Niverville High School Panthers joining high school hockey league

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This article was published 21/10/2024 (261 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

High school hockey appears to be on the rise in the Eastman region and across the province, as the Niverville High School Panthers join the third tier of the Winnipeg High School Hockey League (WHSHL).

The team, which was created after a student survey of potential players between grades 6-11 this spring, will be coached by Brandon Lockerby. Lockerby boasts 150 games of Western Hockey League experience, and spent four years playing with the University of Manitoba Bisons.

The Panthers will be a young team, with only two grade 12 players on their roster.

“We’ve got a good group that we can establish a foundation and build a culture for years to come,” Lockerby said before the league’s schedule began.

“The players that are on our roster are pretty receptive to that idea and what we’re teaching them so far… There’s certainly some excitement here at the school.”

High school hockey doesn’t have to be the final spot for a hockey player in Manitoba, with Stonewall’s Gavin Holod making the jump from the high school ranks to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Steinbach’s Lucas Jolicoeur played in a dozen playoff games with the Manitoba Major Hockey League’s Pembina Valley Twisters.

“(Schools are) establishing a quality program as an alternative for players should they not play AAA or regional programs, or even with their local minor hockey association,” Lockerby said, noting high school programs offer more flexibility to their players to do activities outside of hockey.

“There is an appeal to students that maybe those programs can’t offer… Our practices are done by 4:30 p.m. every day.”

Niverville not only has a strong potential player base to draw upon, but should find a good fanbase as well. The team will be playing out of the Niverville Resource and Rec Centre, which is housed in the same building as the high school.

With games played at 4 p.m., only 20 minutes after the final bell for the day, the Panthers could have a strong student body fanbase.

“That’s part of the excitement of high school hockey, you’re there to support your classmates,” Lockerby said.

“That’s part of building culture in your school, which is great to see… I think there’s going to be a good sense of community.”

Niverville joining isn’t the only movement in the WHSHL, as Springfield Collegiate makes the jump this year to the top tier of the league, the Platinum Promotions division.

Steinbach, which won the AAAA provincial championship in 2023, is also in the top division. Gabrielle-Roy will be looking to defend their Winnipeg Free Press (tier 2) championship from last season. Lorette remains in the third division with Niverville, with other Eastman region teams Edward Schreyer (Beausejour), Pinawa and Powerview/Sagkeeng.

The Morris Mavericks play in the Zone 4 hockey league. Springfield and Lorette also enter teams into the Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League.

Niverville kicked off their season with some exhibition games and a tournament. Their first league game finished after press time Oct. 16, with the Panthers’ first home game of the season set for Oct. 29 when they face off against Glenlawn Collegiate.