He was happy to embrace a chance to shoot some pucks when a new four-team West Coast Senior Hockey League was born on the west coast earlier this year.
The former Western Kings forward scored two goals to help the Corner Brook Royals defeat the Stephenville Jets 10-4 Friday night in the league final that saw the Royals put the game out reach with six goals in the third period highlighted by Daniel Whitten’s hat trick.
Ryan, a 20-year old native of La Scie, believes the new league has been a hit with both players and fans alike so he expects things will only getter better moving forward.
“I think it’s fantastic. There’s a lot of guys around who are good hockey players who don’t have competitive hockey because they’re older,” Ryan said Saturday. “I think it’s great for the community too. It brings a lot of people together and it raises a lot of money for the rink and stuff like that so it’s all good.”
He appreciated the support of the fans. He was surprised the hockey managed to draw big crowds for most games in all four centres.
He believes the future of senior hockey can be very exciting if organizers keep the focus on providing a game of hockey for those who have a love for the game and want to keep playing it after minor hockey.
“I think it’s definitely the best way to continue because guys are in it for the right reasons,” he said. “They’re not in it because they are getting flown in and getting paid and all that stuff.”
Ryan may not be around next season, but he is then no worries he wants to earn a spot on the team.
If he’s not, he’s sure there are other guys just like him who will be anxious to wear the jersey of their respective team no matter who it is.
Royals forward Tommy Ryan says new senior league delivered a big hit
Tommy Ryan was focused on his music aspirations for the past year or so, but he showed he can still be productive on the ice.
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