Jayden Pollock got hurt because he was a big part of our team on
the ice and in the dressing room too -- he missed 18 games.”
In total the Royal Knights lost seven players to injury last season
and were out of the playoff hunt by Christmas. It just wasn’t a very
good season.
But for Tristan Ezako, there are many positives, even some accom-
plishments, after a season that critics might call “dismal.”
“Guys kept coming to play and didn’t give up,” Ezako said proudly.
“Our core guys. They were great. They all had a lot of heart. The
good thing is they’ll all be back next year.”
Ezako’s numbers this past season spoke for themselves -- 30 goals
and 44 points in 39 games. That was a significant bump from the
previous year when he had 10 goals and 10 assists. As Ezako im-
proves, the chances for a bright future in River East improves.
“There’s no turning your back on your team or team mates,” he
said bluntly. “You’ve got to stay positive on the ice and in the dress-
ing room. You have a job to do and you gotta go out and get it done
-- or at least try. That’s the bottom line.”
Ezako started playing hockey when he was six. He would have
started at age five, but broke his arm. He began his career with
There’s no turning your back
on your team or team mates. You’ve
got to stay positive on the ice and
in the dressing room. You have a job
to do and you gotta go out and get
it done -- or at least try. That’s the
bottom line
Morse Place and then moved to Hazel Ridge and played most of
his minor hockey with Springfield Ice Hawks. In Grade 8, he and his
family moved back to the city and he played with the Double AA
Marauders and made it to the finals in three of five years. With the
help of Barry Bonni, he made his way to the Royal Knights.
In fact, he has a lot of respect for Bonni -- his coach and the presi-
dent and owner of the River East Royal Knights.
“He’s old school and knows a lot about the game,” Ezako said. “I
owe him a lot. He gave me a chance and he believes in me.”
As for Bonni, who will be inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall
of Fame this fall, he’s already planning for next season, but admits
he has a challenge ahead of him after experiencing his first losing
season as a coach. On the upside, he liked what he had at the be-
ginning of last season, but then the wheels fell off when injuries
ravaged the team.
“Tristan (Ezako) went down after being hit from behind, then
Michael Cooper and Jayden Pollock,” Bonni said. “Mike Sabourin,
Thomas Petrick, with cracked ribs, and Lucas Henry with a broken
hand. We were done by Christmas. But we still had to compete.”
That’s why it was great to have players like Ezako around. He’s
20 now, but he loves the game and still plays hockey all year long.
In spring and summer he plays at Dakota and Gateway and to stay
in shape he lifts weights and roller blades on the trails at Birds Hill
Park.
Both Tristan’s mom and dad are hockey people and Tristan says
his Dad is his biggest supporter, a dad who still attends all of his
games. Apart from hockey, Tristan works at Royal Sports in EK and
is thinking about a career in refrigeration.
“I can’t believe how close the teams are in this league,” Ezako said
of the parity in the MMJHL. “I was surprised by the Raiders’ cham-
pionship win this year after finishing the season in sixth place. But
it shows that even with six wins this year, we still have a shot next
year.” n
2017 CHAMPIONS EDITION
GAME ON 85