NORWICH— Six Nations hockey player Rycol Davis had what could be described as an eye -popping rookie campaign with the Norwich Merchants.
After finishing up his minor hockey career in 2018/19 with the Six Nations Midget Reps, this rugged forward made that transition to Junior ‘C’ where as a rookie he impressed with 17 goals and 33 points along with 39 penalty minutes in 38 games.
“I’ve had a pretty memorable season this year,” being my rookie year, Davis said. “I led the rookie’s in goals, assists and points this year. So, that was my biggest highlight of the year.”
Coming off a regular season which saw the Merchants win three of their last four regular season games and finished sixth with a 21-17-2 record, they were officially eliminated after losing their first round series, which was a best of seven in five games against the Ayr Centennials.
“I was very nervous my first couple of games in Norwich but while the season went on, I found my rhythm and had a lot of energy and excitement on the ice,” Davis said.
Reflecting on his decision to play with Norwich, Davis stated, “I had lots of interest in Norwich as some of my older friends who played their before had said that it was a great organization and they treat you like gold. So that’s why I went to Norwich.”
During post season Davis proved clutch as he scored a goal and three points in five games while racking up 12 penalty minutes. Norwich lost the first three games of the series by 3-2, 4-3 and 8-2 scores before winning Game four by a 5-2 score. The Merchants couldn’t avoid elimination as they dropped the next game by a 4-1 score and were officially eliminated.
“The biggest adjustment coming from Six Nations minor hockey and jumping straight into Junior ‘C’ was challenging but I had a lot of fun with this being my first year in the league,” Davis said.
No question, it was a season of great accomplishments and one to remember for Davis.
