Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 42

“I’d love to continue playing
hockey at college,” said
Hunter, who uses the time
offered by the MMJHL to
work for Magikist, a company
that builds carwashes. “It
would be awesome to find a
place that needs a goalie.
“I aspire to work in music
or music journalism and I
consider myself a bit of a
music nerd. I love all forms
of music, but especially
rap and classic rock. I want
to pursue my dreams at a
college or university, but
preferably one with a hockey
team that needs a goalie.”
Born in Stonewall, he’s now
playing for his hometown
team. He played City Midget
and Provincial Triple A Midget
for the Interlake Lightning
and joined the Jets at the
start of the 2014-15 season.
The most instrumental
“
TIM KNOWS THE GAME
AND REALLY CONNECTS
WELL WITH PLAYERS
hockey person in Ploszay’s
life has been Tim Rothwell,
who coached Hunter when
he played with the City
Midget Lightning and won
goalie of the year in 2011-
12. Rothwell now coaches
with the Winnipeg Wild.
“Tim knows the game
and really connects well
with players,” Hunter said.
“He’s well organized and is
very positive. He applies the
mechanics of the game better
than any coach I’ve ever had.”
It’s Rothwell’s guidance
that helped Ploszay grow into
one of the best goaltenders in
junior hockey. It’s Rothwell’s
coaching that helped Hunter
4 2 | G AME ON | R EGU L A R SEASON ED ITION 2018
”
reach the MMJHL pinnacle
in the spring of 2016 – his
greatest moment in hockey.
“Winning the league
championship was a true
miracle,” he said. “We were in
fourth place at the end of the
season and then a coaching
change sparked the team.
We went on to an incredible
winning streak at the right
time -- in the playoffs. After
beating St Vital in seven
games the team’s confidence
level just took off and sparked
something special that is really
indescribable. We beat the
best team in the league, the
Raiders, in four straight games
and then did the same thing
to a great Pembina Valley team.
Everything just worked and I’m
so glad I experienced it all!”
He knows it’s not going to be
easy to repeat that performance
this year, but also knows that
there is a very good reason
why they play all the games.
“We aren’t the same team
we were last year or the year
before,” he conceded. “We’re a
younger team with an influx
of guys who predominantly
played high school hockey in
Stonewall. The younger guys
aren’t accustomed to playing at
the higher level, so it’s taking
a little bit of time to get to the
level we need to be at. The older
guys have to teach the younger
guys. We’re getting there
but you can’t expect that to
happen overnight. Consistency
takes time. But I do believe
we’ll be ready and hopefully
it will click for the playoffs.”
Ploszay will quickly admit
that he’s going to miss his
teammates when the year is
up, especially good friends Max
Smith and Andrew Bayduza.
“Both guys know what
being on a team is all about,”
Hunter said. “Both are guys
that share my sense of
humour and interests and are
excellent teammates -- guys
who always have your back.”
For Ploszay, the hockey
goals are twofold – win a
championship in his final
season and find a place to play
college or university hockey
next year. Right now, however,
he wants to play the best
hockey of his life and help
carry his team as deep into the
playoffs as he possibly can.
After all, that’s what being
a good teammate and a great
goaltender is supposed to do. ❍