(This story continues a series of articles profiling student athletes from Sault College's varsity programs. Included in the series is a preview of the week ahead in Sault College athletics. All photos and stories are submitted by the Sault College Athletic Department.)
*** COUGAR PROFILE OF THE WEEK:
Mike Bouchard
This week's Sault College profile of the week belongs to a local talent on the men's basketball team.
Mike Bouchard is currently in his second season with the Cougar's, continuing to make impressive progress from his rookie year.
A recent grad of St. Basil's Secondary, Bouchard has made much high school athletic achievements including two-time MVP team winner, an MVP league winner, and a three-time All-star.
Bouchard carries a quiet and mannerly demeanour off the court, but is quite opposite on the court. His 6'4" presence gets attention through his aggressive play, and rebounding.
Bouchard is a workhorse who commits much of his training off court by maintaining a rigorous workout program in the weight room. He can always be found pushing himself, to give him even more of a competitive edge.
According to Coach Thomas Cory, "Mike Bouchard needs to take a larger role on the team in order for the Cougar team to be successful."
He hopes that Bouchard will continue with his strong competitive inside post play, especially in the next couple of critical OCAA games. He also states "Bouchard is a very coachable player, always giving a 100% work ethic".
You can witness the talent of Mike Bouchard and his teammates as they look to capture a top two finish in the West with their remaining final two games. The men play their second last game at home this Friday February 11th at 7pm against Niagara Knights, one of the top ranked teams in Canada.
*** LADY COUGAR'S LAST GAME; MEN DRIVE FOR PLAYOFF SPOT:
The Lady Cougars have vastly improved their record and now sit with a record of 5 wins and 9 losses, with only one game remaining in the season against Niagara Knights.
The women have moved from second last place to fourth place, with a pair of wins this past weekend, but will however fall short of a playoff position. The women will end their season at home Friday February 11th at 9pm, immediately following the men's game.
On an even brighter note, the men's basketball team currently sit in first place in the West division.
They improved their record to 8-2, with a pair of wins this week against Algoma University and Lambton College. With the wins the Cougars have officially claimed one of the four available playoff spots in the West.
The men have two games left scheduled in their regular season play, before enduring a possible crossover game the weekend of February 24th-27th.
The two games remaining are at home, this Friday February 11th at 7pm, host to the Niagara Knights, and Friday February 18th against Fanshawe Falcons at 8pm.
Should the Cougars win one or both of these games they may be in a position to capture either first or second in the west and gain an automatic bye to the OCAA Provincial Championships March 2-5 at Durham College in Oshawa.