JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Cameron Bunn, a young but dynamic forward for the Bishop McCort Crushers, has some big shoes to fill.
Cameron’s older brother, Connor, was a gifted product of the Crushers hockey program. Connor, after graduating from high school in the class of 2016, has continued his hockey career and currently plays collegiate club hockey for Saint Francis University just down the road in Loretto, PA.
Crushers head coach John Bradley, who has been with the Bishop McCort program for over 20 years, was fortunate to coach both brothers and sees many of the elder’s traits in the young forward.
“Connor was probably one of our top five players of all time in the history of the program,” said Bradley. “He was a great player, worked hard, and was very competitive.”
With Connor having moved on to bigger and better things, the Crushers have looked for the next member of the Bunn family to provide a spark to the team.
“Cameron goes out on every shift and gives you everything he has,” said Bradley. “He works hard, skates fast, makes good decisions, and always ends up with the puck.”
Bunn is a hard, dedicated worker. Only a freshman, high school, Bunn is already trying to propel himself into a leadership position and help push his team to the top.
“You need to take the team on your back and be a player that the coaches can rely on,” Bunn said. “I’ve tried to grow to be a better teammate and just develop more chemistry with the guys.”
SIZE MATTERS NOT
Before Cameron can claim the role his brother previously held, he has a little bit of growing to do. Yes, he figuratively has to grow in his playing style and maturity, but literally growing in size wouldn’t hurt, either. Bunn is a small player, and by his stature, it’s apparent that he is still a very young hockey player. Where he has an advantage over other players, however, is that he’s utilized his size to possess the puck.
Bunn is a dangerous player when he has the puck, with the ability to control it as if it was on a string. He has easily maneuvered around many defenders this season and has become a nightmare for goalies. But it’s more than just offensive effort. Bunn also uses a smart stick in any area of the ice to create turnovers and generate offense.
“[Bunn] never takes a shift off,” said Bradley. “He’s always out there going 100 mph, but he’s one of those guys that when he’s going so fast, he’s being effective and doing good things.”
History has shown that hockey is not solely a big-man’s league. Several players such as Martin St. Louis, Brad Marchand, and Johnny Gaudreau have excelled in professional hockey by utilizing their size to their advantage. Bradley says that despite being small, Bunn is the “water bug” on the ice that the team is looking.
“As a ninth grader, he’s coming in and contributing in a major way for us,” said Bradley. “He may not be big in stature or height, but he surprised a lot of guys this year that have tried to hit him or thought they could send him through the wall. He’s solid.”
BEST YET TO COME
Bunn’s introduction to high school hockey was not too kind to him. Recording only six points in his first 10 games, it was obvious that he was tackling a learning curve in high school hockey. After getting his feet wet and learning the trade of the game, Bunn exploded for 18 points in only nine games at the homestretch of the season. Bunn thinks that his energy has helped boost the team late in the season.
“I rely on energy a lot,” said Bunn. “Sometimes you just have to be a wild man out there. You have to put in hard work and use your body. It doesn’t matter what your size is. You have to play big.”
Bunn’s force of energy didn’t boost just his own play, but his team’s play as well. The Crushers ended the regular season with a 13-5 record and finished in third place in the Eastern Conference of Single-A. After a rather slow start to the season, the Crushers bursted out to a nine game win streak to end the season.
“I think our season has gone pretty well,” said Bunn. “We didn’t start out too well and lost five straight, but we bounced back and worked hard. Coach Bradley says, ‘Do your job’ and we just go out and do our job.”
The phrase “Do your job” was originally coined by New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, and by using this phrase, the Patriots have become the epitome of success in the NFL. With the Crushers following this motto, and guided under their gifted young forward, the Crushers will be a team to look out for in the next couple of years.
Bishop McCort begins the quest for the Penguins Cup Tuesday night against Sewickley Academy at the Cambria County War Memorial at 8:30 p.m.
