Horricks brings the Sandpaper

September 16th, 2020
North Saanich, B.C.

There were a lot of lessons for Eric Horricks to learn last season and he took each of these lessons in stride.  Perhaps the biggest one occurred early in the season, well past the midway point of the 2nd period in a Friday night game in the friendly confines of the Panorama Recreation Centre.  The opponent was the Victoria Cougars and the Panthers were having their way in every department.  The local squad held a commanding 3-0 lead and were probably a goal away from putting the game to bed.  Horricks was caught deep in the Cougars' end and was tangled up with a Cougars' player as the play moved into the neutral zone.  Horricks gave a Cougar a shot that most likely should have been a minor penalty however after some discussion between the Officials, Horricks was nailed with a 5-minute major penalty and a Game Misconduct.

"I went down into the dressing room to have a quick chat with Eric while everything was still fresh in his head," said GM Pete Zubersky.  "It was actually a very soft and quiet two-minute chat.  I explained to him how important the rivalry was between the Cougars and our Club and that we cannot give anything to them for free.  While we were talking, they scored and then scored again.  We lost the game 5-4 and it could not have been a better result.  It was a lesson he will never forget.  I really love his compete level; he cares.  And he is the kind of player that is not a lot of fun to play against."

Horricks discussed last season and what he is looking to accomplish this year:

"Although I was injured throughout most of last season, I'm really pumped for what this team is going to accomplish. Even though we had an abrupt end to the last season, we definitely have the same energy as last year and I think we’re going to have a lot of success.  I’m hoping to avoid injuries and be more of an impact guy this season.  I was on and off the ice for the majority of last season and I am looking to change that.  I’m very excited to play with all the new defensemen, all of them are skilled in different ways, and I’m excited to see who I’m gonna be playing with for  this season."  

Horricks continued with his comments:  "We have the coneheads (Lingard, Wort and Braun) for one more final year, and they’re gonna make their last year count, being the top line for a couple years already. Wort, Braun, and Lingo are phenomenal players who help out the rest of the team by showing the rookies the ropes and being vocal and encouraging for the rest of the team."

Head Coach Brad Tippett on his gritty defenceman:

"Eric battled through a couple of nagging injuries including an abdominal strain that stole 6 weeks of his season. He is one of those players that the puck follows and puts him in the thick of the action. We need “Rock” to stay healthy and be the force he showed last year - big shot from the point, needs to work on accuracy.  He has the ability to change the momentum of a game."