Hannoun ready for rivalry to reach new levels

“Watching the last two games of the regular season, the fans were all into it and I knew the guys were too. The last one [a 3-1 Raider victory] was a very exciting game,” Hannoun said.

The energy in the building that night was a sign of things to come, and the crowds continued to pour in during the opening round of playoffs, providing the Raiders with a significant home ice advantage in a pair of victories over Red Deer. While the Art Hauser Centre is less than half the size of Save On Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, Hannoun was impressed with the support.

“The atmosphere was unbelievable, I was getting goosebumps. I’m looking forward to the crowds coming up [this weekend],” he said.

Against the Rebels, the 20-year-old forward was a key player for the Raiders with five points in four games. Hannoun is tied with fellow over ager Noah Gregor for the team lead in points through one round.

While he is one of the smaller players on the ice, listed at 5’6” and 160 pounds, Hannoun knows how to use his stature to his advantage, reminding Head Coach Marc Habscheid of a former teammate.

“I played with Cliff Ronning who wasn’t that big, and he used his size to his advantage because guys just couldn’t hit him. He’d always get underneath, get low and guys couldn’t get leverage on him. So that was a big advantage and I think Nooner does a lot of the same things,” Habscheid said.

Ronning was a standout with the New Westminster Bruins in the WHL, producing 197 points during the 1984-85 season which remains the second best single-season output in league history, trailing Rob Brown’s 212 with the 1986-87 Kamloops Blazers. Despite being a seventh-round pick in the NHL by St. Louis, Ronning went on to play 1137 games with seven different teams in his 18-year-career.

Beyond the lofty comparison, Habscheid said Hannoun has made a significant impact on the Raiders this year since joining the team. In addition to being a well-liked person in the room and a reliable player at both ends of the ice, Hannoun has bolstered the Prince Albert power play.

“When he came here, we kind of needed a stabilizing guy on the power play and I think he’s provided that for us,” Habscheid said. “What you need on the power play is somebody that is smart and has good ice awareness, and he has that.”

Hannoun has seen almost everything there is to see in the WHL, having played in 314 games in the regular season and another 36 in the post-season. With the Royals, he’s won three rounds of playoffs and even a Scotty Munro Trophy as regular season champion, a feat accomplished again in Prince Albert this year. However, a trip past the second round of playoffs has eluded him so far.

While he admits the transition to Prince Albert was “a little weird” at first, he said it’s become a great fit.

“[When I first came] the guys were really good to me. I felt like I was at home, but lately it’s been unbelievable. We’re really gelling, and it’s been a lot of fun, it’s been one of my greatest experiences so far,” Hannoun said.

The Raiders and Blades kick off their best-of-seven second round matchup this weekend at the Art Hauser Centre, with game one on Friday at 7 p.m. and game two on Sunday at 6 p.m.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden

by Trevor Redden

Hannoun ready for rivalry to reach new levels

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