Play Hard, Hit Harder - Sigard Petrenko

[SlapshotWrangler 864]

SEATTLE - Sigard Petrenko made some career milestones. He recently reached 300 points, beat his personal best for goals in a season (32), scored 10 power play goals this season (the most in his career), and also beat his personal best for hits in a season (292). However, strangely enough, Sigard Petrenko is the proudest of one milestone in particular. It takes a big physical toll on your body to hit another player. To do it 160+ times a season as a forward for 5 seasons? It’s easy to see why it doesn’t sound like the best experience for a hockey player. Some grow to love it though and Sigard continues to refine his art of hitting. He has a big smile on his face every time he gets a good and meaningful hit and admittedly, he finds himself thinking body check first in all situations; offensive or defensive. Recently, the winger who stands at a surprising 5’8” has reached 1000 career hits.

 

“You know, at first, it’s scary. Especially considering my small size, I was terrified of coming into the VHL and trying to body check people who tower over me. Now, I want to hit all the time. The coach sometimes sits me down and tells me, ‘you hit too much, shoot too little’. And he’s right. But I don’t think I’ll ever tire of getting hits in. I just hope that I can do it to help my team rather than hurt them.”