St Malo will need to be ‘road warriors’ in CRJHL
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Arena renovations in St Malo mean the community’s junior B team is starting the season with a massive streak of road games.
Those tough circumstances haven’t stopped the two-time defending Capital Region Junior Hockey League champions from getting off to another strong start, going 5-1 to open the year.
“There’s only so much ice out there,” head coach and general manager Ralph Collette said after a 4-3 win in La Broquerie.
“Communities have their own communities to take care of. I get it. It’s very tough to find ice.”
The team can’t even practice on their home rink, finding ice time in Dominion City to stay sharp. The Warriors could play their first 15 games of the season on the road.
“We have a veteran team, kind of, so the guys are helping the new guys get adjusted,” Collette said.
The team is especially hurt when it comes to special teams, losing out on some details with the lack of practice time. It helps to have the league’s all-time leading scorer, Ashton Dubois, suit up for his final season in St Malo. He has six points in six games.
“We’re very fortunate we have a lot of skilled players we try to put in good situations, but it’s been difficult for sure,” Collette said.
Collette said the team is expecting to get a battle every night, as teams look to pick up wins over the two-time champions, and hopes the team’s young players can learn from those regular season battles.
“Experience in the playoffs means a lot,” Collette said.
“Our task as a coaching staff is to make sure the new players are ready for what the playoffs are all about. It’s a whole different season.”
Collette said the Warriors don’t expect to get into the new and improved St Malo arena until after Christmas.
“It makes you really appreciate what your staff does for you, and what the players have to go through,” Collette said.
“We are the so-called road Warriors right now, so our goal is to have a good first half on the road.”
Fans from the Eastman region can still catch some CRJHL action this fall, as the La Broquerie Habs host Lundar Nov. 2 at 4 p.m.