| Last updated at 12:43 AM on 30/10/08 |
Southorn - ‘I’m embarrassed and ashamed’ 
Defenceman returns to the P.E.I. Rocket in time for tonight’s game at Moncton
CHARLES REID
The Guardian
After four days in hockey limbo Jordon Southorn is back with the P.E.I. Rocket.
Sunday, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club suspended the 18-year-old defenceman and assistant captain indefinitely after he argued with head coach Guy Chouinard, following an icing call, threw his gloves and stick and left the Rocket bench during a game in Rouyn-Noranda on Saturday.
Tuesday, Southorn, his father Bill and his agent Don Meehan contacted Serge Savard Jr., Rocket president and governor, for terms of Southorn’s return.
Southorn flew to P.E.I. from his Pincourt, Que., home Tuesday night and on Wednesday met with Savard, Chouinard and assistant coach Corrado Micalef.
After being reinstated Southorn practised with the club Wednesday and returns to the lineup tonight versus the Moncton Wildcats (7 p.m.) in Moncton.
“Obviously, I was going in the wrong direction. I’m embarrassed and ashamed I would do something like that. (We made it clear) this will not affect our relationship, personal or business,” Southorn told The Guardian after the Rocket practice on Wednesday. “My agent wasn’t happy at all. Me and my dad had a blowup. My parents wanted me to know what this means.”
Before practice Southorn apologized to his teammates in a team meeting and accepted the assitant captain’s ‘A’ being stripped off his jersey. It won’t be given to anyone else.
“It wasn’t easy looking at them. I think that by doing that it shows I care,” he said. “Them being there shows they care also. We’re a family here.”
The Rocket drafted Southorn in the first round, 17th overall, in 2006.
He played 58 games as rookie, 69 games as a sophomore, improving each year.
In June, the Buffalo Sabres snagged him in the fourth round (104th overall) in the NHL draft.
Now in his third season, Rocket brass expected him to anchor the defence.
So far neither the Rocket nor Southorn have been pleased with his play (he’s tallied one goal, seven assists and 10 penalty minutes in 13 games) and both sides acknowledge the frustration.
Rocket captain Matthew Lachaine has skated with Southorn for three campaigns.
Lachaine, who expected a Southorn benching rather than a suspension, said the blowup was a passionate player losing his composure, not a player with an attitude.
“I don’t think Southy’s like that,” said Lachaine. “He will be there 100 per cent for the team.”
For Chouinard, now in his 18th season as a QMJHL head coach, he’s just pleased it’s over and his team can move on.
“He’s a young kid. He’s not a bad kid because of what happened,” said Chouinard. “For his sake, he has to learn from all that. An ‘A’ player has to act like like an ‘A’ player.”
Southorn’s also happy he’s playing again, although facing Moncton (14-0-2-0) won’t be easy.
P.E.I. (7-9-0-1) is 0-2 against the Wildcats this season.
Despite playing a man down for 26 minutes out of its 120 minutes against the Rocket — nearly 22 per cent of the time — P.E.I.’s only scored once in 13 tries.
Worse, while P.E.I.’s been stellar at staying out of the box (21 minutes) and keeping the Wildcats off the board (0-for-7 on power plays), Moncton has scored its 11 goals against the Rocket at full strength.
“They don’t want to be labelled as an underdog,” said Southorn of a Moncton squad that finished 17th overall last season. “(They) dump and chase. Grind it out. Even their stars do it. Everyone (in the league) is kind of an 0-for-something against them.”
Rocket’s Louis-Philippe Lacroix (broken left ankle) is out while fellow defenceman Raphael Neiderer (nose) and Summerside-born winger Brendan Wright (hand) are game-day decisions.
Bobby Nadeau (6-8) gets the start in goal for the Rocket.
The team bus leaves the Civic Centre at 2:45 p.m.
Game notes:
Rocket fans can watch tonight’s game via Telus webcast at www.peirocket.com . . . Youth tickets (ages 12 and under) will be reduced to $5 from the usual $9 for P.E.I.’s home games Saturday versus Gatineau (7 p.m.), which is also Halloween Costume Nnight, and Sunday against Lewiston (4 p.m.). Contact the Civic Centre box office at 629-6625 for more details.
P.E.I. Rocket-Moncton Wildcats season series:
n Overall Record - Moncton is 14-0-2-0, including seven straight wins and points in 16 consecutive games, leads Atlantic Division and QMJHL overall; P.E.I. is 7-9-0-1, fifth in Atlantic Division and 12th overall.
n Head-To-Head Record - Moncton is 2-0 (wins coming in Moncton and P.E.I.).
n P.E.I. Goals For/Against - 4-11.
n Penalty Minutes - Moncton: 33; P.E.I.: 21.
n Power Play - Moncton: 0-for-7; P.E.I.: 1-for-13, 14 per cent.
n Leading Scorers - Moncton: Ted Stephens (3-1), Scott Brannon (2-1); P.E.I.: Ben Duffy (2-1), Brandon MacLean (0-3).
n Goaltenders - Moncton: Nicola Riopel, 2-0, 1.92 GAA, .927 save percentage; P.E.I.: Bobby Nadeau, 0-2, 5.04 GAA, .869 save percentage; Evan Mosher, 0-0, 4.02 GAA, .875 save percentage.
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