Jordan Kennedy quickly removed the disappointment of last season from his memory bank.
The 23-year-old former Corner Brook Royals forward won his first Herder with the Clarenville Caribous Saturday night at the Jack Byrne Arena with a 6-1 victory over the St. John’s Caps giving the Central West Senior Hockey League representatives a sweep of the best-of-seven final.
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Clarenville Caribous forward Jordan Kennedy using disappointment of 2017 Herder loss as motivation
Kennedy, playing an energy role as a feisty defensive role, picked up an assist in Game 3 and was pleased with how he performed in front of a huge crowd that he believes was pro-Caribous with hundreds making the trek from Clarenville to see the Herder hoisting in the opposing team’s barn.
Lifting the Herder for the first time was a special occasion and he soaked up every minute of it knowing you never know if you will ever get another shot.
“It was an unbelievable feeling. It was something that I will always remember,” he said.
The players passed the Herder around for everybody to seize the moment. It went to the guys who never won a Herder first and then to the rest of the guys so he was in the middle of the pack in the pecking order but it was a few minutes that made him realize all the hard word over the years was worth it.
‘It was just a great feeling to hold it,” he said.
Kennedy will graduate from the three-year mechanical engineering technology in June and then it’s going to be time to find a job.
He hopes to continue playing hockey next winter with hopes of hoisting another, but he won’t know for certain until he finds out what the status of the league will be for next winter.
He has a Herder and he’s a happy camper.
It’s something he wanted so bad and now he has a thirst for more.