Dundalk Democrat articles pubished on 20thJan 2010 - Article 3
Peppers looking for top spot
Dundalk brothers could make Team Ireland Ice Hockey side i>
By Martin Grant
Once local ice hockey player is looking for his spot on the Team Ireland Ice Hockey side. And so is his two older brothers.
Adam Pepper, who plays with the local Dundalk Bulls, will be taking to the ice of the Dundalk Ice Dome this weekend for trails for the Team Ireland Ice Hockey side, and his two other brothers are following in his footsteps.
For the first time last year, Adam represented the senior national team on the international stage in New Zealand where he was the first choice goaltender under head coach Jim Tibbets. Adam started out playing roller hockey in League in Northern Ireland before moving to Ice Hockey when the Dundalk Ice Dome opened in 2006 and he has played the position of goaltender ever since with the Dundalk Bulls. He also represented the U18’s National Team last year in Turkey.
This weekend he will attend trials for the team along with his older brothers Mark and Sean. Mark players as a forward with the Flyers and Sean recently transferred to the Charlestown Chiefs as a goal tender.
Speaking exclusively to the Dundalk Democrat, Adam said ‘I am really looking forward to the trials. It should be hard competition this year. There is a lot of goalies coming up, such as Sean Pepper and Scott Bickerstaff have both come on tremendously and are huge competition for the senior goalie spot this year’.
When asked is there any rivalry between himself and his brothers Pepper said ‘There is always a rivalry between me and my brothers and with Sean moving to the Chiefs, I am really looking forward to that game. ‘As my brother Mark is lineman, he can’t wait for the game to come and he hopes that he will be working for that game’ laughed Adam. He also added that his Mother and Father stays out of it and supports all three of their sons.
Adam is thinking positive and says that all he can do is give his best this weekend. ‘I don’t really know my chances of getting on the team. ‘All I can do is go out and play my own game and not worry about the competition and hopefully I will get the spot again this year’.
Pepper also thinks that Ireland could do very well on the international stage in April. ‘If I make the team I would like to get a gold medal, if not a silver’ he said, ‘the group isn’t that hard and we could do really well if we get the team picked early and get good preparation for going away’.
Kenny Redmond is the assistant coach of the team and he has worked with Adam before when he was the head coach of the Bulls, but Adam reckons that it doesn’t favour him for the place on the national side. ‘ Kenny has a lot of experience as coach and is a very good and capable coach‘ he said, ‘But just because he is the assistance, it doesn’t favour me for the place. It all depends on how I perform on the day’.
His brother Mark said, ‘ Hopefully I’m in with a chance of making the team. I will have to see how the weekend trials go. It would be quite an achievement if all three of us made the team this year. I wouldn’t know what to say’.
www.DundalkDemocrat.ie
Read full article in edited form in this weeks Dundalk Democrat
Dundalk brothers could make Team Ireland Ice Hockey side i>
By Martin Grant
Once local ice hockey player is looking for his spot on the Team Ireland Ice Hockey side. And so is his two older brothers.
Adam Pepper, who plays with the local Dundalk Bulls, will be taking to the ice of the Dundalk Ice Dome this weekend for trails for the Team Ireland Ice Hockey side, and his two other brothers are following in his footsteps.
For the first time last year, Adam represented the senior national team on the international stage in New Zealand where he was the first choice goaltender under head coach Jim Tibbets. Adam started out playing roller hockey in League in Northern Ireland before moving to Ice Hockey when the Dundalk Ice Dome opened in 2006 and he has played the position of goaltender ever since with the Dundalk Bulls. He also represented the U18’s National Team last year in Turkey.
This weekend he will attend trials for the team along with his older brothers Mark and Sean. Mark players as a forward with the Flyers and Sean recently transferred to the Charlestown Chiefs as a goal tender.
Speaking exclusively to the Dundalk Democrat, Adam said ‘I am really looking forward to the trials. It should be hard competition this year. There is a lot of goalies coming up, such as Sean Pepper and Scott Bickerstaff have both come on tremendously and are huge competition for the senior goalie spot this year’.
When asked is there any rivalry between himself and his brothers Pepper said ‘There is always a rivalry between me and my brothers and with Sean moving to the Chiefs, I am really looking forward to that game. ‘As my brother Mark is lineman, he can’t wait for the game to come and he hopes that he will be working for that game’ laughed Adam. He also added that his Mother and Father stays out of it and supports all three of their sons.
Adam is thinking positive and says that all he can do is give his best this weekend. ‘I don’t really know my chances of getting on the team. ‘All I can do is go out and play my own game and not worry about the competition and hopefully I will get the spot again this year’.
Pepper also thinks that Ireland could do very well on the international stage in April. ‘If I make the team I would like to get a gold medal, if not a silver’ he said, ‘the group isn’t that hard and we could do really well if we get the team picked early and get good preparation for going away’.
Kenny Redmond is the assistant coach of the team and he has worked with Adam before when he was the head coach of the Bulls, but Adam reckons that it doesn’t favour him for the place on the national side. ‘ Kenny has a lot of experience as coach and is a very good and capable coach‘ he said, ‘But just because he is the assistance, it doesn’t favour me for the place. It all depends on how I perform on the day’.
His brother Mark said, ‘ Hopefully I’m in with a chance of making the team. I will have to see how the weekend trials go. It would be quite an achievement if all three of us made the team this year. I wouldn’t know what to say’.
www.DundalkDemocrat.ie
Read full article in edited form in this weeks Dundalk Democrat
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