Local blue-liners key to Glens successful first half

The Alexandria Glens are in the midst of a very successful season, thanks in large part to a pair of blue-liners whose roots run deep in Vankleek Hill.

Devin Baxter, born and raised in Vankleek Hill, is currently leading all Glens defensemen in scoring with 20 points in 28 games.

The rookie blue-liner started his minor hockey career in St-Isidore where he played four years for Les Aigles before becoming a Vankleek Hill Cougar for six years. The Cassburn road resident finished off his minor hockey vocation with the Eastern Ontario "AA" Cobra's where he excelled as an offensive-minded defenseman.

After attending Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute for grades nine and ten, Baxter completed grade 11 at the Ontario Hockey Academy (OHA), a high performance academic-athletic accredited preparatory school located in Cornwall.

What sets the OHA apart from other high schools is the ability to provide daily on-ice hockey practices, off-ice training, an extensive game schedule and numerous scouting opportunities coupled with strong college preparatory academics in an Ontario Ministry of Education degree granting private high school.

For Baxter, the scouting opportunities at the OHA paid off when he was drafted at the age of 16, picked 93rd overall by the Brockville Braves of the Central Junior "A" Hockey League who are coached by former NHL star Todd Gill.

Baxter attended the Braves mini-camp in the spring of this year where he definitely caught the eye of Coach Gill.

"He kind of opened our eyes. He really knows the game," Gill said about Baxter's impressive performance at the camp.

"Here's a kid that might be a sleeper. He's small, but that's why he got overlooked," added Gill in reference Baxter's 5'10", 180 pound frame.

After playing for the OHA Mavericks last season, Baxter was excited to start his Junior-level career and is doing so in impressive fashion with the Glen's so far this year.

"Our team has been very successful as a whole so far," said Baxter after defeating the first place Casselman Vikings.

"We're not a team that has an abundance of extraordinarily talented players, but we are successful because of how we use the talent that we do have. We support and feed of each other as a team."

While Baxter's is known mostly for his offensive talents, another local export has made a name for himself as a stay-at-home defensive specialist in the Glens lineup this season.

Like Baxter, Nicholas Bigelow a newcomer to the Alexandria squad but has quickly become a household name with the Glens' die-hard fans.

As a 19-year-old, Bigelow adds some veteran leadership to the Glens line up. While it may be his first year wearing the green, white and yellow he gathered a great deal of knowledge as a member of the Hawkesbury Hawks last season, thanks in great part to assistant coach Richard Morris who Bigelow acknowledges as one of his biggest influences during his hockey career.

So far this season, Bigelow has played in 18 games for the Glen's and has seven points. While he may lack the offensive numbers of a superstar, his ability to shutdown the opposition's top players is invaluable to his team and does not go unnoticed by the Glen's players, coaching staff and fans.

Bigelow spent his minor hockey years as a member of the Hawkesbury Hawks and also played for a variety of summer hockey "AAA" teams.

When asked about his most memorable moment of his young career, Bigelow recounts a story about a Major Bantam "AAA" tournament where his team defeated Kingston, whose star player was NHL phenom, Taylor Hall.

With Bigelow standing strong on the blue line, the Glens have amassed a record of 20-7-0-2 so far this season and sit in second place in the EOJHL's St-Lawrence Division.

Bigelow is quick to agree with fellow defenseman Baxter in saying that their success is due to the efforts of the entire team.

"Everyone works hard together as a team and we all come out prepared for the big games," said Bigelow.

"We've battled adversity this season and our team is composed of a lot of skill, but more importantly we have a lot of heart."

The EOJHL is currently on break for the holiday season, and when play resumes the Glens hope to continue their winning ways and make a run for the D. Arnold Carson Memorial Trophy as League Champions.

"We need to stay consistent, and come out strong every single night," says Bigelow.

"We can't stop buckling down. Once the pedal is down, we need to just give'r and we will be successful," concluded Baxter.

The Glens next game will take place on Friday, January 7th, 2011, in Alexandria as they take on the Winchester Hawks at 8:00pm.