Shepley anchors an inexperienced blueline

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Although the menโ€™s hockey team may not have had their best season (9-17-2), thatโ€™s not to say there havenโ€™t been some standout players on the rink.

When people think of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, the defence can sometimes be overlooked, but that is exactly where youโ€™ll find veteran Zack Shepley.

Currently in his third year with the team, Shepley brings some much needed experience to the blue-line for the struggling team, largely aided by his four years in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Plymouth Whalers (2003-2007) and the Brampton Battalion (2007-2008). But his success began much earlier.

โ€œMy dad got me into it early,โ€ said Shepley. โ€œHeโ€™s coached me the whole way and been a big influence so far.โ€

Shepleyโ€™s performance on the ice this year could be considered one of his best since starting with the Golden Hawks in 2009, where he has a total of six points to rank third among defencemen for the team. He also leads the blueliners with a career total of 13 points.

His commanding presence and evident skill on the back line have helped to keep the shots and goals down to a minumum and this could be attributed to his time in the OHL.

โ€œThe biggest difference is that when youโ€™re in the OHL, your main focus is hockey and everything else has to go alongside that,โ€ Shepley said. โ€œYou donโ€™t know what to expect coming from the OHL to the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport). You donโ€™t expect the speed of the hockey and how good it actually is.โ€

When asked about why he chose Laurier, he responded, โ€œI love it here,โ€ before adding that, โ€œschool is the most important thing to have to fall back on if a pro career doesnโ€™t work and the small school atmosphere really catered to what I liked.โ€

Even with classes on top of a hectic varsity schedule, Shepley still manages to find time to hone his skills and improve.

โ€œPutting in the extra effortโ€ is what Shepley believes is the biggest factor to success.

โ€œSo many guys want the exact same thing as you and at the end of the day what you put into it is what youโ€™re going to get out of it,โ€ said the rearguard.

Despite a difficult season, the Hawks still made it to the playoffs as the eighth seed in the OUA West, and Shepley and the team are really looking forward to going far.

โ€œThe extra time you dedicate to the game and everything else that gets you where you want to be is essential,โ€ said Shepley.

And that is exactly what theyโ€™ll need to do in the forthcoming games against the number-one ranked Western squad in the conference quarterfinals.


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