Article Courtesy of Leith Dunick of Thunder Bay's Source (www.tbsource.com)
Impressing Scotty Bowman and Mike Keenan is one thing. Impressing fickle Thunder Bay hockey fans is a completely different story, but for rookie defenseman Drew Kivell, the tale he is authoring on the Lakehead Thunderwolves' blueline appears destined to have a happy ending. A graduate of Ontario Hockey League's Kingston Frontenacs, who holds the distinction of playing the second most games in league history (321), Kivell was an unknown entity when Lakehead coach Pete Belliveau announced earlier this summer he was one of eight new recruits being brought in to help forge a national championship ring for the fourth-year program.
It's like he's always been here. The stay-at-home defenseman, who spent the summer working out in front of Keenan and Bowman on CBC's reality-based Making the Cut, has found a home on the T-Wolves blueline. He said the key to his success is not trying to overextend his game.
"I'm just trying to play as well as I can," the 21-year-old Lakeside, Ont. native said. "I don't really focus too much on trying to do too much. I try to focus on my own end. I pride myself on my plus/minus, but I'm (also) playing more on the offensive role and getting more PP time too, so I'm just trying to contribute and help the team win."
In his final year with the Frontenacs, Kivell scored twice and added 14 assists in 65 games. With the 10-2-0 Thunderwolves in 2004-05, he's doubled his offensive output, scoring twice and contributing eight helpers in just 19 overall games.
Kivell can't believe how quickly those games have passed and how much of a change it is making the jump from junior to Ontario University Athletics. "It's actually gone by really fast," he said of first half. "It's really busy playing university hockey. There's a lot of schoolwork to be done too on the off time, so when we do get the time to play hockey it's a lot of fun."
Speaking of fun, and that appears to be the newcomer's mantra, Kivell has been enjoying his time in the spotlight thanks to his television debut. Both he and his brother Preston tried out for the show, which wound up costing Drew his job at a corrugated cardboard company this summer. The siblings both made it to the top 100, but only one advanced any further.
"We got a phone call July 1 and were notified that I was gong to make it to the top 68 but my brother wasn't," he said. "It was a little tough to deal with then but it was quite an experience going out to Vernon, B.C. for two weeks and having the tryout experience with a bunch of other Canadian hockey boys."
It hasn't stopped his teammates from giving him the gears, especially when he pulled out the most recent episode for their viewing pleasure on the bus ride from Toronto to Kingston two weeks ago. He knows it's all in fun. "All the boys start razzing me," he grinned. "Whenever I get into trouble on the ice or something like that, everyone starts yelling, 'Making the cut,' or something like that."
At six-foot-two and 200 pounds, Kivell certainly has the size to make it in the pros - check out his shirtless pose on his Making the Cut bio page on the program's website (www.makingthecut.ca) for proof. Unfortunately the youngster is bound by contract not to reveal what happens and whether or not he got one of the six NHL tryouts up for grabs.
He has been looking good so far in reality TV land. In last week's episode he was awarded the coveted white helmet, earning him a promotion from the developmental Black Aces squad to the Team Blue side, but he said local hockey fans will have to wait alongside the rest of Canada for the final results. "I'm just looking forward to it being over and just having everybody<