"The inaugural Winter Classic between the two SIHA
senior teams promises to be a great spectacle of grass roots, home-grown hockey
talent.
To add a bit of spice to the mix this game will divide a
family; as for the first time ever, brothers, Danny and Mike Mawer will face
off against each other. The Grimsby natives began playing from a young
age as their father was the head coach of the local ice hockey club.
Despite the legendary small ice pad, both players developed well throughout
their junior careers and left the seaside town with ample experience and a good
level of skill. What is clear about both the Mawer boys is that they are
both natural born leaders, with an incredible work ethic and a truly
inspirational positive outlook on any situation; they are a credit to
their parents, Jayne and Steve.
Sens Head Coach Andy Ellis has the scoop on both players
having coached Danny for his first two-seasons in the Steel City after arriving
as a fresh-faced 18 year old, ready to discover the bright lights of Sheffield
as a student at Sheffield Hallam University. Ellis added "Danny is a
fantastic team player; he works unbelievable hard on and off the ice. He
is vocal in the room and fires his team-mates up, no matter the
situation. He was the first ever Sens captain and lead from the front
every game. After a successful first season, he split his time between
both teams in his second term and then moved up to the Spartans full time in
his 3rd year here in Sheffield. I'm glad I had an opportunity to coach
Danny and play a small part in his development within the SIHA.
Two years after Danny arrived, his 'little' brother followed
in his footsteps coming to South Yorkshire in 2012. Now in his 3rd season
with the Sens, Mike has been a mainstay on the 'grinding line' and has seen his
points' production increase each year. Ellis had this to say about the
younger brother "Mawler is such a great guy to have on your team, he is a
leader, a motivator and he personifies what being a Senator is all about.
He was the deserving first winner of the 'Sens Man of the Year' award last
season for his commitment to the team and he is following on in that same way
this year, leading from the front and picking his team up when required."
Spartans Coach Martin White added; In the 19 years I’ve been
coaching I’ve yet to meet a more enthusiastic player than Danny Mawer. His
level of commitment to both himself and his team may be matched by some, but
I’d be very surprised it’s surpassed by any.
Danny is the type of personality every coach wants and needs on
the roster; eager, dedicated, supportive, entertaining, and ever improving.
Danny is the definition of a team player, and can be heard pushing and
supporting his team mates shift in shift out of every game, whether it’s a key league
fixture or a pre-season challenge. These are the same traits shared by his
brother Mikey. The way these two guys can motivate their teammates; ever
philosophical, ever positive and always with honesty & passion is truly
amazing and has endeared them to both changing rooms and supporters of both
teams. They bring different things to the table for their respective teams but
Mikey’s reassuring presence & mind set rubs off onto his teammates and he
has become an integral part of Senators continuous rise.
If you are unsure which one is which, Mikey is the one with the
epic beard…as for Danny, he is keen to improve and learn from every situation
and is relentless in his self-assessment and always has a pertinent question to
hand. His improvement over the last two seasons has been both measurable and
constant, and over this period he has developed from a dressing room legend to
a steady physical stay at home defender who’s also a dressing room legend!
The first with a kind or supportive word, he’s also responsible
for some of the more memorable maxims that float around our dressing room with
the printable ones including “20 miles, 20 smiles” and “let’s make steel” (soon
corrected by the Sheffield born players to forge). He leads the team chants
with gusto and has often left himself hoarse and in pain such is the power of
his voice!
The only area that Danny really could work harder on is his
signing voice, he may well tell you different but it’s lousy! Despite hearing
renditions of 50 Cent’s “Many Men” and the Christmas Classic “Little Donkey”
I’m yet to be convinced of his stage potential. Although, if he applies the
same dedication and enthusiasm to his singing he could one day grace a Butlins
near you. I can’t and don’t want to imagine the Spartans without Danny, he
truly is #allspartans.
We had the chance to ask Danny
& Mike a few questions regarding their brother and the upcoming Winter
Classic Game. Here’s what they had to say…
Who is the better player?
Danny...Tough question! I think we are completely different players
due to positions/ roles. We both work hard and like
to play a physical game, although he suffers from ankle weakness
and brick hands. So I’d say that I’m better.
Mikey…I'm bigger, stronger, better
looking, better facial hair, alpha male and oh I can score. So I'd probably say
me.
What are the strengths your brother brings to the game?
Danny…It’s got to be his size (I think he must be the
milkman’s). He’s got a big body and its effective when he crashes the
net. It’s about time that he started throwing it around a little bit
more though. He ran me over in a scrimmage in the off season so
I know he’s more than capable of it.
Mikey…Dan's a great team player
and he brings a physical presence to his team, his work ethic is his main strength
as he will never quit and he's not afraid to stick up for his team mates.
How do you think Spartans & Senators are faring this season and what are
your hopes & expectations?
Danny…This season is going pretty well. We have had some big wins and some
games that we feel we should have maybe taken more away from. I think we have
good depth through the team this year and I believe that it is a realistic
expectation and team goal to make the playoffs. We just have to stay
focused and turn up every night.
Mikey…We have had a very busy
season so far this year and I can truly say it's the best Senators Squad I have
played with, we have had a great start to the season and we are currently
battling for a promotion spot, hopefully at the end of this season we will get
promotion and will be playing against the Spartans next seasons.
The Spartans are a solid squad
with great depth, they have recently stepped there game up and are producing
great hockey, I'm sure the Spartans will be battling to make the playoffs this
season and they are very capable of achieving this.
What does the Winter Classic Game mean to you & your teams?
Danny…The Winter Classic means we can’t eat and drink too much on Boxing
Day. On a serious note I think the boys are getting quite excited for the game
now. There has been quite a lot of hype around it. Due to it being
the first Winter Classic it will be good to get a win and finish 2014 on a
high.
Mikey…The Winter Classic is a
great chance for the two teams to play each other in a competitive match, it's
going to be a fun game to play but without a doubt it'll be a battle, I'm sure
both teams will want to win this game as much as each other for the bragging
rights of the club. For me the match will be a very fun but I'm playing to win.
Who will win the Winter Classic Game and why?
Danny…Spartans because we hustle, hit and never quit.
Mikey…Tough question! Personally I
think we will win the match, we have nothing to lose and playing with the Sens
character every player will do whatever it takes to win.
Any funny story you would like to share in relation to your
brother...hockey or otherwise?
Danny…One story I laugh about is what he did at Christmas a few years ago. We
got up to see if Santa had been and he disappeared to get my present. It turned
out he went to the freezer in the kitchen to get some ice cubes
and wrapped them up for me...think he was trying to imply that I don’t get
on much!
Mikey…I played against Spartans
last season for the under 20's! First shift I saw Dan with the puck with his
head down and I decided to rock him, in the same shift I had the puck and I saw
him straight lining for me, he attempted to get revenge but ended with him
looking silly. So I can officially confirm I'm the bigger stronger
brother!
You can’t beat a bit of rivalry, even more so when
two brothers go head to head and come the 27th December you can be
sure that both Danny & Mikey will have their teams fired up to go out and
win!
Thanks for reading guys. Any
questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this
article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
@TomWalkeden
@FrozenSteelMNL
@hockeybhoy
@RatedRDG
