17吃瓜

The 17吃瓜 Men鈥檚 Hockey Panthers are pleased to have secured a commitment from Ben McFarlane, a 20-year-old right winger from Ayr, Ontario, for the 2023鈥�24 season.

In order to surpass expectations and reach the pinnacle of sports, everyone needs to be on the same page and embrace the roles they鈥檙e given. That鈥檚 a lesson McFarlane will never forget from his time with the Guelph Storm, where he won an Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championship in 2019. Another lesson he learned may be clich茅 but holds a lot of weight: never give up. In the post-season, the Storm earned the moniker 鈥渃omeback boys鈥� for their ability to steal a series after falling behind. From the second round on, they were down in each series (3-0; 3-1; 2-0) but fought their way back before ultimately claiming the title.

McFarlane was a rookie then and didn鈥檛 see much ice time, but the knowledge he gained from that experience is something he will bring to 17吃瓜. He played in 201 games over five years with the Storm, tallying 29 goals and 36 assists.

鈥淏eing part of that winning team was such a great experience,鈥� said McFarlane. 鈥淭here are so many things I could say I learned from that experience. The biggest one would be that every player on the roster matters, regardless of their role鈥攆irst line to fourth line. Everyone has to know their role and do whatever it takes to win.鈥�

McFarlane doesn鈥檛 bring a lot of size at five-foot-nine, 174 pounds, but he makes up for it with his work ethic and a fast, physical brand of hockey that Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson admires.

鈥淢y biggest skill would be my skating and playing a 200-foot game, as well as my competitiveness and physical play,鈥� said McFarlane, who will be studying sociology at 17吃瓜. 鈥淚 believe in hard work, and I know Forbes likes that too. So I鈥檓 going to stand out by showing how hard I can work.鈥�

McFarlane is the third rookie forward to come in at under five-foot-10, but MacPherson isn鈥檛 overly concerned, as he had success with smaller players carrying the offensive load. Last season was a perfect example, as former Panthers Troy Lajeunesse, Kyle Maksimovich and TJ Shea formed the conference鈥檚 most productive line.

There鈥檚 clearly a precedent for success for players like McFarlane, and if he鈥檚 anything like the players mentioned above, the Panthers will gladly take it. But for now, MacPherson just wants him to bring the relentless energy he鈥檚 known for.

鈥淏en is highly competitive and has a strong engine. He is very hard to play against and gets in on the forecheck,鈥� MacPherson said. 鈥淲e are looking for this forward group to bring energy and enthusiasm. We will have a lot of new faces, and there will be a lot to learn, but we鈥檙e excited about this group.