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Q&Anthony with Scott McManus

By Anthony Di Paolo - HNIB Beat Writer, 02/07/23, 3:00PM EST

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Interview Featuring the Captain of the Seahawks

SOUTH DENNIS, MA -- The Seahawks Hockey Club is in their sixth season in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), and this one has a chance to be their best season yet.

As of this writing, the Seahawks have a record of 20-17-4 and are in the thick of the East Division playoff race. With balanced scoring, strong defense and excellent goaltending, the team is well-rounded and has already picked up wins against some of the best teams in the league.

Leading the team this year is captain Scott McManus, a third-year veteran from Castro Valley, CA. Through 40 games, he is the team’s leading scorer with 16 goals, 29 assists and 45 points.

In this edition of Q&Anthony, McManus talks about hockey in the Golden State, adjusting to the EHL and re-uniting with the team’s leading goal scorer in Cade Herrera.

As a California native, can you talk a little bit about your background there and how you ended up getting into hockey?

Well, my mom is from Peru and my dad is from Oakland, and being that it’s California there’s not a whole lot of hockey. I got into it when my dad joined a beer league team with his three brothers and their dad—my grandfather—and I would just go to his games when I was four or five years old. Sometimes I’d watch from the benches, but usually from the crowd while he played, and that’s how I got into the sport.

So your mother is from Peru and your dad is from California, how did they end up meeting?

My mom was born and raised in Peru, she spent her whole childhood there and ended up coming to the United States to study at the University of Miami Ohio, and that’s where she and my dad met. That’s where they ended up meeting, and they eventually moved to California together.

Going back to those beer league games; do you have any specific memories of watching your dad play?

I mostly remember seeing him out on the ice and remember thinking how cool it was to watch him skate. I remember seeing one of his goals, but I just thought it was great seeing him and his brothers, all these people I look up to, including my grandfather. Even being in the locker room watching them suit up and go out and play, having fun together. Even if they were in their 30’s or 40’s, it didn’t matter to them, and it was entertaining for me to watch.

Since then, both my dad and my mom have been super supportive. They’ve always given me everything I needed to be able to play wherever. They’ve made lots of sacrifices and I’m really appreciative of what they’ve done for me.

You grew up playing for the San Jose Jr. Sharks, what was it like working your way up youth hockey and eventually finding out about the Seahawks?

In Northern California, there aren’t too many high-level teams. Where I’m from, the Sharks are the highest you could go, and unfortunately for me and many other players, it’s a far drive away. Playing there was definitely a commitment, but it was also lots of fun, I met lots of friends and it was great growing up with them and still seeing them play, and we still hang out during the summer. I joined the Sharks during my 16’s year and played with them for my age 16, 17 and 18 seasons.

My 18’s season was during Covid, and we didn’t have a season that year. My coach at the time, Michael Janda, was friends with (Seahawks head coach) Bill Zaniboni, so I was able to call him and see if I could get on that team for the 2019-20 season, and I joined the Seahawks around January.

What was your initial impression of the Seahawks, as well as your experience playing on the other side of the country?

It was definitely a big adjustment, leaving my family, my parents and grandmother who lives with us, and everyone I’ve lived with my entire life. It was a big change leaving them and coming to a place that, while really nice, is much colder than California. While it took some time to get accustomed to everything, it’s been lots of fun and ultimately I’m glad I made the decision to play here.

Cape Cod is definitely one of the nicer regions around the country, what is it like playing there?

It’s really beautiful out here, absolutely. The ocean is right here, there’s plenty of nature in the area and it’s such a great place to play. The rink we play at (Tony Kent Arena), the staff takes really good care of the ice and all around it’s a great environment for us to succeed. Plus, with all the sights to see in the area, it’s a fun place to be around.

What about on the ice? How was the transition from youth hockey to the junior level?

I would say the physicality is a huge difference; I started out playing against kids who were two or three years older than me, so it was much more physical going up against 20 and 21-year-olds while I was still 18 and playing against kids my same age up until that point. It was much faster and stronger, it took a while for me to get adjusted to it, but it was a great experience seeing the difference of how the game is played here than when I played in California. If I had to describe it, juniors is a much heavier and faster game.

Were there any teammates who really helped you get acclimated to the EHL?

When I first arrived, Jack MacDonald was the captain at the time. He definitely showed me around along with my roommate, Ian Edgar. They were both great teammates and the showed me around the area, gave me pointers on the ice and told me how to adjust from youth hockey to playing a more physical style of junior hockey.

Then last year, Austin Pick was my captain and he was also there during my first season with the team. I thought he showed me how to be a pretty good captain just by the way he carried himself, the way he addressed the team, how he kept his body in shape throughout the season and his habits as a player. Those leaders from the past two seasons really helped me a lot.

The Seahawks have struggled for the past couple of seasons, but the team has bounced back this year. What would you attribute this year’s success to?

We definitely have a really good group of returning players. Guys who love playing here, and then we have new players that we brought in, and they have been awesome. They’re contributing offensively, defensively, and goaltending. It’s been great to see, the whole team is buying in, so I do think we have a really good group and can make some noise in the postseason.

Two of those new players definitely stand out: forward Cade Herrera and goaltender Colin Androlewicz. What have you noticed about them?

They’ve been terrific. I’ve known Cade since I was six years old, he also grew up with me in California and played for the Sharks with me; he’s one of my best friends.

Colin has been huge in net and they’ve honestly been a big help towards our team, they come in and immediately put any egos aside—if they even had one—and bought in to the entire team and they’ve been awesome whether it’s scoring goals, making those big saves or helping the younger players and being good people in the locker room. They’ve really helped the entire team.

Could you talk more about your history with Cade, or at the very least: how did he arrive to the Seahawks?

I know he was playing with the South Shore Kings of the NCDC at the beginning of the year, he sent me a text asking how things were going, and I said if anything goes wrong, you’ll always have a place here and I could put in a great word with my coach. Zaniboni already knew who he was, obviously he’s a really good player, but I think the fact that I was a friendly face and that I wasn’t too far away, that was a big reason why he was able to come here. Since then, he’s been a giant part of this team.

Having a familiar face like Cade on your line must help with the on-ice chemistry.

I would say we do. We played against each other since we were six, played together when we were 14, we’ve been friends our entire lives and we train together during the offseason. Even before he got to the Seahawks, I’d say we’ve had good on-ice chemistry together.

You said this team can make some noise in the postseason, what’s the mindset in the locker room as you approach the final stretch of the regular season?

With the last few games we have left, we’re hoping we can continue ramping up. We have a really good group of guys, veterans and rookies alike, and we definitely can make a run during the playoffs. We’ve gone toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the league, and we think that we have a really good chance to make some noise and see how far this team can go.


Anthony Di Paolo

Anthony Di Paolo covers the EHL for HNIB and can be followed on Twitter @DiPaolo_016

Anthony Di Paolo has spent the last five seasons with the New Jersey 87's organization. Anthony's familiarity with the junior hockey landscape at the Tier II and Tier III levels will help him dive right into covering the EHL. 

Anthony will cover our league showcases and events, as well as write weekly features and player spotlights throughout the 2022-23 season.

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