Hernandez vows to be better
His first season in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League has not gone as planned for Jake Hernandez of the Soo Eagles.
The 20-year old Hernandez, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound power forward from the Detroit area, has missed 12 games to date and has played in others while nursing injuries to his shoulder and ankle.
In 17 games, Hernandez has 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points on an Eagles team that takes a record of 11-17-1 through 29 outings into a pair of home contests on Friday and Saturday nights at Pullar Stadium.
Despite been plagued by injuries this season, Hernandez — a likeable kid from a really-good, close-knit family — is not using his ailments as an excuse.
“I am not satisfied at all with the way I have played,” Hernandez said evenly. “I can play a lot better than I have and my goal is to be a much-better player from here on in.”
Hernandez, who is set to return to the lineup from his ankle injury this weekend, also expects the Eagles to improve as the season moves forward.
“No question, I think our team can play better than it has,” Hernandez answered when questioned about the performance of the Eagles, who are a first-year NOJHL team.
“We have added some new players and guys are settling in and I think that we will be a much-better team in the second half of the season. This is my last year of junior (after playing the previous two seasons with the Detroit Fighting Irish in the Midwest Jr. Hockey League and with the Eagles when they were a part of the North American Hockey League) and I want to be part of a team that does well,” Hernandez added.