The 20-year-old hometown boy for the Dieppe Commandos lifted the Kent Cup high above his six-foot-one frame on Friday night and let out an excited holler as his teammates crowded in around him.
Nothing could wipe the smile off his face.
“This is the first thing I have won since, like, peewee,” he said with a laugh. “It feels unbelievable, like I can’t even describe it.”
As the Truro Bearcats pride themselves on being a brick house team of winners, Graham can now pride himself on being a wrecking ball. The league’s regular season MVP posted two goals and two assists in Game 4 to be named first star and playoff MVP. Much like the rest of the series, there were moments in the game where Graham’s line sucked the energy from the Rath Eastlink Community Centre, save for a small section near the Dieppe bench of dedicated Commando fans and parents.
After posting 17 points in 14 playoff games, Graham thanked his teammates and coaching staff.
“It’s an honour (to be named MVP),” Graham said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, my line mates and all the people around me though.”
Not surprisingly, it was Graham who opened the scoring at the 3:19 mark of the first period, with assists from Ryan Langan and Michael Poirier. The lead didn’t hold long, as Jake Primeau tied things for Truro with a seeing-eye slapper from the blue line.
Before the first period was out, Ryan Langan would give Dieppe the lead again, converting on a goalmouth scramble to make it 2-1.
Jordan McNaughton again tied the game for the Bearcats in the second period, scoring his eighth goal of the playoffs and his league-leading 24th point in 14 games.
Dieppe went right back on the attack after the goal, with Andrew Meredith beating Jacob Fancy with a shot high to the glove side from four feet out.
Before the period was out, Graham struck again to give the Commandos a 4-2 lead. Jeremy Doucet added another in the third to solidify the score and seal the championship.
The celebration scene was a mess of gloves, sticks and smiles afterwards, with the trophy quickly making it’s way around.
One of the first to touch it as Ryan Groom, the 20-year-old Glace Bay, N.S., native who came over midseason from South Shore.
“It’s hard to put into words. It’s such a great group of guys here,” Groom said. “We battled hard and we deserved what we got… I knew I was coming to a team that had a chance to win and I’m glad we pulled it out.”
Also in the mix was Cody Drover, the one-time leading scorer for the Commandos who left the club in November with a wrist injury that required surgery. All through the recovery process, Drover itched to get back with his team.
“I was coming back for the final whether I could play or not,” he said when asked about his reduced role in the final series. “As long as we won, I didn’t really care what role I played.”
The team lingered on the ice long after the final buzzer, soaking in the championship feel. For veterans like Graham, it couldn’t have come at a better time or with a better group.
“We’re like family,” he said. “We’re all friends. We all love each other. Just a perfect, winning team.”
The 20-year-old hometown boy for the Dieppe Commandos lifted the Kent Cup high above his six-foot-one frame on Friday night and let out an excited holler as his teammates crowded in around him.
Nothing could wipe the smile off his face.
“This is the first thing I have won since, like, peewee,” he said with a laugh. “It feels unbelievable, like I can’t even describe it.”
As the Truro Bearcats pride themselves on being a brick house team of winners, Graham can now pride himself on being a wrecking ball. The league’s regular season MVP posted two goals and two assists in Game 4 to be named first star and playoff MVP. Much like the rest of the series, there were moments in the game where Graham’s line sucked the energy from the Rath Eastlink Community Centre, save for a small section near the Dieppe bench of dedicated Commando fans and parents.
After posting 17 points in 14 playoff games, Graham thanked his teammates and coaching staff.
“It’s an honour (to be named MVP),” Graham said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, my line mates and all the people around me though.”
Not surprisingly, it was Graham who opened the scoring at the 3:19 mark of the first period, with assists from Ryan Langan and Michael Poirier. The lead didn’t hold long, as Jake Primeau tied things for Truro with a seeing-eye slapper from the blue line.
Before the first period was out, Ryan Langan would give Dieppe the lead again, converting on a goalmouth scramble to make it 2-1.
Jordan McNaughton again tied the game for the Bearcats in the second period, scoring his eighth goal of the playoffs and his league-leading 24th point in 14 games.
Dieppe went right back on the attack after the goal, with Andrew Meredith beating Jacob Fancy with a shot high to the glove side from four feet out.
Before the period was out, Graham struck again to give the Commandos a 4-2 lead. Jeremy Doucet added another in the third to solidify the score and seal the championship.
The celebration scene was a mess of gloves, sticks and smiles afterwards, with the trophy quickly making it’s way around.
One of the first to touch it as Ryan Groom, the 20-year-old Glace Bay, N.S., native who came over midseason from South Shore.
“It’s hard to put into words. It’s such a great group of guys here,” Groom said. “We battled hard and we deserved what we got… I knew I was coming to a team that had a chance to win and I’m glad we pulled it out.”
Also in the mix was Cody Drover, the one-time leading scorer for the Commandos who left the club in November with a wrist injury that required surgery. All through the recovery process, Drover itched to get back with his team.
“I was coming back for the final whether I could play or not,” he said when asked about his reduced role in the final series. “As long as we won, I didn’t really care what role I played.”
The team lingered on the ice long after the final buzzer, soaking in the championship feel. For veterans like Graham, it couldn’t have come at a better time or with a better group.
“We’re like family,” he said. “We’re all friends. We all love each other. Just a perfect, winning team.”
