With last year鈥檚 top five scorers either graduated from midget hockey or simply moving on to Junior 鈥楢鈥�, many wondered where the offence would come from for the Yorkton RawTec Maulers for the 2015/16 SMAAAHL season.
Twenty-eight games into the 2015/16 season and their questions seem to have been answered, as third-year forward Damian Bentz and second-year man Derrick Budz have exploded onto the SMAAAHL scoring season with 34 and 31 points respectively to sit in fourth (Bentz, 20 goals, 14 assists) and ninth (Budz, 13 goals, 18 assists) in league scoring. 鈥淐oming into the season, I felt good,鈥� said the Yorkton-born Budz, who grew from 5鈥�4鈥� and 120 pounds last season to 5鈥�10鈥� and 145 pounds this year. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect it but I wanted to have a good season, a breakout year, and catch some eyes and hopefully get to the next level next year which is my goal and I think I鈥檓 doing that.鈥�
For Punnichy鈥檚 Bentz, in his third season as a member of the Maulers, expectations to produce weren鈥檛 just from himself, but Coach Graham Garrett as well. 鈥淎t the start of the season coach Garrett said that he expected that out of me,鈥� suggested Bentz. 鈥淗e told me he thought I鈥檇 be one of the top scorers in the league and that put a lot of pressure on me, but I came out and got on a roll early on.
鈥淚 knew the coaches were going to rely on that and so I鈥檝e been making sure that I鈥檝e been ready to play game in and game out all season long and lead by example for the younger players.鈥�
Both Budz and Bentz credit their so far impressive seasons to the chemistry that they have developed with one another - as well as centre Brett Kemp - who also has 31 points on the season and sits in 10th in league scoring. 鈥淐oming into the start of the season here coach said he wanted some chemistry and so he threw us together and we just seemed to jell right from the start,鈥� mentioned Bentz.
Budz agreed with his linemate, adding that it鈥檚 easy to put up good offensive numbers when you have such strong chemistry with someone. 鈥淲e move the puck well and do the little things well, like chipping the puck out and driving the net hard. Nice passing plays and we jell nice together.
鈥淲e鈥檙e always laughing, talking and having fun together off the ice and that鈥檚 what hockey is all about.鈥�
The pair of Mauler forwards now hope that they鈥檒l continue their offensive ways in the 2016 calendar year and lead the RawTec Maulers to a top four finish and home ice in the opening round of the SMAAAHL playoffs. 鈥淲e want to keep this up,鈥� said Bentz, continuing, 鈥淚 think that this year has been the tightest that this team has been since I鈥檝e been on it and we鈥檙e going to keep on playing like this for the rest of the season.鈥�
