Hardware-filled year for Portage’s Wiebe
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Posted By Laura Shantora Nelles, Central Plains Herald-Leader
Posted 1 month ago
A bronze medal, a silver finish and a league championship have made for quite a successful year for Portage la Prairie's Scott Wiebe.
"This has probably been my busiest year," said the 15-year-old multi-sport athlete.
Wiebe's first accolade came in the form of a bronze medal win with Team Central at the 2010 Power Smart Manitoba Winter Games in Portage in March.
"That was pretty cool playing in front of the home crowd. Playing in the PCU Centre was really good ... it didn't even feel like Portage," he said.
Wiebe, who is known for dishing out thundering checks while patrolling the blueline and his defence-partner from his club team, the Portage AA Bantam Terriers, spent most of the Games tournament playing together as well, something Wiebe said was very helpful to the pair's success.
"When you play with your same D-partner, you always know where that guy's going to be and all that, so that was good.," he said.
While players on Team Central were made up of players who are often rivals, Wiebe said "everyone got along really well, we got to know each other pretty good, and I've kept in touch with a few of the guys. I'll probably see a lot of them next season."
Wiebe said the best thing about the feat was, "Playing in my hometown. The Games don't happen often, so it was pretty neat that it was my year and that it was here in Portage."
Next on the list was the Bantam AA Terriers' winning the regular season title for finishing first overall in the league. The Terriers were denied a championship, but finished second after losing in the playoff final. For a team that was expected to be a middle-of-the-pack group, Wiebe says the team turned a lot of heads.
"We weren't supposed to be first. Nobody was expecting us to do that, and it was a close battle at the finish with the Hawks, so they weren't too happy that we finished first," he said. While the nay sayers in Winnipeg were stunned with the Terriers, Wiebe said, "We knew that we were capable of competing in that league, it's just the other people who didn't expect us to do that."
One of the things Wiebe said contributed to the club's success was "good team chemistry." And good defence? "Of course," he agreed. "Can't forget that. And good goaltending."
As one of the team's alternate captains, Wiebe was called upon to be a leader both on and off the ice. "You have to go out and set a good example — be a leader in the room and out on the ice, too."
Wiebe describes himself as more of a "defensive" defenceman, meaning he doesn't score too many goals. His job is to prevent other teams' top lines from scoring goals on his team's net.
"I'm a physical, stay-at-home D. Every team needs a few of those guys, and they can be valuable. I just try not to do too much, just do my job," he said.
"I don't score too much, but I got a couple in provincials; it's always nice to get a few of those."
As for goal celebrations, though, Wiebe said he's got nothing fancy up his sleeve. "I don't even know what to do when I score a goal because it hardly ever happens," he said with a laugh.
One of Wiebe's nicknames is P.K., but he says the fact that he logs many minutes on the penalty kill is not the source of the name. "It's after (Montreal Canadiens blueliner) P.K. Subban," he explained. Subban is known for his rugged style of play and his colourful personality — he once put a pie in the mug of a teammate during post-game celebrations.
"I don't know, the boys just started calling me that — but it's good," said Wiebe with a grin. "He's a fan favourite."
While admiration for Subban is apparent, Wiebe's favourite player is fellow Manitoban, Dustin Penner, who suits up for the Edmonton Oilers — Wiebe's favourite team.
"I think I started liking them because my dad hated them ... he's starting to warm up to them now, though. I watch almost all of their games. And if I have hockey, then I tape them and watch them later," he said.
Turning away from hockey, Wiebe's summer consists of bagging and stocking groceries at Pankos, carrying groceries out to the car for little old ladies — "gotta love that," he laughs. "I got a tip once." ... and winning baseball championships.
Wiebe and the Bantam AA team captured the league championship this year after knocking off powerhouse favourite Altona in the semi-finals to earn a berth in the Western Canadian Championships coming up next month in Surrey, B.C.
Half of the Bantam ball team is the same group from the Bantam hockey team, which Wiebe says is a bonus. "It helps because all us guys get along really well. We're all second-year players, too," he said. Bantam is comprised (mostly) of players in Grades 8 and 9, so the squad had plenty of time to play together over the past two years.
"We didn't do that well last year, and even this year, Altona was expected to win it all. It's hard to believe we still won ... it didn't feel real at the time. But, I think, actually, it was almost better when we beat Altona in the semi-finals. They're kind of cocky, and they saved all their best pitchers till the very end against us when they realized they were in trouble," he explained.
With the trip to Surrey only a couple weeks away, Wiebe says he is "So excited. I've never been to B.C. before, and it doesn't happen often that Portage teams get to go. A team went a couple years ago and they got (beaten badly) so we know it's going to be tough competition," he said. "But it'll be a good experience, and a lot of fun."
Wiebe plays left field and first base and said he enjoys first base as "it's pretty simple; all you have to do is catch the ball," he said, laughing.
Next week, the Bantam ball team will be heading out to raise some cash for their trip to B.C. "It's going to be a big bottle drive, so we'll be coming around to all the houses," he said. The bottle drive is scheduled for Aug. 4.
Ball got underway in April, right after hockey finished, and the very same day Wiebe returns from Surrey, "hockey camp starts. It's mostly just a skating camp, but I won't even get to sleep. Then Capitals (Central Plains Midget AAA) conditioning camp starts, then tryouts ... there's not really a break."
For now, Wiebe's focus is on winning another championship in Surrey, and once he gets back, he says he will be making an attempt to crack the Capitals roster. "They lost a whole bunch of D, but it's rare for a first-year player to make it, so I'll probably play Junior Caps," he said.
The Terriers invited Wiebe to their main camp this fall after being impressed with his play at their spring evaluation camp back in April. Wiebe remains a free agent in the junior hockey market as an undrafted player, and has gotten invites from the Western Hockey League to try out for teams in Chiliwack and Kelowna. "I thought about it, but it's pretty tough to make the team when you're 15, so I figure I'll wait until next year," he explained. "For now, I'm just going to try to get better, and hopefully grow another couple inches. I'm 5'11" now, so two more inches would be just perfect."
sports@cpheraldleader.com
