Bigger goals await dominant U16 Huron-Perth Lakers

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It's been a season of dominance for the Huron-Perth U16 Lakers.

Published Jan 24, 2025  •  2 minute read

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It’s been a season of dominance for the Huron-Perth U16 Lakers.

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And it couldn’t have come at a better time.

The province’s fourth-ranked team of 2009-born players is 39-6-6 in 2024-25, racking up regular season and tournament wins at an impressive clip while handling outside pressures that come with an age group eligible for the Ontario Hockey League draft.

“I expected it,” head coach Krys Barch said. “Players have taken advantage of opportunities, and we’ve had some players come in who have thrived in their roles.”

The Lakers lost four players to different teams after last season, but it hasn’t slowed them down. Those who stayed are fulfilling their potential, Barch said.

“It’s no different from other levels,” Barch said. “Players move on . . . and every one of our players have stepped up their game, and everybody is playing a huge role in that.”

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The Lakers are tops in the Alliance, a Southwestern Ontario stretch of 11 teams that extends from Windsor to Cambridge. Only three Toronto-area teams have been better out of around 80 in the triple-A loop across Ontario.

“I think they were ready,” Barch said. “We’ve been preparing for this year the last four, five years. They’ve been very understanding in what was expected. Players did a great job investing in themselves in the summer with skill development and strength training . . . and the results are speaking for themselves.”

The Lakers have won 17 of 21 regular season games and are one point ahead of Sun County for first place in their division. They’ve scored the second most goals (99) and have allowed the fewest (25), and their goal differential of plus-74 leads the league.

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Barch’s son Kane leads the Lakers with 21 goals and 50 points, while St. Marys’ goaltender Vaughn Barr is 7-1 with a 1.13 goals-against average and two shutouts.

“As a coach, I want every one of our players to reach their potential,” said Barch, a former Washington Capitals fourth-round pick who played 384 NHL games with Dallas, New Jersey and Florida from 2006 to 2014. “I would say we’ll maximize every opportunity for every player on the team.”

The window is open for a group that has already won an International Silver Stick title this season. Now the Lakers are gunning for an Alliance and OHL Cup championship, which would give players a better chance at being drafted in April.

“It’s a year where players separate themselves,” Barch said. “Every player in the 2009 age group is going through the same things. You see players thriving and rising up to those occasions and pressure — those are the players who move on.”

The 44-year-old, who spent three seasons with the London Knights in the late 1990s, speaks from experience.

“We have to continue to play and prepare like we have. There’s going to be some bounces that don’t go our way, but we gotta worry about what we can control.

“If we play the style we play, we can beat any team. It’s being focused and connected to what makes us good.”

cosmith@postmedia.com

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