Luke Parsons never got many chances to be an offensive player in a couple of seasons with the Dennis GM Western Kings, but he made the most of his opportunity when it presented itself in senior hockey circles.
The Rocky Harbour native, a six-foot-three right winger, won the scoring crown in the West Coast Senior Hockey League with 37 points on 16 goals and 21 assists.
He padded his points total to 37 with a goal and an assist in Deer Lake’s 8-3 win over the Port aux Basques Mariners in the team’s final regular season game Saturday night at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex.
Parsons was a grinder for the Kings who played on the team’s third or fourth line, so he was happy to get a chance to play a bigger role as the right winger on the team’s top offensive unit that also features senior hockey veteran Ryan Penney.
He cracked the roster of the Kings in his first year of major midget eligibility, but then the following year he failed to make the cut. But, he came back for his final year and earned a spot on the team.
“It feels pretty good,” Parsons said Sunday morning. “It felt pretty good when it worked out after getting a chance to try and be an offensive player.”
Parsons, a civil engineering technology student at College of the North Atlantic in Corner Brook, isn’t a big talker so he didn’t say much about his productive season. He prefers to do his talking on the ice, playing hard every night in an effort to help his team put points on the board.
He didn’t expect to win his first-ever scoring title when he joined the Red Wings, but he’s glad he was able to make a big contribution to the team.
He heaped praise on his linemate Ryan Penney for a lot of points he collected and also enjoyed having pivot Jalen Gillard play with them down the stretch.
“A lot of credit goes to Ryan Penney,” he said. “He’s a great guy. He definitely knows a lot and he’s definitely willing to help you out when he can.”
He scored goals with his wrist shot from outside the perimeter. He tipped in a few from hanging around the crease.
He made some sick moves to fool the goalie who guessed wrong.
The Red Wings hope Parsons can continue his knack around the net when the West Coast Senior Hockey League playoffs open Friday night with two best-of-five semifinal series expected to provide some interesting moments for the local fans.
Weekend game summaries
Friday
Stephenville Jets 4, Port aux Basques Mariners 3 (Shootout)
Jets: Josh White 2 , Dawson Drake (White scores winner in shootout)
Mariners: Brett Robinson, Ryan O’Neill, Nick Tucker
Saturday
Corner Brook Royals 5, Stephenville Jets 1
(Royals clinch first place with the win)
Royals: Ian Pilgrim 2, Jeremy Bishop, Tommy Ryan, Tyler Hunt
Jets: Josh White
Deer Lake Red Wings 8, Port aux Basques Mariners 3
(Red Wings finish second overall with the win)
Red Wings: Ryan Penney 3, Luke Parsons, Gary Hynes 2, Matt Roach and Jalen Gillard
Mariners: Tristan Butt, Bruce Billard and Scott Francis
Sunday
Port aux Basques Mariners 8, Stephenville Jets 5
Summary not available at press time.
West Coast Senior Hockey League first-round playoff schedule
Best-of-five semifinal series
Friday, Feb. 16
8 p.m. — Stephenville Jets vs Corner Brook Royals (Corner Brook Civic Centre) Game 1
8 p.m. — Port aux Basques Mariners vs Deer Lake Red Wings (Hodder Memorial) Game 1
Saturday, Feb. 17
7:30 p.m. — Deer Lake Red Wings vs Port aux Basques Mariners (Bruce II Sports Centre) Game 2
8 p.m. — Corner Brook Royals vs Stephenville Jets (Stephenville Dome) Game 2
Friday, Feb. 23
8 p.m. — Stephenville Jets vs Corner Brook Royals (Corner Brook Civic Centre) Game 3
8 p.m. — Port aux Basques Mariners vs Deer Lake Red Wings (Hodder Memorial) Game 3
Saturday, Feb. 18
7:30 p.m. — Deer Lake Red Wings vs Port aux Basques Mariners (Bruce II Sports Centre) Game 4 (if necessary)
8 p.m. — Corner Brook Royals vs Stephenville Jets (Stephenville Dome) Game 4 (if necessary)
Sunday, Feb. 19
7 p.m. — Stephenville Jets vs Corner Brook Royals (Corner Brook Civic Centre Game 5 (if necessary)
7 p.m. — Port aux Basques Mariners vs Deer Lake Red Wings (Hodder Memorial) Game 5 (if necessary)
