Ahern provides experience for Waywayseecappo in playoff push

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This article was published 05/03/2020 (2071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Colin Ahern has certainly shaken a lot of hands this season.

When the Fond du Lac, Wis., product was traded to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines from the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Drumheller Dragons in January, it was his third team and third league he’s played in this season.

Ahern, 20, started the season in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League with the Soo Thunderbirds, but an opportunity came up in Alberta following 16 games in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

He was sent to Drumheller, but the Dragons got another guy back and after just 12 games in the AJHL, Ahern headed east to Waywayseecappo.

“Change of scenery can always be hard, learning a new room, learning a new team,” Ahern said in a phone interview Wednesday.

“Obviously being a goalie you’re just stopping the puck, you don’t have a whole lot to learn. You’re learning new guys and getting to know everyone, getting comfortable so it’s been a challenge but I’ve embraced it and grinned through it. Hopefully we get on a good run here.”

Since arriving in Wayway, Ahern has played in 19 straight games, posting a 2.72 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. The American netminder was recently named an MJHL star of the week following his three-win, one shutout effort in the final week of the regular season.

“It’s great. My team is playing really well in front of me, they’ve been taking care of their jobs,” Ahern said. “Coach (Taylor Harnett) has really got some good systems in the last month or so getting prepared for playoffs, so it’s been good to see the team play well in front of me.”

Ahern has enjoyed his brief time in Wayway.

“It’s a small community, but it’s awesome. Everyone has your back,” he said. “The room is a great environment. Coaches do a good job every day.”

Hailing from the United States midwest, which is stereotypically known for being home to nice people, he says small-town Canadians might be a bit nicer.

“It’s good to be around people who love hockey and love watching the sport,” he said.

Ahern ended up in northern Ontario after failing to crack teams closer to home. He had a connection to Soo and made the team in 2018-19.

He won the NOJHL team goaltending award as the Thunderbirds finished with the best record in the regular season. Soo would go on to lose in the league final in seven games to the Hearst Lumberjacks. During their playoff run, Ahern recorded a 2.72 gaa and .903 save percentage.

“I needed somewhere to play and Sault Ste Marie was a great spot for me to land,” Ahern said. “We had a good team, this year I started there and had the opportunity to advance to a better league and took the chance and ran with it.”

“It’s my last year as well, I want to play as much as I can and that was kind of the mindset when I came out here,” he added.

“Taylor’s been pretty forthcoming with me and they’ve been playing me down the stretch here, and we’ve gotten on a bit of a roll which is good. It’s the right time with playoffs coming up.”

Ahern said Harnett and the Wolverines coaching staff have done a good job of preparing the team every week. Wayway finished the year with their second-best regular season in franchise history.

After squeaking into the playoffs last season, the Wolverines finished in fifth with 71 points and a 32-21-5-2 record.

“Whether it’s one game or three games, or whatever it is, we’re always dialed in for games,” Ahern said. “The amount of support we get from the community here is unbelievable. It’s a small community but they do everything in their power to make you feel right at home. They’re always welcoming you, they’re always smiling at you, it’s just unbelievable.”

Wayway the faces fourth-place Swan Valley Stampeders in the best-of-seven quarterfinals and Ahern said they will be a “good test.”

“They match up well against us,” he said. “I think if we can play our game and do what we’ve been doing, we like our chances. It’s just going to come down to the little details, who makes more mistakes or who makes the extra play. I think with how much experience we have in our room, the older D-core that we have and the talent up front, I think we have a good chance against them.”

Ahern is as experienced as they come in between the pipes, having played in a league final.

“The nerves are always there,” he said. “It’s just trust in your game, trust in your abilities and know what you can do. All the practice in the summer and throughout the season leads up to this.

“It’s never panicking, and just relaxing and realizing that if you just take care of the little details, things should go your way.”

The Wolverines will be in Swan Valley on Friday for Game 1 of the quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m.

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