Game On Magazine 2017 Nov Game On low res | Page 122

PROFILE
COLE
MUYS
The Road
Less Travelled
B Y S C O T T TAY L O R
Photos by Tim Muys
1 2 2 | G AM E ON | N OVEM BER 2017
LAST YEAR, 15-YEAR-OLD
goaltender Cole Muys took a
risky step. Left with very few
options, the big Winnipeg
netminder decided to take
a year away from organized
hockey and instead, spent an
entire season training with
private coaches.
Now here we are, one year
after deciding not to play at
any level, Muys is playing
goal for the midget prep team
in the Canadian Sport School
Hockey League’s Yale Hockey
Academy in Abbotsford,
B.C. It is a gigantic step
from playing no organized
hockey at all in 2016-17. In
fact, considering the level
of play in the CSSHL, it
might be a huge step up for
some Midget AAA players.
In mid-October, the
16-year-old goalie played for
Yale at the IHA Showcase
in Calgary and was off
the charts. This season he
has played four games, is
4-0-0- with a 1.75 goals
against average and a .929
save percentage on a team
that is 9-0-0-0 to start the
season. Muys is the fourth
best goalie in a league that
includes The Rink Hockey
Academy from Winnipeg,
Delta, Edge, West Vancouver
and Pursuit of Excellence.
Cole Muys has made it to
an elite 16-year-old level by
taking the road less travelled.
“He went in a risky
direction last year,” conceded
his dad Tim, who admitted
he was concerned about
the decision, but supported
Cole every step of the
way. “It was easy for me to
support him because, after
giving it some thought, it
wasn’t a difficult decision.”
“He had no alternative
really. He had been cut from