Sibbald proves his worth in Havoc net

HUNTSVILLE, ALA – Hockey players, like so many other athletes, take pride in their abilities. They are confident that they, if given the chance, can do the job better than just about anyone else. All they want is an opportunity to prove themselves. Huntsville Havoc goalie Mark Sibbald knows the routine all too well. His story is one of perseverance and belief – belief in himself and belief that someone would give him that chance to prove just how valuable he could be. “The only thing you can really ask for is a chance to prove yourself,” Sibbald

said. “You’re not going to have anything given to you but I’ve had a chance to prove myself and its worked out great.” Like most Canadian kids, Sibbald, a native of Ridgeway, Ontario, grew up with dreams of playing pro hockey. He played junior hockey in Ridgeway for a couple of seasons before heading to British Columbia where he landed a spot with the Vernon Vipers. While in Vernon, he was seen by college scouts. Although moving along to major junior hockey was an option, Sibbald was intrigued by the thought of playing collegiate hockey. “Since I was younger, I always wanted to play for my school. There’s something to be said for representing your school,” he said. “Major junior in Canada is a great option for guys but I just thought that if I could get my schooling and represent my school, the schools in the (United) States are second to none.” With the idea of getting the best possible education and playing for the name on the front of his jersey, Sibbald looked at the opportunities in front of him. In the end, he chose to accept a scholarship to Brown University in Rhode Island. Educationally and athletically, it was near the top of the list because of its membership in the prestigious Ivy League and ECAC conference. Sibbald jumped at the chance to go there. “It was the best mix for me of academics and athletics. When I committed there originally, they were a good hockey program,” he said. “Obviously, we didn’t have much success in my four years but it was the ability to get a great education for when I’m done playing hockey because this isn’t going to last forever.”   When he arrived at Brown, the academic reputation met with his expectations perfectly. On the ice, however, it was a different story. He found himself low man on a three-goalie totem pole fighting for playing time to show what he could do. “It was my first time battling with two other guys. Usually you just have to worry about you and one other goalie. Both of my partners all three years were great goalies so it was hard and very trying,” he said. “I tried to look at it as a positive that I was getting a good education and just kept working hard because I knew that eventually I would get a chance to prove myself in the pro ranks after I got my education.” In four years at Brown, Sibbald saw action in a grand total of 24 games, allowing 68 goals on 637 shots on net in 1180 minutes played. Even with long stretches of inactivity, he had to be ready at all times to get the call and play. “We had close to 30 guys on our team so our practices were just like wars. There were tons of fights. It was very hard-nosed (because) guys were battling for playing time. There was a lot of competition and that really helped keep you focused and improving every day,” Sibbald said. “It was trying. I only played (in) between five and ten games a year and in my last year I played even less than that. It was hard to stay positive but I just kept focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel – getting a degree and trying to play pro hockey afterwards.” Following graduation, Sibbald set about fulfilling his dream of becoming a pro player. He signed on with an agent who just happened to be familiar with new Huntsville coach Randy Murphy. Murphy already had one goalie in training camp but was in the market for a solid number two net minder. Murphy liked what he heard and invited Sibbald to camp. “We were committed to Dan McWhinney who during the off-season we signed first. He’s a tremendous goalie. As far as Mark is concerned, we knew he was a solid backup at Brown which is a strong Division 1 program in with the Ivy League schools,” Murphy said. “He had a great junior career in the BCHL but never got the opportunity at the collegiate level. He just got stuck behind some highly touted goaltenders. All he wanted was a crack and a chance to play again. We gave it to him and he’s taken it and ran with it.” Running with the opportunity doesn’t seem to adequately describe what Sibbald has done so far. As of December 2nd, he has posted a 6-0-1 record with a sparkling 1.86 goals against average and a save percentage of .942 (13 goals allowed on 226 shots against). Those numbers were good enough to earn him SPHL Player of the Month honors for November. Murphy said that the biggest thing that has impressed him about Sibbald is the way he gets himself ready for each and every game. “I think what puts him over the edge (from average to great) is his mentality and his competitiveness,” Murphy said. “He prepares like no other guy I’ve ever seen before as far as his mental preparation. It’s beyond our level in my opinion which is a great surprise for us.” When asked about what he thinks makes him a good goalie, Sibbald said that one of his best attributes on the ice is the way he “sees” the surface and the play as it comes at him. He said it helps him to anticipate the action, allowing him to be ready for anything. “I like to think that I’m just square to the puck. I don’t have the greatest reflexes in the world but I try to stay in position and try to read the play to anticipate because I’m not the most athletic person in the world,” he said. “I just try to work hard and make sure I’m in a good position for every shot.” It also helps that Sibbald and McWhinney have formed a solid relationship. Although each would like to start every game, they realize that they are working toward a common goal: backstopping the Havoc to a championship. “We work out great together because he’s (McWhinney) the exact opposite of me. I’m usually too uptight, especially around game time. He’s a little bit of a jokester and keeps the mood light. We feed off each other,” Sibbald said. “He’s great in practice. He’s played pro for a couple of years so he knows a lot more than me about the ins and outs and he helps me a lot.” Now that Sibbald has started off so well in the pro ranks, he said his career expectations have grown some from where they were at Brown. He realizes that there is still work to be done if he wants to advance but he now knows that he is capable of it. “I think my expectations have grown a little bit more so far this season. I was trying to stay positive but I was a little down after my college career. This has kind of given me a little bit more hunger and its just made hockey fun again and winning obviously helps with that,” he said. “I obviously want to play at the highest level I can. I’m not sure where I’ll peak out yet. I’ll just keep trying to improve and see what happens.” Of course, with an Ivy League education in his back pocket, Sibbald gets plenty of razzing in the locker room from his teammates when he does or says something out of character. “Every time I mispronounce something or maybe say something that wasn’t the brightest, I always get quite a ribbing but it’s all in good fun,” he said. As long as he keeps playing the way he is, it won’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that Mark Sibbald may have a long and fruitful hockey career ahead of him. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com