Conroy was ‘frustrated and unhappy’ with Raiders, resurfaced with Vees

But when the Deutschland Dangler was promoted to the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers for the start of this year, Conroy’s production plummeted and irritation increased.

He had two points in 10 games and was -6 on a Raiders team in turmoil. Raiders assistant coach Tim Leonard quit the team on Sept. 24, before 18-year-old Colton McCarthy jumped ship on Oct. 16. Conroy quickly followed suit on Oct. 19, leaving the team and returning home to Edmonton.

“I was just unhappy, that’s all it really comes down to—I was frustrated and unhappy,” said Conroy. “Every time I went home, I just kinda upset and I didn’t want to be in that state of mind.

“I just made the decision that I didn’t want to play my last year there.”

For the next month, Conroy’s career was in limbo as the Raiders suspended him. He waited a month for his release, so he could join the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. During Conroy’s suspension, the Vees acquired his rights from the Vernon Vipers in the hopes Conroy would be released by the Raiders and take his talents to Penticton.

“I got a nice call from Penticton,” said Conroy. “It’s a beautiful city in B.C. and I just figured I’d go to the best team in B.C. at the time and just do whatever I could to help the team win.”

Conroy is a huge reason why the Vees are even in the WCC. He scored the overtime winner in Game 7 of the BCHL final series to down the Nanaimo Clippers. Not only did that goal clinch the championship, but also a thrilling comeback after being down three-games-to-none in the series.

“We never gave up as a team,” said Conroy. “We had a lot of good guys step up and make contributions throughout the series. We knew we had to dig our heels in and get to work.

“It was a nice reward to get that goal, but at the same time, it was a big team effort.”

Conroy has a goal and four points in two games with the Vees to start the WCC.

Like the other four teams in attendance, including the SJHL’s Melfort Mustangs who have nine former Prince Albert Mintos on their squad, Conroy and the Vees want nothing more than to grab one of the two available promotion spots for the RBC Cup national championship.

“That’s what our goal was at the start of the year,” said Conroy. “We always talked about it, that was always in the back of our minds. We couldn’t see it any other way.

“We’re just out here playing our best hockey hopefully, and see how it goes.”

The Vees suffered their first defeat of the tournament on Tuesday against the Portage Terriers, which features fellow former Raider Carson Perreaux.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea

by Jeff D’Andrea

Conroy was ‘frustrated and unhappy’ with Raiders, resurfaced with Vees

What's Trending