Warriors return to St Malo after year away
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There may not have been any concessions, the bleachers were not installed and there is still work to be done inside the locker rooms, but the Capital Region Junior Hockey League’s St Malo Warriors are officially back in their home rink.
The Warriors spent all of last season away from St Malo as renovations were completed at the arena. The rink features a brand new concourse and spectator area.
The Warriors opened their new digs in style, defeating the Altona Maroons 7-1. Tyson Preteau’s backhand from in tight just 1:50 seconds into the game went down as the first goal inside the new arena.
It’s not just a season of transition in terms of infrastructure for the Warriors as long-time head coach Ralph Collette is finally taking a step back, opening the door for long-time assistant Patrick Trudeau to serve as the team’s new bench boss. Collette is staying on as general manger.
“It’s a little different, you could say it’s five years in the making,” Trudeau said with a chuckle.
“I’m grateful they chose me after Ralph’s great tenure of 33 years. I’m just really happy to be here.”
The Warriors started with six games on the road to give staff time to get the rink CRJHL ready.
“It’s great for the community and really great for our team,” Trudeau said.
“The guys were itching for it all training camp… They were patient, but we’re hoping to use some of those games we have in hand on home ice to push us to the next level.”
After completing a three-peat, St Malo stumbled last season, falling in the playoffs to eventual champions and fierce rivals La Broquerie after finishing the regular season first overall.
“Our strengths (this season) are our willingness to learn,” Trudeau said, adding the team started the season with some players recovering from injuries, but should be healthy next week.
“We’re a young group, but there’s tons of potential with lots of buy in… It’s a group that has tons of potential to catch a few teams by surprise come playoff time.”
A grand opening once work is finished inside the new arena is planned for later this month. St Malo will host La Broquerie Nov. 7, with puck drop at 7:30 p.m. The Habs are in action hosting league-leaders Beausejour the night before, while St Malo visits Arborg.
Steinbach fans will see a familiar face if they check out the La Broquerie game Nov. 6, as former Piston Jackson Kostiuk is now lighting the league on fire with the Comets. He has 25 points in his first nine games this season to lead the CRJHL scoring race.