Coming off a successful year, which included hosting the prestigious Keystone Cup, the reigning NEAJBHL champions the Cold Lake Ice are ready to lace up their skates for another season.
Under the direction of new head coach Scott Hood, the local Jr. B team already has their sights set on a sixth-straight league championship.
“Ultimately that's the goal, we're going to try to keep the status quo and clinch the league title. I think the pressure is on the rest of the league to knock us off. We just won five in a row and we'll be worrying about ourselves only and hopefully carry on that tradition,” said Hood.
The 2014-'15 season saw the Cold Lake Ice once again dominate the NEAJBHL and hoist the trophy on home ice. History repeated itself for the team, as they were knocked out early on at provincials. The season didn't end there, though. Earlier this year the Ice played host to the western Jr. B championship, the Keystone Cup. The best teams from Northern Ontario to British Columbia descended on the Energy Centre for the tournament and while they didn't take it all, the Ice fought hard for a great run to end the season.
With five league championship titles under their belt already, Hood said their goal this year will be to make it even further and win provincials – a feat which the Ice have yet to accomplish.
“I think we'll be just fine. When you bring 10, possibly 12, guys back from a championship team that helps you out a lot,” said Hood.
Returning to the ice this season with the local Jr. B team will be Cody Janzen, Chase Brown, Christian Nypower, Nick Astasiewicz, Curtis Witney, Mike Harbich, Kurt Franklin, Mackenzie Zarowny, Josh Wik, Josh Kohut and Chad Schultheiss. Former players Taylor Anshelm and Dillon Kalinski are possibly returning as well, but will be participating in Jr. A camps before solidifying their decision.
To fill the remaining open spots on the team, the Cold Lake Ice will be holding open tryouts from Sept. 11 to 13. Hoping for at least 45 potential players to show up, Hood said this year they're inviting anyone to come out to the Energy Centre and show-off their skills.
“Anyone who wants to come out and skate is guaranteed three or four skates depending on how many kids show up. There's a diamond in the rough somewhere out there so we want to give everybody a chance to play.”
While they're open to any player trying out, this season the Cold Lake Ice want to focus on staying local and give midget players coming up through the Cold Lake Minor Hockey system a chance to shine.
“I've talked to a quite a few of the midget kids and some will be coming out. I really want to develop our local kids here,” Hood said. “Obviously if someone comes in from Edmonton or Calgary we're going to look at them too, but I'll focus mainly on the local kids who can play here and help out a local organization.”
The new head coach explained he has “a lot of little things” he will be looking for in potential players. While he doesn't want to give away all of his secrets, Hood said there are a few key traits he would like the players joining his team to have.
“The speed is going to be a factor, and just coming to camp in shape, looking to have fun and showing what you've got. They'll stick out like a sore thumb if they're fast, working hard and good with the puck.”
Joining Hood on the bench for the 2015-'16 season will be assistant coaches Shawn Coles and Ron Tremblay. Fans can expect to see some slight changes in the team's play with three new faces leading the charge.
“I want to get that respect back with the referees and hopefully stay disciplined. When you look at the stats over the last few years, Cold Lake is one of the more penalized teams in the league. We'll play a fast brand of hockey and very systematic and see what happens,” said Hood.
Unfortunately, fans won't be able to see their Ice in action at the Energy Centre right off the bat. The team starts their season on the road in St. Paul on Oct. 2, Vegreville on Oct. 3 and Saddle Lake on Oct. 7 before returning for their first home game on Oct. 9.
“It's close enough now that the guys want to get on the ice,” said Hood. “I'm very excited to start and see what happens for us and I've talked to some of the guys and they're getting excited. It should definitely be a good year.”
For more information on the Cold Lake Ice training camp visit www.coldlakeicejr.com or contact [email protected].
