As is the case every year, the Virden Oil Capitals will have a group of players who will be graduating from the team after the season. Over the next several weeks, oilcapshockey.com will be highlighting each soon-to-be graduate with a feature story on each player.
Today, we caught up with Kirklan Lycar. Enjoy.
Kirklan Lycar didn’t put too much stock into personal goals this season. For him, it’s all about helping the Virden Oil Capitals achieve what they had set out to do at the beginning of the year – and that’s win a league title.
“Obviously I want to be productive and help the team offensively on the score sheet but the only goal I really had coming into this year was to win a championship,” said the 20-year-old forward. “I don’t think you could draw up a better way to possibly go out than that.”
After being acquired in a trade back in December of 2016, Lycar says he couldn’t be happier being a member of the Oil Capitals organization.
“It’s been a blast. I love my billets, my teammates. Overall, just the experience has been awesome. It’s probably the best thing I could ask for playing junior hockey here.”
Raised in Gillam, Lycar ended up moving to Alma, Man.,a small town approximately an hour east of Winnipeg, to live with his grandparents back in his midget hockey playing days.
“There was really no hockey for me to play up there (Gillam) anymore,” Lycar explained. “I would’ve had to move to Thompson and billet, so my parents decided they’d rather me live with my grandparents and I’m very grateful they did.”
Lycar credits his family for his continued support of the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers – a team he began following when his great grandfather began taking him to games at an early age.
“I just sort of fell in love with the team. I’m a season ticket holder now and I do my best not to miss a game.”
Lycar says he’s driven out to Regina with friends to watch his beloved Bombers take on their arch-rival Saskatchewan Roughriders a few times. He’s also been to Toronto to watch his favourite football team.
“We flew to Toronto to watch a couple Blue Jays games but the main purpose was to watch the Bombers,” he said with a laugh.
As much as he enjoys watching the Bombers, Lycar has his sights set on helping guide the Oil Caps into the postseason – and hopefully hoisting a league championship trophy after all is said and done.
“I think our team has a ton of confidence,” Lycar added. “We just want to continue to play good hockey going into the playoffs and hopefully go on a roll. I think we all have the same goal in mind so we’re all really excited for the rest of the season.”