ICE HOCKEY: NEW Coventry Blaze recruit Luke Ferrara believes listening to experienced players in the past has helped him advance to the level he is at now.
The 23-year-old signed for the Blaze from Sheffield last month after helping the Steelers win the prestigious Elite League Playoff Final in Nottingham at the end of last season.
Born in Peterborough, Ferrara iced for his home town club – the Peterborough Phantoms – from youth to senior level across a ten-year period.
He joined the Steelers for the 2014/15 season, icing on 18 occasions, before making an additional 104 appearances for Sheffield throughout the past two years.
During his time with the Steelers, Ferrara has won the Elite League twice, the playoff championships once, and appeared in the Champions Hockey League.
Despite a number of clubs wanting his signature, the right winger chose Blaze due to the team’s ability to ‘want to win’.
He said: “Danny (Stewart) has a lot of good ideas and plans for the team this year and I know Coventry always battle hard and want to win.
“That’s important to me, wanting to win.
“It took a while to adjust to Elite League Ice Hockey but I’ve always had to adopt a different style with various coaches.
“If you work hard and listen to advice from the more experienced players you can pick things up quickly.
“I’ve worked on the defensive side of my game which is very important.
“I would love to be more offensive but my ultimate aim is to win as a team, so I’ll do whatever is needed.”
Though Ferrara is still in the early days of his career, he already boasts a strong list of team honours.
He believes part of that is down to the strength of teams he has played with so far.
He said: “I’ve been on teams where players love to be around each other and work hard for each other no matter what the situation is.”
Ferrara’s latest success came in the Playoff Grand Final at a packed National Ice Centre in Nottingham where the Steelers defeated Cardiff Devils in dramatic circumstances.
Steelers initially trailed Cardiff by three goals to one, but a spirited comeback saw Paul Thompson’s men win in overtime.
Speaking about the game, Ferrara said: “It was amazing to play in a game like that.
“You grow up watching the NHL playoffs where teams win late in overtime and you see how exciting it is.
“To play and win in a game like that was a great feeling.
“I was relieved and tired after though.”
Ferrara arrives in Coventry with international experience to his name having made senior appearances for Team GB as well as representing his country at Under 18s and 20s level.
He said: “It was great to play in those games and an honour.
“To get the chance to play for your country is special and I enjoyed the experience and also felt comfortable at that level.
“My aim is be to become an established player at that level and achieve great things for my country.
“To do that I need to play by best for Coventry and that’s my main focus as we look forward to the new season.”
Interview by Craig Summerton.
