Badgers add three Corvairs
There will be a definite Caledonia Corvairs flavour to the Brock Badgers men’s hockey team this season.
Three former members of the Corvairs — Aidan Hughes, Cole Tymkin and Tyler Burnie — have committed to the Badgers for the 2020/21 Ontario University Athletics season.
All three have extensive Ontario Hockey League experience and are expected to contribute once the OUA season, tentatively slated for January, 2021, begins.
Hughes, a 21-year-old native of London, suited up for both the Sarnia Sting and Oshawa Generals before joining the Corvairs last season where he fashioned a 1.94 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. He joins incumbent Mario Culina to give the Badgers good depth between the pipes.
“We feel real strong with that pair,” Brock head coach Marty Williamson said. “We know Mario is proven and I’ve got to learn more about Aiden.
“I’m excited. He’s a big man and when you talk to Lobby (goaltending coach Lucas Lobsinger) he reminds him of Clint Windsor a little bit. We know how Clint was a late bloomer and how things have worked out for him and we’re hoping for the same thing with Aiden. We’re hoping he can be an impact goalie for us.”
Tymkin, a 21-year-old native of Rainy River, Ont., joined the Corvairs late last year after spending three-and-a-half seasons with the London Knights. The right-winger netted six goals and 20 points in 10 games for the Corvairs.
“He’s hard-nosed and a big hitter, but I think underrated,” Williamson said. “He can produce, he’s got talent. He’s a dimension I really wanted and I’m excited about having him. He’s no fun to play against and if you fall asleep out there, he can put you into the third row with a big hit. He can play with top players and contribute.”
Burnie played three full seasons with the Kingston Frontenacs. He joined the Corvairs last year and led the team in scoring with 34 goals and 73 points in just 37 games. He also accumulated 162 minutes in penalties.
“He’s a big man who can really skate,” Williamson said. “I think he needs to find himself with us and reinvent his game. I think he can be a high-end player for us. I don’t know if he’s always had that kind of opportunity. Sometimes he gets sidetracked with penalties and one thing I talked to him about was the USPORTS game is different. You have to play as hard as you can without taking penalties. Everything happens so fast and you can’t afford to give away games.
“He’s got all the tools to be an impact guy. I’m just hoping we can find the right situation with us for him to be an impact guy.”
Williamson said he hopes to get some clarity soon about when the Badgers can return to the ice.
“The idea is to get on ice in September and beef it up a bit in October and then five days a week in November to get ready for the January start date,” he said.
He admitted he and his staff will have to be creative with four months of practice and no games.
“We’re going to have to be inventive as coaches to keep these guys interested and coming up with different things. There’s always different challenges and if you can have your team ready for January, that’s going to be a big advantage in a 14-game type season.
“It’s a big challenge and one of the things I’ll talk to our guys about, them caring enough in September and October to work hard enough to make November valuable and then get a good start.”
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