The Richmond Sockeyes’ youth movement has stretched even further thanks to an unexpected injury.
The Sockeyes recently wrapped up a a four game stint that featured three of the top teams in the Pacific Junior Hockey League. They it did with 18-year-old rookie Quinten Paille between the pipes after veteran goalie Kurt Russell was injured in practice a little over two weeks ago.
The Surrey native’s status remains day-to-day with the Sockeyes not back in action until they visit Port Moody on Saturday night.Predictably, it was an up-and-down stretch for Paille who had only seen limited minutes behind Russell until the injury.
He was chased in a 9-2 road loss to the defending champion North Vancouver Wolf Pack. He rebounded with a better outings his next two starts — both 4-2 defeats to the Wolf Pack and Grandview.
Paille then earned first star honours in a 2-1 home ice win over Aldergrove last Thursday, before Mission City scored three times on him in the third period in route to an 8-4 road loss Saturday.
Facing the high-flying Wolf Pack, Steelers and Mission was hardly the ideal situation to throw a rookie goaltender into, but it seems appropriate for the youngest team the Sockeyes have iced since the days 15-year-olds were eligible to play.
Richmond currently sits fourth place in the Tom Shaw Conference with a 9-10-0-2 record. It’s unfamiliar territory for one of the league’s flagship franchises but head coach Judd Lambert also has his eyes on the bigger picture.
The Sockeyes are 13 points clear of Port Moody for the final playoff spot and would likely face a very similar opponent in the opening round whether they pass the Delta Ice Hawks (11-7-0-3) for third place or not. It’s a situation that buys time, hoping a team of mostly 17-year-olds will be that much better just over two months from now.
“Having those (key) 20-year-olds on your roster allows you to mask some of those deficiencies you may have with the younger players,” said Lambert. “But we were also exposed too in last year’s playoffs. Now, they are being used in all situations and hopefully it pays off in the long run.
“When you look at the three teams in front of us, they are all quite a bit older. It’s a matter of our players getting more comfortable with the physicality of play.”
The Delta Ice Hawks are in town for a rare Monday home game Nov. 30, slated for 7:30 p.m. at Minoru Arenas.
