Sault and Barrie near and dear to goaltender's heart

It’s easy to understand goaltender Jacob Ingham feels a little more at home this week as he participates in the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Barrie product, who is competing with Team Canada Black at the week-long event, has plenty of family in the area as his mother Rhonda is originally from Sault Ste. Marie and his grandparents Ron and Sandra Santana and great-grandmother Frieda Sanzosti still reside in the city.

“Pretty much my whole moms side of the family is here so I’ve had a lot of fans out,” the 16-year-old netminder said. “It’s pretty cool having everyone here.”

In his rookie season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga Steelheads, having the opportunity to play close to his hometown of Barrie means his parents Rhonda and Darryl have been regular fixtures at the Hershey Centre.

“It means a lot that they’re always there and they’re making the commute,” Ingham said. “I’m happy I can be close to home.”

Ingham has noticed a growth in his game early in the year and was excited to get the start in Tuesday’s round robin finale against Team USA.

“I was happy I could get in there and get a couple of shots on me early and settle myself down,” Ingham said. “Everyone is a little nervous before a big game like that.”

Ingham continues to work with veteran goaltender Matthew Mancina with the Steelheads but had an opportunity to get some extra starts prior to the tournament after Mancina went down with an injury. Ingham called it a “good opportunity” to get some added minutes ahead of the tournament.

“I have a good mentor there with Matt Mancina as the starter right now,” Ingham said. “It’s been good to have him there.”

Ingham has a 2-2 record in seven games with the Steelheads.

In addition to having the opportunity to play in front of extended family, being a part of the tournament has been special for the youngster,

“It’s been a great week,” Ingham said. “The hockey is great.”

“Overall it’s been an excellent week of hockey. We’ve learned so much from our coaching staff," Ingham added. "We learned a lot about the Canadian (style of play). We demonstrated it really well (on Tuesday) against the Americans, playing with a lot of grit and everybody taking on their roles.”

“He’s been really solid,” Team Canada Black Coach Paul Boutilier said. “He’s been progressing like the team. Everybody gets a little more comfortable every day we’re at this as we try to put the team together. He’s progressed. Jacob has certainly done very well for himself.”

The week-long event runs through Saturday evening.