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w w w .insideH A LT O N .com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, M ay 1 2 , 2 0 1 7 | 2 2 Chau takes long road to RBC Cup with top-ranked Brooks By Herb Garbutt Oakville Beaver staff It' s been four years since Oliver Chau has played hockey in Ontario. And when the season began, there were no guarantees he ever would again. There was only one way to complete the 7,936-kilom etre round trip that would bring him back to his home province. The odds were good, but far from guaranteed. Saturday, the 19-year-old Oakville na tive helped set his team back on course for home by opening the scoring in the Western Canada Cup final. His Brooks Bandits team mates would add four more in the second period on their way to a 6-1 win over the Chilliwack Chiefs to secure their spot in this week's RBC Cup in Cobourg. "Obviously, that' s every team' s goal," said Chau, who has racked up 110 points, includ ing playoffs, and earned the Alberta Junior Hockey League' s rookie of the year. "After we won the AJHL, we knew we had it within our reach. It will be great to go hom e." · · · · · Chau grew up watching the Ontario Hockey League, but as a smaller player, he knew the odds of playing in the league were stacked against him. That he was not among the 299 players selected in his draft year was not a surprise. Chau knew his best chance to advance his hockey career would be to play at a U.S. college. W hile Canadians playing at Ameri can prep schools is com m on in basketball and lacrosse, it' s generally believed there are more opportunities north of the border for hockey But Chau chose the unusual route of packing up and moving to Massachusetts to play high school hockey "I thought (col lege) would be better for m y development because I'm a smaller player and back then I was even smaller," said the 5-foot-9, 165-pound forward. "Plus, with the aca demic piece, I was more drawn toward college. So I thought if I could be seen more, earlier, that might help." Chau attended the The Governor's Acad emy in Newbury, Mass. for a year and then spent two years at Northfield M ount Hermon School. The Bandits had a scout based in New England who let the team know about him during his first year in the States. The following year, the team brought Chau out for a visit, not knowing if he would ever get the opportunity to play for Brooks. But when a torn labrum in his shoulder lim ited him to just 16 games in his final high school season, it gave college scouts limited opportunity to see him. Still looking to secure a scholarship last fall, the opportunity to play for a top junior team -- Brooks won the RBC in 20 1 3 and was coming off a semifinal appearance at last year' s national Jr. A championship -- was an attractive option for Chau. "It was a pretty big jump from high school," Chau said. "High school, the players are younger and smaller. In junior you're playing against men, guys who are 21. There are also a lot more systems." W ith five goals and eight points in his first four games, it didn't take him long to make an im pact with the Bandits. "W e thought we were getting a good play er," said Brooks coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou. "W e were not expecting a first-line, top-power play guy. Offensively, his smarts and stick skills really stand out and he's a really good skater. He exceeded all of our expectations." Chau finished the season with 35 goals and 8 7 points in 60 games, including a team record 18 power-play goals. He' s added 23 points during Brooks' 18-game playoff run. That did not go unnoticed as he signed a letter of intent with the University of Mas sachusetts last month. Meanwhile the Bandits went 51-5-4, win ning 17 in a row at one point to earn the No. 1 ranking in Canada. Couple that with a 12-1 mark on their way to the AJHL title and five straight wins at the Western Canada Cup and Brooks has won 4 6 of 49 games since Dec. 9. The Bandits, who open the tournament Saturday against the Terrebonne Cobras, might not be able to sneak up on anyone at the RBC Cup, but Chau is hoping for a tri umphant homecoming. "W e have a really great opportunity," he said. "We just have to focus on the task at hand." · · · · · Chau is not the only Oakville player vying for a national title this week. Theo Lewis is playing for the host Cobourg Cougars. Lewis had 11 goals and 23 points in 50 games in his fifth season with Cobourg. The former Oakville Ranger represented for Can ada East at the 2 0 1 4 World Jr. A Challenge. W hile the Cougars had an automatic berth in the five-team tournament, they turned in a solid season. Cobourg went 39-11- 4, fin ishing just five points back of Dudley Hewitt Cup champion Trenton for second in the Ontario Junior Hockey League's North East Conference. Cobourg eliminated Kingston and Wel lington before being swept by Trenton in the conference final. 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