Top rookies meet as hockey Bears host suddenly red-hot Pronghorns

Danielle Jenson

Standout rookies collide this weekend at Clare Drake Arena, as Adam Chorneyko and the Lethbridge Pronghorns skate into town to take on Sean Ringrose and the number-two ranked Golden Bears in Canada West men's hockey action.

One of the biggest storylines that is sure to play out over the course of the weekend is the race between Chorneyko and Ringrose for the conference's rookie scoring title. Both freshmen have been fantastic for their respective clubs; however, it's Ringrose who leads the race, having collected 27 points on the season — three more than Chorneyko.

Chorneyko, a St. Albert native, leads the 'Horns in scoring this season with 13 goals and 11 assists, and has been an offensive dynamo for the Bears' southern Alberta rivals. Heavily recruited out of the WHL, Chorneyko put up a 21-goal season last year, splitting time between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Saskatoon Blades.

"Adam's a really good player. I would've liked to him to come here, but it just didn't work out for whatever reason, and he's really stepped up," Bears head coach Eric Thurston said.

Staying out of the box will be a major key to shutting down the six-foot winger, as Chorneyko is tied for third in the conference with six power play markers.

"He's a big player, who has good skills and can be physical. We've got to keep an eye on him, and not taking penalties to limit his time and space," Thurston said.

For the Bears, Sean Ringrose has been tremendous from the outset of the season as well, playing between the veteran tandem of Eric Hunter and Jesse Gimblett. Ringrose, who notched 28 goals last season playing with the Medicine Hat Tigers, has been among the Bears' most consistent performers, putting up terrific offensive numbers, but has also been one of the team's most defensively sound forwards.

"We've really been happy with the way Sean Ringrose has played. There's a lot of little things that he does that go unnoticed. He does such a great job on the forecheck and in the defensive zone with puck retrieval, that we don't spend a lot of our time bottled up in our defensive zone with our top line," Thurston pointed out.

"Sean has really stepped up and been a big part of our team this year for a first-year player."

Both Ringrose and Chorneyko's squads still have some work left to do with regards to where they sit in the playoff picture, with the Bears looking to clinch first place in the conference and home-ice advantage throughout the postseason this weekend.

The Pronghorns on the other hand, sit four points back of Calgary for the fourth and final playoff spot, but hold two games in hand on the Dinos heading into the weekend. Lethbridge comes into the weekend riding a five-game winning streak, and are playing their best hockey of the season at just the right time.

"We've got to be disciplined and can't let their game get into our heads, and we've got to come and really be focused for another tough weekend against Lethbridge," Thurston explained.

Puck drop between the Bears and Pronghorns goes both Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Drake, with the games also available online at www.bears.ualberta.ca.