The last couple of years, the Laurier Golden Hawks men’s hockey team has been on a bit of a come up.
After missing the playoffs for the previous few years, they have managed to be able to not only make the playoffs but also get home-ice advantage. While they have had early exits, there is hope, especially with new faces. One of them being Anthony Sorrentino.
Hailing from Woodbridge, Ontario, the 6’4”, 215 lb centre has had quite the journey leading up to establishing himself on this Golden Hawks squad.
He spent two years playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he played on the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the Halifax Mooseheads. Following that, he played for the Trenton Golden Hawks of the Ontario Junior Hockey League last year, where he excelled and won the league championship.
“Obviously, learning and maturing to be a better hockey player through the ranks there where it’s taken a lot more serious … trying to bring that same mentality to the OUA has been vital to me. I’ve always been a guy who cares a lot about hockey and my passion for the game is really strong,” Sorrentino said.
“The last three years, I was able to take my game from a level where people kind of passed up on me and I was kind of an afterthought and now I was able to play junior in the Quebec league. Those [experiences] have helped me mature as a person,” he added.
Some athletes have certain things from their past that drive them. Much of the time, they have to do with people who doubted them in the past. All the questioning of how far an athlete can go or being passed up on is something that leads to a chip being on one’s shoulder. That happens to be the case with Sorrentino.
Coming into his first season he played all 28 games, finishing with nine goals — tied for the team lead — seven assists and 16 points, with the Golden Hawks finishing 15-10-3.
Individual accolades don’t seem to be emphasized with Sorrentino though.
“When it comes to individual goals, I base that off of team success.”
“Last year, I came off a championship in Junior A and there’s no better feeling in the world when it comes to hockey,” he said.
“So, I think my goals coming into any season, especially at Laurier and next year and the years moving forward, is to win the championship and participate in the national championship.”
“I think next year, we’re really capable of doing that, so I’m really excited and a lot of the guys are excited as well.”
While acknowledging the want for a deeper playoff run as well as the fact that it “starts individually with my own play,” there’s more than the want to win that drives him to be the player he wants to be and for his team to have the success he wants them to have.
Some athletes have certain things from their past that drive them. Much of the time, they have to do with people who doubted them in the past. All the questioning of how far an athlete can go or being passed up on is something that leads to a chip being on one’s shoulder. That happens to be the case with Sorrentino.
“Personally, yeah I do [have a chip on my shoulder.] Obviously back when I was 16 or 17, that chip has grown to the age of 22 and I think that’s what drives me. I get pretty excited when I prove people wrong and that’s what drives me,” he said.
With this year’s early playoff exit as motivation and the growing chip on his shoulder to go along with it, there is plenty to expect from Sorrentino and this up-and-coming Golden Hawks squad for next year and the years to come.
