A look at the new pride in town--the Cape Cod Cubs

The cubs take to the ice this fall and winter in Hyannis

By Casey Zubrod

I have spent the last 20 years of my life watching hockey.  From the adorable Mites that chase the puck as it soars maybe five feet, to the fast action of the NHL.  I don’t by any means consider myself an expert but, I do know the difference between the red line and the blue line.  Recently, I decided on a whim to take in the Cape Cod Cubs game at the beautiful new Hyannis facility.   The rink is warm, inviting and definitely geared toward hockey fanatics.  There isn’t a bad seat in the house and immediately the pulsating rock music pumps the adrenaline as the players take the ice.

My first opinions of the Cape Cod Cubs were weary to say the least.  Just another money maker hockey team that does little more than inflate a young kid’s ego, and drains a hopeful parent’s purse.  I have been taken many times before by hockey leagues that use words like “collegiate” and “elite” so my skepticism of this “Super Elite” team was at full attention.

The Cape Cod Cubs play in the International Junior Hockey League (IJHL). The Cubs are one of several teams in the league featuring players from 15 to 20 years of age. When on Cape, the Cubs call the newly constructed Hyannis Youth and Community Center their home.  The next home game will be played on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. against the Walpole Express. See the complete schedule here. Adult tickets are $5, children 10 and under are free.

The very mascot brings to mind something cute and cuddly.  Not a force to be reckoned with, Cubs almost as scary as, well kittens.  After the first eight minutes I was not overly impressed.  About eleven minutes into the first period, I begrudgingly had to admit, they were good.  They were damn good.  The ice was like a chess board, the Cubs every move was premeditated.  The whole first period was nothing but a set up, they let the Whalers skate themselves to exhaustion before they made their move.  The Whalers came out with a vengeance,  fury, attempting to prove they belonged amongst these “gifted, super elite”athletes.  When the Cubs made their move, it was purposeful and versed like a lion stalking its prey.  When they pounced, it was fast and furious.

The Cubs offense passed the puck in and around the other team weaving with a fiery finesse.    Without looking, they knew where their teammates were.  The seemingly effortless flick from one defense man would send the puck straight to his wings stick, as though magnetic.  The other team tried in vain to catch it, then to interfere, and even resort to hitting, but like the lion, the Cubs were three steps ahead of their prey.  On the rare instances when the opposition would have an occasional break away, The Cubs defense would form a protective wall around their goalie.  I even joked to my friends that of course their goalies were amazing.  They never saw the puck.  On the rare chance the goalies had the puck, both of them were the sixth man on the ice.  Clearing the puck and helping set up for the line change.  A rare commodity.   The defense was so fast they knew where the puck was going, met it, picked it up and let their team set up for another five minutes in the opposing zone.  Never did the team seem tired, shaken or panicked.  Every move was controlled, rehearsed and effortless. 

The frustration of the Whalers was seen in their faces, by the beginning of the third period, the boys looked spent and crushed.  They put on their best show, even scored a couple of pride goals, but the evidence of the massacre was seen as these young men skated off the ice, head down, egos wounded.  The Cubs added another victory to their undefeated under armor.  A few of Cape Cods home boys play on the team, one of them getting a hat trick, giving all the young fans in the audience hope for what lies down the ice for them. 

All in all, this is a great event for any fans and families looking for cheap fun on the weekends of the Capes harsh winter.  For $5 you get to see an amazingly talented, gifted group of young men play hockey at a caliber incomparable to our local teams.  The skill and fluency are nothing short of awesome.  I never got to see the original pack of cubs, but I am definitely a fan of this pride!!!