Noah Brusse sets Posse mark in games played

Noah Brusse set a Prince Posse franchise mark when he hit the ice in 100 Mile House, Jan. 21/2020.

 

Brusse played in his 166th game in a Posse uniform, which is a new record, passing current assistant coach Dan Hillman, who played 165 games between 2006 – 2010.

 

Brusse, the Posse’s captain, has been suiting up for the Posse since his 16-year-old season in 2016-2017 and has been making his presence felt ever since.

 

“It has been a pleasure to work with Noah over the last four years.  He has matured a lot and has grown into a big role on our team.  I can’t think of a better person and player to take over as the record holder,” says coach Dan Hillman.

 

In his time with the club, Brusse has seen the team climb in the standings every season.  From missing the playoffs in 2016-2017 to present day, the Posse push to try and win an Okanagan Division title.

 

“There is something about Princeton and the teams that get brought together here that is so special and it makes it easy for me to come back each year and to break this record,” says Brusse.

 

The six-foot-four defenceman has always made his physical presence known, especially on the Posse’s small home-ice sheet, but his evolution into a top tier offensive defenceman has made him an integral part of the Posse’s recent success.

 

“Noah has grown a tremendous amount in his time here.  Year one he was coming to us asking if he was going to play or not.  Year two was full of big hits, trips to the penalty box and frustrating talks about managing his offensive expectations.  Year three Noah’s role really grew into a top pair defenseman at our level and with that he had to manage the workload and to learn how to be mentally tough even when he was exhausted.  He also had to make some hard choices between taking opportunities at the next level or staying and leading in Princeton in that third year,” says head coach Mark McNaughton. “We would have been happy to see him take these opportunities, but we also know we are lucky to have a dedicated veteran leader here to help guide our group. His focus this season has been about pushing his team to win since day one and we see the impact that has on his teammates everyday.”

 

Brusse is currently enjoying his most productive season offensively with eight goals and 20 assists through 38 games, good enough for eighth in league scoring by a defenseman.  More importantly for him, the Posse currently sit with 22 wins, the most in nearly a decade.

 

“The season has been going really good for us.  We are still in the fight for the top seed in our division which is a target, but we are also preparing to fight to bring a championship to Princeton and that is our goal this year,” says Brusse.