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The Earl Marriott Secondary School intramural hockey team's loss was the Peninsula Oilers gain.

Growing up in Canada and prohibited by his parents from playing competitively in his native country's national pastime, Shayne Willson was relegated to skating in pickup games.

He took full advantage of the opportunity, too, setting his school's record for most goals in a game with 15.

After that milestone, he called it quits.

"After that one game, I hung 'em up," laughed Willson, adding there were still three or four games left in the season. "I just wanted to go out on top."

Now he's trying to reach the peak of another sport, and he's off to a successful start in his first summer in Alaska, not far from his hometown in British Columbia.

One of the top hitters on the team, and just one of two Canadians in the league, Willson has done just about everything one can do for the Peninsula Oilers, playing the outfield, leading the team in a handful of offensive categories and even taking the mound when called upon, and therefore has been a vital component of the Alaska Baseball League squad's recent resurgence and charge up the standings.

"He's a versatile player," said first-year Peninsula manager Jeff Walker. "He's done well on the mound, he's swung the bat, he's a guy that you know to put in the lineup every day.

"It definitely helps out and gives you some options."

Unable pursue hockey as a career, joking, "I'm probably the only Canadian who never played hockey," Willson relied on baseball to fulfill his athletic appetite, following in his father Mike's footsteps, who Willson recalls was a pretty talented ballplayer.

"He was a big baseball guy and he got me and my brother playing at a young age," said Willson, a die-hard Vancouver Canucks fan.

Some think the only sport played by our friendly neighbors to the east is on ice. Willson, however, explained that in British Columbia, baseball is quite competitive.

"All the hockey's mostly out east," he said, "but there's still a lot of good players that come out of BC."

Despite not having a high school baseball team in Surrey, Willson played on club teams, traveling to Arizona every spring before getting invited to join the Team Canada Junior National team, which earned a bronze medal in 2006 competing against other nations in the World Cup.

Baseball in Cuba is far different than baseball in Kenai.

"It was awesome," said Willson, who was the sixth-leading hitter in that tournament. "You've got 15,000 Cubans screaming at you and music playing everywhere and they're throwing water around and stuff. It's pretty cool."

Drafted that same year in the 16th round by the Minnesota Twins, Willson didn't sign with the Major League club, yet was convinced to start pitching when the Twins noted his strong arm in the outfield.

Following two years at Iowa Western Community College, where he last took the hill as a starter, Willson transferred to Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., after receiving close to a full ride for his services as a closer, going 3-2 with a team-leading 4.34 ERA and four saves in 13 appearances, and also at the plate, where he hit .340 with nine home runs and 37 RBIs.

"You get more scholarship money the more positions you play," he joked. "So it helps out a lot with your parents and stuff like that."

His adjustment to wood, unlike some players having previously handled it plenty, has been seamless.

Batting from the third spot in the Oilers lineup throughout the majority of the short season and the only player to appear in all 18 games, Willson is hitting .246 with two triples and a co-team-best seven RBIs.

His stick is even hotter with runners on base, batting .303 compared to .194 when they are empty.

"I guess sometimes I get a little excited trying to win some games," he admitted. "I'll get better."

He has lately.

After the Oilers lost four in a row and six of seven to begin their ABL season, Wilson jump-started a two-out, second-inning rally against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots on June 26, smashing a two-run double that propelled Peninsula to a 3-2 win, the first of five straight before Wednesday night's loss.

"We had a little team talk about someone's going to have to step up and get some big hits for us," he said. "I got an opportunity to do it and came through. I hope that helped the team a little bit."

That extra-baser came off a left-handed pitcher, a commonplace occurrence for Willson so far this season, as he is carving up southpaws at a .417 clip, as opposed to going a pedestrian .211 versus righties.

"He's probably about the only one on our team that can hit lefties," Walker joked. "He's clutched up with guys on base. That's why he's hitting three-hole, so hopefully you get guys on base from the bottom and the top of the order for him to hit them in. He's done a pretty good job of that so far."

Same goes for on the mound, where he has served as a second closer, recording a pair of saves in 4 1/3 innings of work while also playing error-free ball.

"He's been reliable and continues to work and continues to get better," Walker said. "He's got confidence everywhere."

He likely won't play all nine positions this summer -- although he has served as the designated hitter -- but if he did, it wouldn't matter to him.

"I just like playing the game," Willson said. "It doesn't really matter to me what I'm doing. As long as I'm doing something, I don't really care."

Possessing this varied skill set could certainly play in his favor as he continues to follow his dream of making it to the pros.

"I thought I might have got a call this year but I didn't get it," he said of getting drafted. "I'd like to play pro ball. But obviously it didn't happen this year, so maybe next year hopefully."

Walker believes his do-it-all player has a solid chance.

"He's a tough out," he said. "He's a free swinger, goes up there and gets his hacks but he does have a good knowledge of the strike zone, which makes him more difficult to get out.

"He's got a pro arm from the outfield. He can run. Just like everyone else, he's got some things to work on. But he's definitely draftable, a pro prospect."

As if he didn't have enough going on with his on-field activities, Willson's got more to celebrate this week than just his steady play.

Canada Day was Wednesday, Independence Day is Saturday and today is his 21st birthday.

Talk about a full schedule.

"Busy week," he said.

Appropriately enough for a busy guy.