2013 Draft Blog: Eamon McAdam Pt.2

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The first chapter of Eamon McAdam's blog series this season arrived back on October 7th. If you missed that introduction you'll definitely want to check it out HERE. 

Since then, the USHL season has begun and the World Junior A Challenge also took place in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia with McAdam backstopping TEAM USA in the event. 

Sharing his thoughts and experiences of the last two months, The Pipeline Show is pleased to be able to present the second blog entry from Waterloo Black Hawks goaltender Eamon McAdam.

Photo: Bruce Benne

Hello.  Eamon McAdam back for my second entry.

The season started off great for the team as well as myself.  We were hot right from the beginning and started 10-1 with our one loss coming with many of our top players and both Cal [Petersen] and I out of the lineup.  After starting five games, winning all five, and having two shutouts I got a call from Marc Boxer with an amazing opportunity.

He proceeded to tell me that he was with USA Hockey and that I was going to get a chance to represent my country in the World Junior A Challenge.  I was ecstatic from the moment he said that he was with USA Hockey.  I knew the team was being picked around that time since my teammates Ian McCoshen and Vinnie Hinostroza had gotten calls earlier in the week confirming they would be on the team.   

This was the first chance in my life to represent my country and I was excited for the opportunity because from a young age I had seen my sister race her bike in the red white and blue and win many national and world championships.

Throughout the week after I got the call I received many emails from the staff of the team with questionnaires ranging from sizing of clothes to roommate personality preferences.  At the end of the week we had a conference call to solidify plans and answer any questions we had about the trip.  After the call was over I could tell that the attitude of the coaching staff was not to go there for fun, but it was to win.

The Blackhawks were supposed to have six players participate in the event but only a few days before we left Ian McCoshen was diagnosed with mono and had to stay back.   

Travel started the day after Halloween and each stop we seemed to pick up more guys from the team and the reality set in more and more.  After a full day of travel, most of the team arrived in Halifax for the night.   

The next day we took a bus three hours down to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia where the tournament was going to take place.  The coaches were big on team building from the start and their work paid off.  Throughout the week and a half we were there, that team put aside our differences and became closer than any other select team I have ever seen or been a part of.

Photo: Matt Murnaghan

Our first game was an exhibition against Canada West. We showed moments of our high level of skill but overall we were not quite in sync yet and we lost 4-3 in a shootout.   

After a good day of practice we were onto our first round robin game.  You could tell right from the get-go that we were clicking well and we ended up crushing Canada East 9-1 with their only goal coming late in the third period after the game was essentially over.   

The next day we had another game, which proved to be a challenge as we played the Swiss, who was playing their first game and was also the majority of the team they would be taking to World Juniors.  The game was tight all the way through and we ended up holding on to a one-goal lead in the final few minutes to pull off a 4-3 win.  This game proved to be very important because the WJAC was a quick tournament with only two round robin games and the second win got us a bye for the quarterfinals.   

The two-day break was such a relief because most of us had skated for more than a week strait at that point between practice and games with USA and games back in the USHL.  We watched the other teams battle it out and after the quarterfinal games were over we were matched up once again with the Swiss who seemed to be the hardest team we could face.   

Photo: Matt Murnaghan

After a huge first period where we scored 5 goals, the Swiss made a late push that we cut off with some late third period scoring of our own.  We won 7-4 and were all fired up for the gold medal game on Sunday.   

The game turned out to be a rematch from our exhibition game against Canada West.  We played the game with a lot of passion and honor for the logo on the jersey and we won 6-3 after a huge game by my fellow Waterloo Blackhawk, Vinnie Hinostroza, who ended up taking tournament MVP.

Winning the gold was a surreal feeling and tops any of my hockey experiences to this point by far.  The way that team bonded in a short period of time and put the team ahead of themselves was amazing to be a part of.  The experience was amazing away from the rink as well.  The people of Yarmouth were very hospitable and kind to us the whole time we were there and most of our meals were home cooked by local restaurants that gave me the best and freshest seafood I’ve ever had.

While we were up in Canada the Blackhawks back home went on a bit of a slide going 2-2 and losing to some teams towards the bottom of the standings with a bunch of guys sick and injured.  Now that we have everyone back and the team is healing up Waterloo is back on the right track and chasing Dubuque for the league lead!

#gohawksgo

Eamon McAdam

Eamon McAdam is a goaltender with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL. He is listed by NHL Central Scouting as 6'2, 185 lbs and is the top ranked goaltender from the USHL. This season he has helped Waterloo earn a silver medal at the Junior Club World Cup in Russia and USA a gold at the World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. 

Top Photo courtesy Britt Photography