U18 AAA Selects moving back to Steinbach

The Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach continues to attract major tenants, as the Eastman Selects male U18 AAA team will be based out of the new arena moving forward.

The U18 team had been in Steinbach until the then-named Beausejour Blades of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League moved to the community in 2009. The U18 team moved to Beausejour when the junior A team took up residence in the now-demolished Centennial Arena.

Rachel Antymis has worked as the team’s manager since she was 19 and has been involved with the program for nearly a decade. She said the Selects hope to grow their fanbase with the move to Steinbach, noting most of the players now come from the southern part of their region.

“Ten years ago, we had tons of North boys, but it’s kind of shifted,” Antymis said.

“We want to start packing the barn and creating a bigger fanbase for the boys. I think they really miss that and lack that and I think Steinbach will be able to bring that too us.”

This is the fifth home for the Selects U18 team, which had stops in Ste Anne and Landmark before moving to Steinbach for the first time in 1997. The program was one of the founding members of the Manitoba AAA U18 hockey league in the mid-80s and has won three championships, most recently in 2002.

With long trips for practices and games, the AAA program has been losing players to both the high end hockey academies in Winnipeg and local high school programs.

“That’s definitely something the coaches have battled the last couple years,” Antymis said.

“Beausejour is far for most of those people… It’s definitely been a challenge. I think Steinbach is a lot more central for the region, so that should help.”

The Eastman region stretches from the American border to as far north as Berens River, but most of the player base is concentrated South of the Trans-Canada Highway. Of the players who are eligible to return to play next season, only one (Garson’s Kellan Sichewski) is located close to Beausejour.

“Having the boys drive themselves, which most of them do, it’s sketchy highways and it’s always nerve-wracking in the winter,” Antymis said.

“(The new location) is a sense of security for the coaching staff.”

Antymis said in recent years the team suggested allowing players from the more northern region to play in the Interlake Lightning program, but were shot down by the league. Interlake’s U18 team plays out of Teulon.

“We can’t really win, there’s always going to be a couple (players needing to drive),” Antymis said

“It’s unfortunately a giant region.”

Other benefits to Beausejour came with being the highest-profile team to play in the rink there. Now the Selects will be competing with the Steinbach Pistons for practice and game-times.

“Selfishly, we’re happy about that, we don’t mind playing a Saturday afternoon game versus getting home at midnight,” Antymis said, laughing.

“The coaches are really happy because they’re coming from Transcona, so either way it was the same distance for them.”

Playing in the same building as a premier Manitoba Junior Hockey League program could help with player recruitment as well.

The move is bittersweet for Antymis, who was born and raised in Beausejour. She expects to still manage the team effectively from a distance, especially with a newborn baby at home.

“There’s a part of me that’s sad to see it leave the community but with the new baby I said ‘I’m not driving, I’ll do all the computer stuff and hang out at home,’” she said.

“Because I was super-pregnant (last season), I’m like ‘I’m not going anywhere near the ice.’ I could do everything on the phone… It’s a lot more accessible that way… Hopefully (the SEC) has better wi-fi than we do back here.”

The past two seasons the Selects have needed a result on the final day of the regular season just to make the playoffs, only to be swept by a pair of powerhouse Brandon teams. Eastman’s final season in Steinbach in 2009 also saw them fall to Brandon in the playoffs.

The team will also be looking to nab new sponsors as they move to Steinbach. Anyone interested should reach out via email to u18eastmanselectsaaamale@gmail.com.