If the Energizer Bunny put on skates and got on the ice at the Coliseum, the mechanical animal would have a tough time keeping up with Dennis Sicard.

During Richmond Renegades games, the hustling forward is seemingly everywhere.

Checking guys into the boards. Racing to the puck. Passing to his teammates. Getting in somebody's face.

"That's his whole thing," said defenseman Mike Owens. "He's a high-energy guy. On and off the ice. I don't even know if he sleeps.

"He's not going to score goals. He's not going to handle the puck much. But he creates room for those guys out there who are supposed to be scoring goals. He looks like he's running around but he's getting the job done."The 5-11 183-pounder has been playing that way since his junior days and hasn't slowed down since joining the Renegades in early November after being released by Tulsa (Central Hockey League), where he started the season.

"I've never been the most talented player, so I have to make up for it in certain ways," Sicard said. "I try to give 110 percent every game because that shows more than what I'm able to give with my talent. Like I'm not a great stick handler, so I have to get in the corners and hit and grind.

"I think it was something I felt like I had to do for myself to make it to a higher level. I enjoy doing it. I love it. I thrive off the fans."

Sicard has become a fan favorite, not only because of the way he hurls himself around the ice, but he also doesn't mind dropping his gloves and taking on the opposition's tough guy if the situation calls for it, as it could tonight (7:35) against Huntsville at the Coliseum.

The 22-year-old has proved he can hold his own with the Southern Professional Hockey League's top brawlers, and despite missing a month because of wrist surgery, Sicard leads the league in penalty minutes with 176.

"When I was going into junior hockey, my coach said I was pretty strong so I should start fighting more," Sicard said. "After I thought about it, I started fighting a lot more and became the fighter on my team. I love doing it. I don't get nervous at all."

Sicard even carved the No. 16 into his head once this season to remind him to go after Knoxville's Mike Craigen, who had suckered punched him in the previous game. He made sure Craigen would think twice about doing it again.

Sicard's upbeat motor gets him into trouble sometimes when he goes to the penalty box for infractions that could be avoided.

"He's all over the ice," Richmond coach Brian Goudie said. "I'm trying to calm him down a little bit. We have a system we go by, and one guy can mess up the whole system on the line by doing his own thing out there. I'm trying to get him on the same page as everyone else.

"There's good times and bad times [for penalties]. He has to learn how to channel it, so it's mostly on the positive side."

Sicard played rugby back home in Cobourg, Ontario, a sport rougher than hockey, where little or no equipment is worn to protect the players.

"The hits are a lot harder in rugby," Sicard said. "That's why I don't really wear shoulder pads [in hockey] because I got used to not wearing it."Off the ice, Sicard says he's somewhat calmer than when he's cruising around looking for someone to hit.

"Once I get off the ice, it's a whole different story," he said. "On the ice, I know what my role is and that's how I'm always going to play."