Corvairs outlast Blackhawks
Aiden Cupelli has yet to give the Thorold Blackhawks a full glimpse of his offensive upside.
The 18-year-old Bowmanville native can skate like the wind, works hard and has good instincts around the net, but is still searching for consistency in his game.
“He’s a guy I think can contribute offensively in this league,” Hawks coach Scott Barnes said. “He’s getting his feet wet in junior hockey this year and he’s taken on a pretty big role for us.
“I think he can be a good offensive player.”
Cupelli had four goals and seven points in 14 games with the St. Catharines Falcons to start the season before being dealt to the Hawks in a trade for captain Nicolas Rubino.
“Playing in St. Catharines, we were looking at some guys who might be (trade) possibilities,” Barnes said. “We liked his speed and energy. In St. Catharines he wasn’t getting (as many) offensive opportunities with them but we could see he had it in him.
“I felt we needed to get a little faster and a littler quicker and I knew he could bring that.”
Cupelli was a healthy scratch from time to time with the Falcons and felt a deal might be in the works.
“I kind of knew it was coming,” he said. “There was talk around the Falcons and I had my guesses, you could say.
“Obviously it was my first time traded so it was a new experience. I put the Falcons behind me and looked forward to playing with the Blackhawks.”
Cupelli said he fit in quickly with his new teammates.
“Even from the beginning I felt at home right away,” he said. “I knew a bunch of the guys before so it didn’t take long. We have a good group of guys here who were very welcoming so it didn’t take long.”
Cupelli, who has three goals and three assists in 21 games for the Hawks, is enjoying the culture in Thorold.
“That’s one thing I talked to my parents about — it’s a lot of fun here,” he said. “We’re not a second-place team but we’re having fun and working hard.
“I am more comfortable in the offensive zone as compared to the Falcons.”
The bigger ice surface in Thorold is also more suited to Cupelli’s game.
“Being a smaller player with some good wheels, I think this rink probably suits him a little bit better,” Barnes said.
Cupelli broke an eight-game scoreless streak with a goal in Pelham Sunday.
“It felt amazing,” he said. “I had a huge monkey on my back there for a while but it felt great. Everyone was in on the joke with the monkey off my back but it felt good to finally get one.”
Cupelli could only half-joke when asked what he thought was keeping the puck out of the net.
“I think it’s a curse,” he smirked.
Cupelli, who is majoring in kinesiology at Brock, has two seasons junior eligibility remaining after this season.
The Hawks dropped a 3-2 decision in a shootout to the Caledonia Corvairs Monday night at Thorold Arena to fall to 14-28-0-1 in Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference action.
Ethan Doyle, Jacob Macdonald and Markus Dempewolf scored in the shootout for Caledonia.
Sam Tonelli scored while Dylan Pergentile was turned away for the Hawks.
Hawk talk: Wyatt Gibson (hand), Blake Hudson (suspension), Roberto Polillo and Ethan Torkos did not dress for Thorold.
STATS PACK
Thorold’s Adrian Diodati
Corvairs 3 Hawks 2 SO
Thorold Blackhawks: Adrian Diodati 2 (9, 10).
Caledonia Corvairs: Markus Dempewolf (10); Dylan MacLeod (2).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Thorold on Tucker Adams (39), by Caledonia on James Norton (26); Power plays: Thorold 0/4, Caledonia 0/3; Penalty minutes; Thorold 6, Caledonia 8.
Up next: The Hawks are home to Welland Thursday at 7 p.m.
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