Still, it was hard to ignore what was happening. Nothing was said on game days, but Hayes would find out what information he could and pass that onto his teammates.
His role, he says, “Was to let them know everything is going to be okay and it’s going to be better for the organization in the future. What happened was a great thing and I think it’s going to show a lot of promise for the future.”
Those who follow the team noticed a change in the second half of the season. Asked what was different, Hayes says the team could once again put its focus where it needed to be ¬– on the ice.
“When we got the coaching change we did a whole 180 as far as our game attitude. The confidence of everyone was boosted, everyone came to the rink with a smile on their face, they were ready to play,” he says. “We really did come together and we showed that by beating Truro twice and we beat Woodstock once. We gave Woodstock their only loss in their home arena.”
That 5-4 Feb. 10 win over Woodstock was huge for Yarmouth. Not just because it advanced them towards a playoff spot, but because the Mariners managed to do what few other teams did this season – they slammed the Slammers. Woodstock only had three regulation losses all season, ending the season with a league-record 92 points. Hayes led the scoring with two goals and one assist.
As for the Mariners’ last game of the season, Hayes says it was a tight game with both teams battling very hard.
“There’s always tough breaks in the game of hockey,” he says. “One bad bounce and it can change the whole outcome of the game, and that’s what happened.”
Hayes played in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League for four years, with the past two years spent in Yarmouth. Coming from a farming family in the valley, he says he can think of no better place to have played junior A hockey than in this fishing town.
Hayes is the only member of the Mariners team not returning to junior A hockey next year because of his age. His plans for the future are to take a four-year business degree and perhaps even to go to law school.
“If I get an opportunity to play hockey while getting an education, I couldn’t ask for more than that,” he says, adding that he’ll miss playing hockey in Yarmouth.
“The people here, the support they give to this team is just amazing.”
