Goan rebounds from wounded knee
Harrison Goan’s first game with the Thorold Blackhawks couldn’t have gone much better.
The 20-year-old Aurora native notched four assists in his Thorold debut and built on that quick start with six points in the club’s first seven games.
But the hard-working forward injured his knee during a game in Welland in mid-October and spent just over a month on the sidelines.
Goan tore the medical collateral ligament in his left knee, re-injuring the joint he originally hurt playing junior C in Schomberg almost two years ago.
“It sucked, for sure,” Goan said. “I didn’t think it would happen again, that it healed properly. Obviously that wasn’t the case because I was doing pretty good. It put a little jam on the season for me and interrupted my lifestyle.”
Goan, who said the injury occurred when he fell awkwardly following a collision, wasn’t sure how long the injury was going to keep him off the ice.
“Not maybe over, but I thought I would be out way longer than I was,” he said when asked if he thought his junior career had come to an end.
A visit to Ridley College head athletic therapist Lenny Ferraro got him back on the ice sooner than he expected.
“Lenny is great,” Goan said. “I have a personal customized knee brace and I don’t feel it at all,” he said.
Goan’s absence from the line-up was a contributing factor in the Hawks slow start.
“He was almost a point-per-game guy and he hurt his knee,” Thorold coach/general manager Scott Barnes said. “It was a pretty major blow for us. Up until that point we had been going pretty good and then he went out and then (Liam) Loftus was still hurt from camp and we didn’t have the veteran presence and experience to cope with that.”
Goan joined the Blackhawks by chance when he contacted the team after being accepted into the sport management program at Brock.
“Thorold was the first team I reached out to and Barnsy responded right away,” Goan said. “He was really accepting of me and gave me a fair shot.
“I was looking for teams around the area and saw Thorold was close. I was going to reach out to all of them.”
Goan brings a little bit of everything to the table.
“He’s a presence on the ice,” Barnes said. “He finishes checks, he’ll block shots and he’s got offence to his game. He likes to battle in front of the net and screen the goalie.
“He’s that 20-year-old guy who leads by example and is really good in the room. He’s a great kid, really good off the ice and gives you everything he’s got on the ice.”
Barnes said character is key.
“We want to bring in the good veterans, the 20-year-olds who aren’t here just to play out the string. They want to be good in the room and teach the younger guys and help them out,” he said.
Goan is more than happy to fill that role.
“I think honestly I’ve tried to change up my game and bring a lot more energy and physicality and really lead the younger guys and to show them the compete level it takes to win,” he said. “I see a lot of good things coming out of it.
“I think if I continue to play like that it will rub off on the rest of the guys.”
Goan earned a pair of assists Monday as the Blackhawks got back in the win column with a 4-1 triumph over the visiting Pelham Panthers in Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, Golden Horseshoe Conference game.
The victory broke an eight-game losing streak for Thorold.
“Obviously it sucks we’re not winning,” Goan said. “Barnsy’s made a couple of moves in the lineup and for the most part guys are really staying positive.
“We’re a really close team. It’s my last year and obviously I want the success, but I also love how close the team is.”
Hawk talk: The Blackhawks have dealt defenceman Declan Fogarty to Welland.
STATS PACK
Blackhawks 4 Panthers 1
Thorold’s Harrison Goan with a pair of assists.
For the Thorold Blackhawks: Aiden Cupelli (5); Grayson Gare (2); Alex Koschanow (2); Wyatt Gibson (2).
For the Pelham Panthers: Will Stewart (4).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Pelham on Noah Fortuna (35), by Thorold on Brayden Kelso; (38); Power plays: Pelham 0-for-3, Thorold 2-for-2; Penalty minutes: Pelham 10 Thorold 12.
Attendance: 173
Up next: The Blackhawks are at Caledonia Saturday and home to the Fort Erie Meteors next Monday for their final game before the Christmas break. The Panthers are at Niagara Falls Friday and home to Caledonia Sunday.
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