Look no further for a hometown hockey hero than Princeton91裸聊视频檚 Curtis Gould.

Gould is the assistant captain of the Posse, helping to lead the team through its best season ever, riding at the top of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) standings for most of the year.

91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 one of the strongest, most consistent defenceman in our league,91裸聊视频� said head coach Mark Readman of the 5-foot-10, 180 lb., 19-year-old.

91裸聊视频淗e carries a lot of weight on his shoulders. He carries a lot of pressure, but he carries it well,91裸聊视频�

Gould laced his first pair of skates at the Princeton and District Arena about the same time most kids begin Kindergarten.

91裸聊视频淎s soon as I started, I just fell in love with the game,91裸聊视频� he told the Spotlight. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e done it pretty much every day since I remember.91裸聊视频�

He91裸聊视频檚 spent most of his hockey career so far in Princeton, save for a one-year stint in Kelowna when he was 15, where he played for an elite minor midget team which won its league91裸聊视频檚 championship.

As the Posse91裸聊视频檚 only local player 91裸聊视频� with the rest coming from around B.C., Saskatchewan and Alberta 91裸聊视频� Gould91裸聊视频檚 highlight reel is less about shots and blocks than it is about community involvement and support.

91裸聊视频淎ll our home games have just been phenomenal, just having such a nice crowd that supports us and we91裸聊视频檝e been trying our best to give back.91裸聊视频�

Especially, he recalls with satisfaction a successful Meals on Wheels weekend that raised more than $3,500 for the program, and another fundraising game that raised money for a Princeton woman awaiting a double-lung transplant. 91裸聊视频淭hat was probably my highlight because it was such a motivated night for our whole team and for me personally.91裸聊视频�

Junior B hockey in Princeton is a full-time job, according to Gould, who is in his third year in the program, although he manages to keep up with his business courses at Thompson Rivers University.

The team meets every morning at 10 a.m. and practices every day usually around noon. Sometimes, he admitted, the players get Sunday off.

Game days always begin for Gould at Billy91裸聊视频檚 Restaurant for breakfast with teammates, where he invariably orders a club sandwich and is not embarrassed to say: 91裸聊视频淵eah, that91裸聊视频檚 superstition.91裸聊视频�

While Princeton fans and hockey followers across B.C. have expressed surprise at the team91裸聊视频檚 meteoric success in 2022-23 91裸聊视频� 26 wins and five losses, with three overtime losses and three shootout losses; good enough to hold first over 18 other franchises 91裸聊视频� it hasn91裸聊视频檛 shocked the players.

91裸聊视频淲e have a good squad, and we knew it from day one of camp91裸聊视频�We knew what we were capable of and we knew what we could accomplish,91裸聊视频� Gould said.

He credits much of Princeton91裸聊视频檚 success to leadership in the form of Readman, who joined the Posse last season, general manager Mark McNaughton and assistant coach Liam Noble.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think there is a secret sauce. I think it91裸聊视频檚 just the way Mark (Readman) knows how to keep us motivated and keep us going and he really holds us accountable for how we play. He wants us to work as hard as we can, working to the best of our ability.91裸聊视频�

As the clock ticks down on the regular season, it91裸聊视频檚 hard to keep thoughts away from the playoffs and the genuine chance one of the smallest markets in the KIJHL can field a roster to challenge for the Teck Cup.

91裸聊视频淎s a group, we all want to go all the way. That91裸聊视频檚 kind of been our goal right from the start of this year,91裸聊视频� Gould said.

91裸聊视频淲e are going to have to basically take it one round at a time.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 know if we have any fears, though.

91裸聊视频淲e are not afraid of anything, and we know what we have and what we can do.91裸聊视频�

Win or lose, Gould maintains the finest parts of any game are the relationships that are formed along the way. 91裸聊视频�(Teammates) eventually turn into brothers and lifelong friends.91裸聊视频�

Readman gets a strong sense of that, from his go-to defensive stronghold.

91裸聊视频淐urtis does things the right way. He cares and he91裸聊视频檚 passionate.

91裸聊视频淗e wants to see the team succeed, not only just himself.91裸聊视频�

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:andrea.demeer@similkameenspotlight.com