A fourth player on the Trail Smoke Eaters 2025-26 roster has landed a scholarship.
Twenty-year-old Dylan Lariviere is committed beginning next season to Brock University.
The six-foot-six winger says discussions with the U-Sport school started during the BCHL Showcase in early October and it was a visit to the campus in St. Catherines, Ont. which is close to where he grew up in Welland, that sold him on the program.
“Funny enough, I’m pretty close to the school, which is nice,” said the second year Smokie.
“But I didn’t know a whole lot about it, so getting to learn more and being able to go and visit and see the majority of the school and all of their facilities was very good,” he added.
“It’s a first class school, they run things well, aligned with what I was looking for at the next level and when I felt I was going to get a chance to move on and keep playing (hockey) and get a good education, everything lined up well,” Lariviere explained, noting that securing the scholarship was a relief.
“It’s really easy to say you don’t really think about it and you try to let it take care of itself, but it’s always in the back of your mind and it’s kind of weighing over you,” Lariviere stated.
“So it’s nice to find a spot where I feel comfortable with and am excited to be at and I don’t have to really worry about where I’m going to be next year,” said Lariviere, who now has a single focus for the rest of the season.
“Definitely now I can no go and just play and focus on this year and hopefully go on a good run.”
Lariviere has already the equaled goal totals of his past two seasons in the BCHL, one with Merritt, the other in Trail, scoring his 12th of the campaign last Friday night against West Kelowna.
One goal for this season was increasing his offensive stats, but Lariviere remains diligent when it comes to the small details, like recovering the puck during battles along the boards.
“A lot of the game is played in the dirty areas, in the corners, on the walls,” he stressed, explaining that winning those battles can create scoring chances and prevent goals against.
“You see both sides of it where if you’re in the d-zone (in your end) if you don’t get it (the puck) out it’s normally in the back of your net,” Lariviere said, noting the same applies in the offensive zone, resulting in goals for.
However, Lariviere says in both instances you have to pay the price for success.
“It maybe isn’t the most fun to do all the time, you get beat up pretty good, but at the end of the day you want to win and those things matter just as much as scoring an putting points up on the board,” Lariviere said, adding that it’s a part of the game he takes pride in.
“It’s tough but you’ve got to find a way to enjoy it and I’ve just been able to find little things that work and little different things that where you can win battles a little bit differently and throw a little bit of a wrench at other teams.”
Other Smokies to secure scholarships this season are defenseman Max Hense (St. Lawrence University), winger Louis Jonerheim (Rochester Institute of Technology), and defenseman Colton Whitfield (Army).
The Smokies don’t play again until Jan. 20 in Spruce Grove, Alta., and return to Cominco Arena Saturday, Jan. 24 against the Blackfalds Bulldogs.
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