Follwing a strong first half of the season, Sarnia's Corey Pawley remains patient about his return to Sweden.
The former OHLer and Lambton Jr. Sting graduate has six goals and 15 points in 20 games with Brunflo IK, a team in Sweden's Division One professional ranks.
Currently, Pawley has been navigating through some paperwork issues as he tries to get back to Sweden to finish the season.
He says he left his belongings and everything overseas when he returned home for the holidays.
"I'm not really sure what happened, the papers and documents, they didn't work out like I planned," says Pawley. "The team is working on it now so once it gets settled I'll head back."
In the meantime, Pawley has suited up with the Petrolia Squires in an effort to keep in game shape.
Photo by Amelia Mauritzon
After capping off his junior career by winning a Sutherland Cup with Caledonia last season, Pawley embarked to play professionally overseas.
Scoring 169 points in 70 GOJHL games between the regular season and playoffs last year, he says the style of hockey over there suits him well.
"Guys are a lot older than I'm use to, so you're playing against men," says Pawley. "It's on the big ice too so it's fast pace and high skill. Lots of moving the puck, fast speed, so you can't be out of position or they'll catch you."
He says he's had plenty of new experiences, both on and off the ice.
"We're on our first trip up north and I'm sleeping on the bus, and then I hear the horn honking and look and see 100 or so reindeer on the road. I've never seen a reindeer in person before, so that was pretty cool, not something you see everyday."
Pawley says regardless of where he finishes this season, he plans to head back to Europe next year to play professionally.
--
Here is the full interview between reporter Jake Jeffrey and Corey Pawley:
[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/pawley-int-for-web.mp3"][/audio]