Bobby Gates is the only American-born player on the Lewiston Maineiacs team.
LEWISTON – The “Star-Spangled Banner” wasn’t written for Bobby Gates, but on some nights, he probably feels that way.
Gates, 19, is from Cranston, R.I., and is the only American-born player on the Lewiston Maineiacs’ 25-person roster, and is contributing in a big way to what success the team has mustered so far this season.
“He is in the top four on defense right now,” said coach Mario Durocher. “That alone says a lot about his skill level and how he plays. He’s a very defensive defensemen and he does his job well.”
Last summer, Gates, coming off of two seasons with the Junior Bruins of the ECJHL, had a choice to make. He was recruited by Quinnipiac, a member of college hockey’s Atlantic Hockey Conference, and also had been invited to camp with the Lewiston Maineiacs.
“It was a tough choice,” said Gates, “but in the end I wanted to play hockey and concentrate on that. I can do that here.”
The fact that the Maineiacs, the former Sherbrooke Castors, relocated to a city in New England also helped Gates make his decision.
“It was certainly a lot easier this way,” said Gates. “On the ice, the language is the same, but the fact that the team is in the states really sealed the deal.”
For two years, Gates toiled away as a member of the Junior Bruins. Last season, he got aggressive and contacted general manager Normand Gosselin about a potential tryout. The Maineiacs’ scouts evaluated Gates and agreed that he should be invited to camp.
“Here I am,” said Gates. “That’s just about how I got here. All I can do now is prove that I belong.”
Gates is no token American player, either. From training camp, Gates has risen to become one of the teams’ strongest defensive players, playing the body well and helping in the transition from defense to offense.
“My goal is to win games,” said Durocher. “I am going to take the players that help the team win hockey games, not just because they come from a certain area. I don’t care about whether a player is American or Canadian, black or white or whatever. I want to win games and Bobby helps us do that. He uses his body well and uses his speed to keep up with the faster forwards from the other teams. He was a very good surprise for us out of training camp.”
For Gates, the chance to play at this level and perhaps advance is a chance he has been dreaming about since he was three.
“There are a lot of NHL draftees that have come out of the ‘Q’ and the rest of the Canadian Hockey League,” said Gates. “I wanted to give myself the best chance I could, and I think I’ve done that.”
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