1. April 2, 201226
THE SCHOOLCRAFT CONNECTION
Sports
Photos by Mandy Getschman
A day in the life of ...
During Game 1
of the Western
Conference
Quarter Final,
Alex Aleardi
scores a short-
handed goal
in the second
period.
By Daniel Peake
Sports Editor
Alex Aleardi
Lightning-quick Plymouth Whalers veteran
soccer just to warm ourselves
up before the team stretch.
Conn.: On game day, what
mindset do you try to put your-
self in?
Aleardi: Well it’s my 4th year
in the league now, so I pretty
much have a zone now that I
put myself in. I just try to keep
myself in the mentality that
I’m playing for the guy next to
me, you know?
Conn.: Playoffs are coming
up pretty fast. How confident
are you?
Aleardi: Yeah, we’re defi-
nitely the team to do it. We’ve
got the full package this year.
All the guys here are really
tight knit, so we definitely
have a chance to do something
special this year.
Conn.: What are your plans
for the future? Where do you
want your role on the team to
take you next?
Aleardi: Well, hockey is defi-
nitely my passion and I really
want to make a career out of
it. After this year, my goal is to
hopefully move on to the NHL.
The way I see it, the further
your team goes, the higher the
chances that someone notices
you and that leads to being
drafted. But as for right now
I just really want to win the
Memorial Cup!
Talking with Alex proved
one vital point: it takes more
than just an athletic presence
on the ice – it takes an overall
lifestyle and mentality to be
the best and Aleardi, as well
as the many players on the
Whalers squad this year, has
the potential to go far. This
could indeed be the year that
the Whalers take their club
all the way. Remember the
name Aleardi, because it is
not hard to imagine that this
young player is bound to be
selected by an NHL team
soon.
For more information
about the Plymouth Whalers,
check out their website at
www.plymouthwhalers.com.
The Plymouth Whalers have
done a phenomenal job in the
2011-12 regular season. With
a 47-18 record, a second place
seat in the Ontario Hockey
League’s Western confer-
ence and a well deserved
playoff berth, this year has
been a memorable one for the
Whalers organization. The
season has been filled with the
ups and downs, the acrobat-
ics, the dramatics, the fights
and, oh yes, the fans that make
hockey the most action-packed
sport on ice. Now of course this
success is primarily a product of
the exceptional teamwork dis-
played by the Whalers this sea-
son. However, here at the Con-
nection, we thought it best to
introduce the readers to an-
other vital factor in the
Whalers’ success this season:
Whalers veteran Alex Aleardi.
This Right Wing forward,
who hails from Farmington
Hills, began to make his mark
in the OHL in 2008. Aleardi
was selected by the Kitchener
Rangers in the third round
(43rd overall) of the 2008 OHL
Draft. After spending his rookie
season with the Rangers, Alex
was traded to the Belleville
Bulls before the start of the
2009 season. Finally in 2010,
he was traded
to his hometown team, the Ply-
mouth Whalers. Alex was one
of the best in the league this
season, with 36 goals, 29 assists
and 65 overall points.
With success such as this,
one must ask a question; what
off-the-ice factors contribute to
such on-the-ice excellence? In a
league filled with untapped po-
tential, what makes this partic-
ular player so very unique?
The Connection caught up
with Alex before practice to ask
just that.
Connection: So Alex, what’s
been your routine for this year?
Aleardi: Well, every day we
meet up here at 10 a.m. for a
morning warm up and practice.
We leave for the morning, and
then meet back up at 1
p.m. for another team practice.
We end the day at 4 p.m. with
a team workout. I usually leave
out of here around 5:30 p.m.
Conn.: Do you have any
special workouts or condition-
ing regimens?
Aleardi: Yeah, just the stan-
dard team stretch. I usually
come a few hours before prac-
tice to stretch myself out a
little more. A lot of times the
team will play a little game of