DeSerres, Hayes happy out east

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This article was published 14/12/2010 (5519 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Plan A for Jacob DeSerres and Andrew Hayes was to come back to Brandon and play out their junior hockey careers with the Wheat Kings.

Plan B turned out to be something they never imagined before the season.

Despite backstopping the Wheat Kings to their best record in 14 seasons and a trip to the Memorial Cup final in 2009-10, DeSerres and Hayes, both 20, knew the limit of three overage players per team could cost them their jobs this season and that’s exactly what happened as both were put on waivers and went unclaimed by the other Western Hockey League teams.

But it turns out there was life after the WHL as both goalies stayed in major junior hockey and are playing key roles for teams in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League — DeSerres with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Hayes with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

"That me and Jake would both end up in the ‘Q’ and in the same division at that, it’s definitely been a pretty crazy time," Hayes said. "But after getting settled in, it feels really good right now."

DeSerres has ended up in a situation much like he was last year in Brandon, with the Sea Dogs ranked No.1 in the Canadian Hockey League and setting their sights on the Memorial Cup.

Meanwhile, Hayes is on a similar team to this season’s Wheat Kings, in rebuilding mode with a club that has been accustomed to winning recently.

While Hayes was waived after the opening weekend of the WHL season, DeSerres spent three weeks practising but not playing in Brandon. While that was tough, he already knew at the time that the Sea Dogs, whose director of hockey operations is former Wheat Kings head coach Mike Kelly, were interested.

"It was frustrating, but I don’t think it could have worked out any better and I truly think that (Wheat Kings head coach/general manager Kelly McCrimmon) partly made his decision based on him knowing that this was going to be an opportunity that it has turned out to be," DeSerres said. "… I’m very happy. I don’t think there’s a team in the whole CHL that I’d rather be on."

DeSerres ranks among QMJHL leaders in goals against average (2.49) and save percentage (.912), while posting a stellar 11-1-0-0 record.

Hayes’ 3.40 goals against average and .886 save percentage aren’t the type of numbers the Wheat Kings’ single-season (2.68) and career (2.79) record holder for goals against average is accustomed to, but more impressive is his6-5-1-2 record on a team that has a combined4-17-0-0 record from its other goaltenders. The Cape Breton Post likened him to Superman when he made 49 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss last month to the Lewiston Maineiacs and Hayes said his team has had growing pains, but also has great potential.

"It is a real young group and kinda building towards hopefully getting the Memorial Cup in Cape Breton (in 2012)," he said. "That’s what this season is all about is that bid and we’ve just got a lot of young talented guys in the room right now and lots of rookies. So it’s a major break-in process for a lot of guys, but it seems like the guys are getting more used to how each other plays and how the league is and things are starting to click a bit."

Both goalies keep in touch with their former teammates and talk frequently to each other, even getting together earlier this season when the Eagles visited Saint John, N.B.

They also take leadership roles on their teams, despite being relative newcomers themselves.

"The Memorial Cup is the one thing that I’m the only one that has experienced, so guys definitely ask me questions and we talk about it because … that is where we plan on going this year," said DeSerres, who is aided by speaking fluent French on a team that is half francophone. "And hopefully we can get there and hopefully I can bring my experience there to help us."