Posted: February 16, 2011 11:15 a.m. CT
By SAMANTHA SANSEVERE
FOXSportsNorth.com
Tony Cameranesi has a ritual before every game. It never changes. Some people would call that a little repetitive and maybe a bit unnecessary.
It doesn't really matter what people think because whatever Tony is doing, it's working.
"I guess I have a lot of weird things that I do before games," Tony said. "My warm up is pretty much exactly the same, in the exact order before every game. I have to wear a certain kind of Under Armor and certain colors."
So maybe he never strays far from the norm, but Tony shouldn't start mixing things up any time soon because this creature of habit is reaping the rewards from his hard work.
The Wayzata senior forward was recently announced by the Minnesota Minute Men as a top ten finalist for the coveted Mr. Hockey award, and he is the leading point scorer for the Wayzata hockey team.
Tony won't find out until March 13th at the Mr. Hockey Awards Banquet whether he won the award, but just being a finalist is a huge deal.
"(He is) very deserving. He came in as one of the favorites to be a Mr. Hockey candidate," Wayzata hockey coach Carl Davis said. "He's had a good year for us; he's our leading scorer. Without a doubt, he is one of the top 10 players in the state. He's worked so hard for this his whole career. I'm just really happy for him that he will get this kind of recognition because he deserves it."
"I was absolutely ecstatic," Tony said, referring to when he learned he was a finalist. "It's a great honor to be up for an award like that with such great players."
Tony isn't too bad himself. His 48 total points (14 goals, 34 assists) through 23 games are pretty noteworthy, as is his 2.09 points-per-game average for the 2010-2011 season.
It's not just the numbers that are impressive. Tony has quite a few things about his game that make him the successful athlete he is.
"I think his offensive skills are the best thing he does out on the ice," Coach Davis said. "He's a pretty dynamic player. He shoots the puck so well. He's a good playmaker. I think his real strength is as a playmaker. But when you watch him play out there, he's probably the best skater that I've seen on any team all year. So really, his God-given talent is how well he skates."
"I feel like I skate really well and I use that really well," Tony said. "It helps having great linemen like Tyler (Klein) and Mario (Lucia). We work really well together, and I think it's the whole line chemistry kind of thing."
The recent game Wayzata played against Roseau on Feb. 13 wasn't just any game. It was the first game of a doubleheader at the annual Hockey Day in Minnesota, which was held in Moorhead this year. Wayzata won 2-1, and Tony says that playing at an event like Hockey Day was special.
"It was a great experience," Tony said. "You've been watching it since you were five, watching the outdoor games. It was a great experience for the whole team and I want to thank Moorhead for throwing this all together. The rink and everything was just perfect so I can't thank them enough."
Tony's plans for playing past high school already are sorted out.
"I'm going to spend one year in juniors (hockey) and then I'm going to be going to the University of Minnesota-Duluth," Tony said.
Let's hope Tony doesn't change up his pre-game ritual any time soon, because what he's doing now is definitely working for him.
Here's a little more about Tony Cameranesi:
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Music: "It's kind of a wide variety but I guess I like to listen to Eminem as well as Def Leppard and stuff like that."
Favorite Book: "Probably 'Mind Gym' or a hockey kind of thing like that."
Favorite Class: "I really enjoy business classes. If it had to be a core class I would probably say math."
Least Favorite Class: "Spanish. Or, I guess any language."
Favorite Pre-game Meal: "Before every game I like to eat an Egg McMuffin that my mom makes."
Favorite TV Show: "Besides ESPN it would probably be 'Two and a Half Men.'"
Favorite Movie: "The Hangover"
Favorite Pro Athlete: Joe Sakic
Lucky Charm: Doesn't have one
If he could trade places for a day with anybody, it would be: Pavel Datsyuk
