X-Men hockey yields Caper connections

The 2009-10 X-Men hockey team has a definite local Maritime flavor this year, as 11 of its 25 members hail from Canada’s ocean playground, here in Nova Scotia. Of those 11 team members, seven grew up on Cape Breton Island.

“There have been some strong Cape Breton talent coming out of junior hockey in recent years and we have made it a priority in the X-Men hockey program to focus on adding as many of these players as possible,” comments X-Men head coach Brad Peddle.

“We consider them locals in our northeastern Nova Scotia region that we must key in on and bring them close to home for their university hockey careers. Having a strong Nova Scotia flavor is important to our program and speaks volumes of the quality of players being developed through the minor and junior levels throughout the province.”

“This season we have a very strong Cape Breton presence on our team which we hope to continue into the future, providing both outstanding academic and hockey opportunities at StFX University.”

A pair of X-Men veterans and co-assistant captains Sean Donovan and Ryan Desrosiers lead the Caper force on the StFX squad this year. Donovan is in his fourth year, hailing from Glace Bay and currently enrolled in the first year of an Education degree. Desrosiers, a first year Education student and a New Waterford native, is currently in his fifth and final year of eligibility with the X-Men. He graduated from StFX last May with a Human Kinetics degree.

Both Donovan and Desrosiers played in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League prior to coming to StFX, Donovan with the Antigonish Bulldogs and Desrosiers with the Amherst Ramblers. Donovan is a stalwart on the StFX blue line and is among the top ten in the AUS conference in plus/minus at +9 and also has 6 assists on the season. He received the X-Men’s ‘Unsung Hero’ Award last season. Desrosiers is a centerman who has 2 goals and 2 assists in 15 AUS regular season games played to date and was a CIS Academic All-Canadian last year.

In their second season with the X-Men are two QMJHL graduates, Brett Morrison from Howie Centre and Bryce Swan from Alder Point. Morrison, a former member of the Rouyn Noranda Huskies, is an Arts student and plays center for the X-Men. He is currently their fourth-leading point getter with 8 goals and 5 assists. Brett led the X-Men in scoring last year in his rookie season, with 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) and was named their Rookie of the Year.

Swan, a Business student and right winger, previously played with the Halifax Mooseheads and is off to a great start in the opening half of the season, leading the X-Men in points with 19. He has scored 13 goals, the second highest total in the conference, including a hat trick on October 23rd in a game at St. Thomas. He also had a six point game on November 4th at Saint Mary’s.

New to the X-Men line-up this season and hailing from the beautiful island of Cape Breton are forwards Ryan Sparling from Sydney and Murdock MacLellan from Mabou. Sparling is an Art student who previously played with the Saint John Seadogs of the QMJHL, while MacLellan, a Science student, saw time with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. Sparling currently has 8 points on the season (2 goals, 6 assists) and MacLellan has contributed 2 goals and an assist to the fourth place X-Men.

The final Caper on the X roster is third string goaltender Chris Denney from Florence. Denney is a second year Arts student who previously played with the Port Hawkesbury Strait Pirates of the Nova Scotia Hockey League. 

In addition to the seven student-athletes on the X-Men squad, Associate Coach Norm Batherson hails from North Sydney. Batherson is in his second season full-time behind the X-Men bench with Coach Peddle and brings a wealth of hockey experience to StFX. Norm was a player/assistant coach with the Straubing Tigers in Germany and also played eight years of professional hockey in Germany, and five years in the AHL. He was a captain, AUS all-star and 1993 CIS champion with the Acadia Axemen during his four year university playing career.

Rounding out the Nova Scotia talent on the 2009-10 X-Men are first year goaltender Bryan Gillis (Lantz), third year forward Kurt Jerrett (Sackville), fifth year forward Ryan White (Pictou) and third year right winger Eric McKenna (Antigonish).  
The X-Men currently hold a 7-5-3 record in AUS league play with 17 points, good enough for fourth place overall heading into the Christmas break. They played to a 2-4-1 record in pre-season exhibition play, which included high-profile games against the Florida Panthers rookie team, and games against top-seeded NCAA opponents from Boston College and Boston University.

The X-Men will host their 4th annual Keating Cup on Saturday, Jan. 2 and Sunday, Jan. 3 at the StFX Keating Centre when the Carleton Ravens will be in town for a two-game Keating Cup Challenge. The Ravens play in the OUA East conference and are led by former X-Men player and 1989 alumnus Fred Parker who will be leading his troops against the X-Men and their head coach Brad Peddle. Peddle, in his fifth season with the X-Men, is also a former X player himself and 1996 graduate.

Local fans are invited to take in exciting CIS hockey action over the holiday season to check out the Cape Breton connection on the X-Men. Game times for the Keating Cup are Saturday, Jan. 2 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, Jan.3 at 3:00 pm. Tickets are available in advance at the Keating Centre box office by contacting 1-866-259-8169 and more information is available at www.goxgo.ca.

Story courtesy StFX Sports Information