Connolly in P.G. for charity event

Brett Connolly is about to experience his shortest summer ever.

The Prince George Cougars alumni had his hockey season come to a halt Tuesday when he and his Syracuse Crunch teammates fell 5-2 to the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game 6 of the American Hockey League Calder Cup final. The Crunch lost the best-of seven series 4-2.

"It's nice going to the rink when it's sunny," said Connolly, adding playing hockey when it's 28 degrees outside is pretty cool. "At the same time it's a very long year and your body takes a beating, it's definitely a lot different then being out earlier in the year."

It's was the first time in his hockey career that the 21-year-old played a meaningful game in the month of June. Now he's about to find out what the turnaround is like in a shortened summer where he'll need to start preparing for the National Hockey League training camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In between bench presses at the training facility in Toronto where the former Cougar spends his off season these days, Connolly will stop by his hometown to take part in the Prince George Cougars Alumni Hospital Charity Golf Tournament, Aug. 15 and 16 at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club.

"I had a very, very good three years with the team," said Connolly. "I haven't seen the management group of the Cougars in a while now so it will be nice to see everybody.

"I'm excited to see some of the fans that grew up watching me," he added. "I'm very excited to come back and show my support to a franchise that I have a lot of respect for."

From 2007 to 2011 Connolly played in 144 games with the Cougars, potting 86 goals and 66 assists and played in five playoff games where he collected two assists. He spent his 19-year-old season in the NHL where he notched four goals and 11 helpers in 68 games with the Lightning.

In his first season in Syracuse, Connolly had 31 goals and 32 assists in 71 games with the Crunch and recorded his fifth NHL goal in a five-game call up to the Lightning in April.

"The run that we went on and the guys that we have, it was a great year," said Connolly. "It taught me a lot about playing in the playoffs and becoming a better player."

In 18 playoff games with the Crunch, Connolly had six goals and five assists, including a key goal in both Game 4 and 5 in Grand Rapids when Syracuse was down 0-3 in the series.

"It's definitely a different brand of hockey in the playoffs but it's a lot of fun," he said. "We were so close to coming back and then in the last game it fell short. It is too bad but I'm very proud of the way the guys played."

Connolly doesn't have a lot of time to enjoy the summer before he gets back to work.

"It's a big summer for myself, I want to put myself in the best position to make the [Lightning] out of training camp next year," said Connolly. "I'm just going to try and put myself in the best position to succeed next year."

But Connolly said he'll have to find some time to practice his golf swing before coming back to Prince George in August for the Cougars charity golf tournament.

"I think it'll be OK, I don't know," said Connolly. "I've got to get out quite a bit before I go there, I don't want to embarrass myself."