JEREMY FRASER • CAPE BRETON POST

Matthew LeBlanc of the Riverview Ravens keeps a close eye on the play as he stands on the blueline during Cape Breton High School Hockey League action at the Cape Breton County Recreation Centre in Coxheath last week. LeBlanc and the Ravens will host the annual Red Cup Showcase this weekend in Coxheath.

COXHEATH — Matthew LeBlanc doesn’t know exactly what to expect when he takes to the ice for the Riverview Ravens' opening game of the Red Cup Showcase high school hockey tournament tonight.

Despite being part of the team for the last three seasons, like all of his teammates, LeBlanc hasn’t had the opportunity to experience the tournament’s atmosphere because it hasn’t taken place since February 2020.

While he’s witnessed some big crowds for the team’s home opener and some playoff games, he doesn’t know what the full extent will be until he’s on the ice and in the moment.

“I don’t think I’ve ever played in front of a crowd like the one we’re expecting for our games this weekend,” said LeBlanc, who has the honour of being the team’s captain this season.

“None of us really know what to expect, we’ve seen the crowds before as we’ve all followed the tournament but it’s different when you’re on the other side and playing the game instead of being in the stands.”

The annual Red Cup Showcase will return for the first time tonight since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament will feature eight teams — four teams in two divisions.

Riverview will be in the Red Division with the Sydney Academy Wildcats, Island View Devils of Eastern Passage, N.S., and Northumberland Nighthawks of Alma, N.S.

Meanwhile, the Memorial Marauders and Glace Bay Panthers will anchor the

White Division along with the Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals of Antigonish and the Horton Griffins of Wolfville.

The Ravens have been one of the more successful teams in School Sport Nova Scotia play this season. The club finished first overall in the four-team Cape Breton High

School Hockey League standings with a 15-1-0-0 record.

Riverview was also successful in claiming championship victories in both the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold tournament in November and the Blue and White Contractor Cup last month.

LeBlanc and his Ravens teammates are excited to have the chance to finally host the tournament and hope to add to their winning ways with a Red Cup title come Sunday.

“I think we just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing all season,” said LeBlanc, who began his minor hockey career in Cheticamp before moving on to play for the Cape Breton County Minor Hockey Association.

“We have depth, we have some skill and if we focus on what we can control and play our game, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE

One of the reasons the Ravens have found the win column on a regular basis has been in large part due to the club’s consistent work ethic and offensive production from all three of its lines.

Riverview head coach Jordan Moss doesn’t expect much to change from his team's play going into the tournament, noting the club needs to keep playing simple hockey.

“It’s the old cliché, get pucks in deep, cycle the puck, and get the puck on the net,” said Moss. “We’re a pretty simple team, we have great goaltending, great defence, and we usually take care of our own end first and then the goals tend to follow.”

While having a defencefirst mindset has been part of the Ravens' brand of hockey for several years, it begins between the pipes with graduating goaltenders Andrew Burke and Ryan MacDonald. Between the two, they’ve only allowed 26 goals against through 16 regular season games.

On the offensive side of the puck, the team scored the most goals (77) in the league and is coming off a 9-1 win over Sydney Academy at Centre 200 on Sunday.

The club’s offence is led by Grade 11 Gahan Rector with 15 goals and 28 points in 16 games. Luc Sampson (9G, 10A, 19 PTS), Royce Balcom (11G, 7A, 18 PTS), Josh Novak (8G, 7A, 15 PTS) and Aidan Stanwick (2G, 12A, 14

PTS) round out the top five in offensive production.

Moss and the Ravens coaching staff have had some luxury this season. Because of the club’s balanced attack, the team has been able to roll out its lines without having to shorten the bench much.

“We trust anyone on the team to be out there on the ice,” said Moss. “There’s not many times when we really shorten the bench, the odd game we might but for the most part that’s not part of our plan and we believe in them all.”

While the team hopes to feed off its regular-season play, LeBlanc said the players know the tournament is a clean slate and that they can’t focus on how many wins they have prior to the event.

“We have to look to the fu

ture and be ready for it,” said LeBlanc, a defenceman with two goals and five points in 14 games.

“We only had one loss during the regular season but we can’t take that for granted and have to keep playing our game to win.”

PUCK DROP

Riverview will open the tournament tonight when they take on the Sydney Academy Wildcats. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m. at the Cape Breton County Recreation Centre.

“The first game is always the most important,” said Moss. “You want to start the tournament with a win and get that under your belt. Sydney Academy plays tough every game and we’ve had some close games with them, so we definitely want to get that first win.”

The Ravens continue the tournament on Friday when they take on the defending Red

Cup champion Northumberland Nighthawks at 1 p.m. on Friday. The school has labelled the contest the “spirit game” and will be allowing its students to attend.

The club will wrap up the round robin on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Island View.

The semifinals are Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively, while the championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.