HUMBOLDT — It did not take long for Humboldt Broncos rookie forward Lucas Ceccarelli to have opposing goaltenders seeing red.
The 19-year-old Ontario product lit the lamp in his first Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League regular season game on Sept. 24. Ceccarelli followed that up with a three point, one-goal performance the next night in his regular season debut at the Elgar Petersen Arena. Two games later, he scored twice. Through his first 10 SJHL contests, Ceccarelli has seven goals and 10 points. What has allowed him to score?
“I think the main thing has just been that I’m shooting a lot more than I have in the past,” Ceccarelli said. “This is also an extremely talented team and that has made it a lot easier to play and be successful.”
After falling to Notre Dame and Yorkton on the road by 2-1 scores last week, the Broncos bounced back to beat Yorkton, 3-1, at the EPA on Saturday night. Ceccarelli had the game-winning goal for the Broncos, whose 7-4-0-0 record had them sitting second in the Global Ag Risk Solutions division with 14 points, just behind Battlefords (7-3-1-0, 15 points).
As of Sunday, only three other SJHL players had more than Ceccarelli’s seven goals. Teammate Alec Saretzky topped the league with 11 in as many games. Ceccarelli’s 10 points placed him fifth on the Broncos and third among SJHL rookies. Both of those categories were topped by Broncos forward Connor McGrath’s 19 points. While Ceccarelli has established himself as a scoring threat, it is not just his point production that the Broncos appreciate about him.
“He’s been great for us since he came here. … He plays a 200-foot game,” Humboldt head coach Scott Barney said. “He always supports the puck on the offensive side and defensive side. He has chipped in with some good offence for us here so far.”
Early last June, the Broncos acquired Ceccarelli from the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Canada Hockey League. Last season he played in three developmental scrimmage contests for the Lumber Kings. The campaign before that, Ceccarelli captained the Richmond Hill Coyotes U18 AAA squad. He has enjoyed the step up to the Junior A level.
“The game is definitely a lot faster, but I’ve found that brings a better flow to the game,” Ceccarelli said. “It’s also a more physical brand of hockey and it forces you to make quicker and harder plays.”
Although he recently moved to Richmond Hill, Ceccarelli grew up outside of Toronto in King City. He said the community is similar in size to Humboldt. Ceccarelli and teammate Reilly McKinnon billet with Blake and Dana Rath with them and their three daughters. He has enjoyed his time so far in Humboldt and with the Broncos.
“There’s been a lot I’ve liked so far, but I’ve really enjoyed the support from the city and the fans,” Ceccarelli said. “It’s an honour to play for such a passionate fan base. I’ve also loved just going to the rink everyday. The whole team and staff are super fun to be around and it’s a great environment.”
The Broncos last week
Saturday, Oct. 16 in Humboldt
Humboldt 3, Yorkton 1
Broncos Scorers: Connor McGrath (2), Lucas Ceccarelli
Terriers Scorer: JD Hall
Goalies: Rayce Ramsay, Humboldt, 36 saves on 37 shots; Kael DePape, Yorkton, 34 on 37
Attendance: 740
Notes: Yorkton opened the scoring in the first period, but McGrath tied things up less than three minutes later. Just over halfway through the opening frame, Ceccarelli scored on the powerplay to put Humboldt on top. Neither team scored in the second period and McGrath had the third’s lone goal. “I think that we competed really hard for 60 minutes. Probably one of our best 60 minutes of the season,” Broncos head coach Scott Barney said. “They were engaged from the start of the game right to the end. … Obviously, Rayce made some big saves when we needed it. I thought our penalty kill was really strong. We had to kill off a lot of penalties. If you can win the special teams battle like we did, you can win a lot of hockey games.” Humboldt killed off all six of Yorkton’s man advantage opportunities and was 1-for-6 on the power play.
Friday, Oct. 15 in Yorkton
Yorkton 2, Humboldt 1
Broncos Scorer: Ethan Zielke
Terriers Scorers: Maddux Nollski, Steven Norum
Goalies: Liam Stevens, Humboldt, 19 saves on 21 shots; Kael DePape, Yorkton, 19 on 20
Attendance: 441
Notes: All of the game’s goals were scored in the first period. Zielke’s goal was shorthanded and his first Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League marker.
Tuesday, Oct. 12 in Wilcox
Notre Dame 2, Humboldt 1
Broncos Scorer: Lucas Ceccarelli
Hounds Scorers: Elliot Dutil, Kevin Anderson
Goalies: Rayce Ramsay, Humboldt, 26 saves on 28 shots; Austin Elliott, Notre Dame, 41 on 42
Attendance: 327
Notes: Both teams scored in the first period. Notre Dame’s second goal came in the second period on the powerplay. Humboldt head coach Scott Barney noted that although the team fell twice on the road last week, it only gave up five goals in three games. “For me, that’s a positive … Obviously, that’s a credit to our goaltending and the way we are playing on the defensive side of the puck.”
This Week
The Humboldt Broncos (7-4-0-0) take on the league-leading Melfort Mustangs (9-2-0-1) this weekend. Game one is Friday in Melfort with the second slated for Saturday in Humboldt.
The Broncos will have an extra game in January. Their postponed Sept. 29 contest versus Melville has been rescheduled for Jan. 9.
