Carter Yarish (Osoyoos Coyotes | 2022-23) was named the Portage Voyageurs Athlete of the Week earlier this month after he collected a goal and two assists against the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Yarish is in his second season with the Voyageurs men’s hockey team in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. He has four goals and 10 points in nine games, after producing five goals and 16 points in 23 games as a rookie last season.
Yarish spoke with KIJHL communications director Emanuel Sequeira about his season. This Q&A story has been edited for length and clarity.
KIJHL: How do you feel you are playing this season?
CY: I think I’m playing pretty good, obviously there is room for improvement. I was finding some good chemistry with linemate Tye Evans (played SJHL/NCAA D3) and then he got injured and it’s been a little tough since then. We had a pretty good connection to start the year, so hopefully after Christmas we can get that back going.
KIJHL: What is the talent level like in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference?
CY: There are lots of guys coming down from the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the WHL, there’s some top-tier talent and makes it a competitive league. It’s fun to go up against those guys and try to get better every day.
I’ve been having a great time at Portage College. I really like it here and I think it’s a program that people should come to.
KIJHL: You played one season with the Osoyoos Coyotes, what was that like?
CY: The KIJHL was great and I had a really good time playing there. I played with a lot of my buddies from Prince George – I think there were about five of us – so it was a good environment and I had a good time in the KIJHL.
KIJHL: What was the biggest thing you had to get used to jumping from junior to college hockey?
CY: Points are super valuable in this league as you get three for a win, so you really have to bring it every night. It’s only a 24-game season, so in junior you’re able to have bad games, not that you want to have bad games, because it’s a 44-game schedule. There are no games off, that’s the one thing I really noticed.
Yarish is joined by other KIJHL alumni on the Voyageurs (brackets are stats with Voyageurs) Brydon Bell (10 GP – 4A | Grand Forks Border Bruins); Payton McDonald-Corea (7 GP – 3 PTS | Osoyoos Coyotes); Ethan Aebly (10 GP – 1G | Golden Rockets/Castlegar Rebels), Stavros Koutsantonis (2 GP – 1G | Creston Valley Thunder Cats), Karsten Gorrill (10 GP | Grand Forks Border Bruins/Creston Valley Thunder Cats), Matteus Reis (10 GP | Grand Forks Border Bruins/Kelowna Chiefs), Ethan Shebansky (1 GP | Grand Forks Border Bruins)
