Happy homecoming

Canadiens forward Chris Higgins,

a frequent skater at ’Cats practice,

finds net in Rangers’ home opener

He never played for the New York Bobcats, but Montreal Canadiens rookie forward Chris Higgins has impacted the organization more than he knows.

Higgins, who frequently practices with the Bobcats as a longtime protégé of their head coach, Aleksey Nikiforov, is an inspiration for several of the team’s players. In the New York Rangers’ home opener Thursday, October 6, Higgins scored his first NHL goal in front of a capacity crowd that included more than half of the Bobcats’ current roster.

Higgins’ spinning, power-play goal from the low slot gave the Canadiens a 2-1 first-period lead en route to their 4-3 overtime victory. And, believe it or not, even a handful of Rangers fans got up out of their seats to salute Higgins – a player who grew up on Long Island before starring at Avon Old Farms (Conn.) prep school and Yale University.

“He’s someone we get to skate with all summer, and to see him score at Madison Square Garden was really cool. It was even better that it was his first NHL goal,” said Bobcats defenseman Justin Porpora, who along with Bobcats leading scorer Tony Romano was invited to try out for the Under-18 U.S. National Team that will compete in the prestigious Viking Cup tournament to be held in Camrose, Alberta from December 26 to January 2.

Romano and Porpora, the league’s top scoring defenseman, were two of only three AJHL players invited to the 40-player tryout to be held from November 30 to December 3. Former Bobcat James Marcou, who is currently playing for the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks, will also vie for a spot on the 24-man roster, which is comprised of the nation’s top junior players.

Marcou’s invitation means that a total of three Nikiforov understudies will be present at the Viking Cup tryouts – the same amount on ice for the Rangers’ home opener. In addition to Higgins, fellow Long Islander Mike Komisarek (West Islip, NY) played several defensive shifts for the Canadiens while Rangers defenseman Darius Kasparaitis – who was trained by Nikiforov in the former Soviet Union more than a quarter-century ago – was for the first time playing in front of his home crowd as the Broadway Blueshirts’ captain.

But perhaps no performance was more inspiring to the Bobcats than that of Higgins, who despite his size (5-11, 188) has made it to the elite level of professional hockey. A total of 10 former or current Bobcats, including Porpora and Romano, grew up within the same incorporated township (Smithtown) as Higgins.

“He’s a really good player – one of the best that I’ve seen as far as his skills – so it’s still a really far dream [to make the NHL],” Porpora said. “But it’s really cool to see someone where we’re from make it.”

Perhaps a current or former member of the New York Bobcats organization will be the next.