just lead the guys and show them what it takes,” Dudych said.

Dudych and Padua were recently named student presidents of Oak Park High School, a Grade 9 to 12 school with an enrollment of roughly 850 students. And all three of the athletes are leading the Raiders as team co-captains.

The trio played for the Raiders during their sophomore year and were eager to return.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Dudych, a centre, said. “We were so cooped up the last year-and-a-half … It was a good feeling just getting back in the dressing room with the guys and getting back on the ice.”

Padua, another centre, enjoyed lacing up his skates and making use of the local outdoor rinks, but it wasn’t a true replacement for regulation games.

“To practise with the team, it’s something different,” Padua said. “I try to be here early to every practice, try to get on the ice as much as possible so I’m able to practice individual skills as well.”

Caron, the Raiders’ senior defenseman, echoed Padua’s sentiment.

“Just being here with all the guys just makes everything better,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest things we miss.”

The team got off to a slow start this season, losing its first five games, two of which were close. But now that high school football has wrapped up, some of the athletes who competed in both sports can now pour all their energy into hockey, Padua told The Metro.

“Right now, we’re rolling,” Dudych said. “It feels like we’re just starting to jell, and nothing can stop us right now, honestly.”

The Raiders have won their last three games against River East, Miles Mac, and Lord Selkirk.

“We had a week where we practised — it was just practice, no games —and we were able to really focus on things we were missing, and I think that’s brought us all together a little more,” Padua said.

Ian MacDonald is the Raiders’ head coach and teaches English and history at Oak Park High School.

MacDonald, who played for the Raiders 13 years ago, is helping players refine their skills through a video class. Here, the athletes can watch themselves on the ice — from passes to shots to saves — and learn from what they see.

“Your coaches will tell you what you need to work on, but it’s never really the same until you see it in person first-hand … It helps you improve a lot,” Dudych said.

At press time, the Raiders stood in seventh place in the Platinum Promotions Division, one point behind Steinbach Regional. The teams record was 3-5-1 going into a Nov. 19 game against Garden City.

The Raiders’ top scording players at press time were Dudych, with five goals and seven assists, and Padua with three goals and eight assists.

Looking forward to the playoffs, Dudych, Padua, and Caron concur that St. Paul’s #1 is the team to beat. The Tuxedo-based team has been the league’s best for much of the last decade. Padua considers matches with St. Paul’s as the biggest games of the regular season, he said.

The Piper Classic Tournament of Champions is another event on the team’s horizon. The boys made it to the finals during the last competition.

“Hopefully we can bring that experience to the playoffs this year,” Padua said.