Local hockey product Marc Dubeau is working through another milestone as he plays out his last season of Junior A hockey for the Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Dubeau spoke with the Journal on Jan. 22 while he was in the midst of an impressive 16-game points streak.
“I’m going for 17 tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve been managing to sneak one in there every game, and I’ve been able to contribute, which is nice.”
When asked if the streak is something he thinks about before a game, he admitted the pressure is tough to ignore completely.
“It’s in the back of your mind, but really all you want to do is win. That’s the main goal,” he said. “But whenever you do get that point, it’s like ‘Ok, I can take a deep breath, I guess that’s another game.’”
Dubeau has helped the Klippers grab the first place position in the Kramer Division of the SJHL.
“We’ve got a really good team,” Dubeau said. “We’ve got four solid lines, three pairs of defence, and two outstanding goalies . . . As long as we keep winning out the rest of the season, nobody should be able to catch us.”
According to Rockie Zinger, head coach of the Klippers, Marc’s contributions to the team have not gone unnoticed.
“Marc’s a pretty big kid. He skates well, and uses his body well. He’s really come into his own this year,” Zinger said.
Dubeau played some of his minor hockey in Mallaig before moving up the ranks. He credits his time in the area for helping him build the foundation of his game.
“When I was younger, my dad definitely helped me out a lot, and then as I got older I had a few pretty good coaches in Mallaig,” he said.
His natural and developed skills were enough to attract coach Zinger’s attention before he got to Kindersley.
“You can’t teach size. He’s really good on face-offs, and his reach allows him to be pretty deceptive and hard to defend against. That was what we noticed about him right away,” Zinger said.
Like most coaches, Zinger has no interest in adding pressure to his player by mentioning something like a points streak.
“I haven’t spoken to him about it, and I don’t plan to,” Zinger said. “When and if it comes to an end, it’s not going to change the fact that he’s playing good hockey.”
The longer it goes, however, the harder it will be to ignore. The day after his interview with the Journal, Dubeau was credited with an assist in a game against Nipawin, bringing the streak to 17 straight games and counting.
