Game On Magazine 2017 Nov Game On low res | Page 18

PROFILE
DY L A N
ZEKE
Man
mission
B Y J O H N P L O S Z AY
Photos by Laurie Anderson
and Jeff Miller
1 8 | G AM E ON | N OVEM BER 2017
DYLAN ZEKE, Charleswood Hawks
captain, is a man on a mission.
Last season Zeke’s Hawks were
the No. 1 team in Manitoba
Major Junior Hockey League
entering the post-season.
However as these Cinderella
stories often end, Zeke’s fairy
tale came to a crushing end in
the first round of the playoffs
when the Hawks were knocked
off by the fifth-place Raiders
Junior Hockey Club.
To make matters worse, the
Raiders not only went all the
way and hoisted the MMJHL’s
Jack McKenzie Trophy, but by
the time they wrapped it up,
they’d almost forgotten that
first-round victory over Zeke
and his mates.
on a
All that happened last spring
has lit a fire under Zeke and
his mates. Of course, it doesn’t
hurt when you have the horses
to win it all. This is a team with
two of the best goalies in the
MMJHL – Ben Thorlakson and
Ryan Hall. They are big and
fast and experienced and have
enough talent to win it all. And
that’s where leadership comes
in. Dylan Zeke knows from
experience it’s not how you
start, but how you finish and
not just in the regular season,
but also in the playoffs.
Zeke started his hockey
journey at age eight and moved
up to play with the Assiniboine
Park Rangers and the Triple
A Monarchs. Not selected in
the WHL Bantam Draft, he
chose the high school route and
played for the Oak Park Raiders.
He joined the Hawks right after
high school and is proud to be
the team’s captain.
The Hawks have a lot of
players back this season and are
obviously a year older and more
experienced.