Jonathon Brodie – Recorder & Times
Brockville Braves coach Jesse Winchester predicted in the preseason that Eric Faith had the, “potential to light the league on fire.”
Well, Faith is making his coach look a bit like Nostradamus right now. The 20-year-old Carp, Ont. native isn’t just lighting a match to the league, though. He’s dousing it in gasoline, throwing a molotov cocktail at it, and then fanning the flames.
Faith laughed when called Mr.
Player of the Week, an honour the fourth-year forward recently received for his work last week. This isn’t his first time getting the award. If he keeps this up it likely won’t be his last either.
Faith was named Player of the Week for the first time in 2015 when he collected a goal and four assists, including an overtime winner, in three games. This time around he picked up six goals, two of them game winners, in three games.
If you extend the time line to add an extra game then Faith has earned nine goals in his last four games.
“He’s had a pretty great stretch, nine goals in the last four games. I don’t think anyone would expect that out of anybody, but he’s been playing really well and I do believe he’s a top offensive talent in our league regardless of his last week and half,” said Winchester.
The bulk of Faith’s goals have come in a short span, but his game has developed over the last few games. Plain and simple, he’s shooting way more than he ever has.
Faith was never really a huge goal scorer in the past. When you have a linemate like the skilled Philippe Gilmour, for instance, it seems natural to want to pass the puck to someone who prides themselves in filling the net.
There’s no reason to believe Faith’s rapid goal rate is an anomaly with his “great release and he’s deceptive,” said Winchester. He already had the passing down, but the added scoring touch makes him a serious threat in the CCHL.
The impressive thing about Faith isn’t just the product of a single week. That’s the difference from when he first won Player of the Week and this time around. In that 2015-16 rookie season he scored just nine goals and 11 assists in 53 games.
This season, in just 14 games, he already has 11 goals and eight assists. He’s been held off the score sheet just twice this season.
Faith is scoring goals from everywhere in every situation. If you were looking for Faith on the ice last year you were sure to find him in front of the net. Now he seems to be buzzing all over it and shooting from all angles.
In last Sunday’s matchup, for example, he scored on a breakaway shorthanded before putting home a seeing-eye wrist shot from just inside the blue line on the power play. There’s been times he’s been lucky to get bounces his way that led to goals, other times he’s had to shove his way towards the net to find the back of it.
“I never really considered myself a goal scorer,” said Faith. “Pucks have never really gone in the way they’re going in right now. I just keep shooting and keep finding good areas to shoot, good times to shoot. No point in stopping now.”
You can separate Faith’s junior career into two eras – before trade and after trade.
Faith was traded to the Kemptville 73s last season before the Braves made another deal 78 days later to bring him back to Brockville at the trade deadline.
Faith scored 12 points in 20 games for the Braves before getting traded and compiling 19 points in 18 games with the 73s. When he returned to Brockville he scored 12 points in 17 games in a reduced role and then shined in the postseason as the Braves best player – not just because of the points – with 10 points in 11 games.
Faith has looked like a completely different player since his return to Brockville with it all culminating right now to being the offensive leader of the No. 2 ranked team in the CJHL rankings.
When you talk to Faith and Winchester about the trade and what it did for the veteran centreman it seems there’s a belief that what changed isn’t necessarily his skillset. Instead, it’s his mindset that has bumped him up to another level.
“I think it was just en eye opener for me,” said Faith. “I had to get my act together and start performing to expectations because I’m an old guy now and there’s expectations for me to lead, for me to be the guy. When I got traded I definitely realized that and I’ve been working my butt off ever since.”
“When he went to Kemptville and was scoring a ton of points, but wasn’t having success, I think he realized he probably had it pretty good here,” said Winchester. “Part of that falls on me, we butted heads a little bit last year, but we’ve both moved beyond that. There’s a genuine respect that goes both ways and we work together and he’s just been great for our guys.”
Faith is nearing a milestone with the Braves. He has suited up for163 games in a Brockville jersey and if he plays out the season he’ll surpass the 200-game mark.
If Faith played every game this season then he’ll have played 211 games for Brockville. He’s never played less than 53 games in a season in his past three years in the CCHL, which would just squeak him over the 200-game threshold.
If he was nearing the record at the end of the season and there were rumblings of him being a healthy scratch to keep him preserved for playoffs then Faith said he would approach Winchester asking to play. He doesn’t need to worry, though. If he’s healthy, he’ll be in the lineup.
“I like watching him from the bench,” said Winchester. “If he’s going to get to 200 he’s going to play 200.”
Only six players have played at least 200 games for the Braves. Faith would be the seventh name on that list, but he’ll be the first to do it having also played for another team and in the end he’s better for that.
Original Story at Recorder.ca
