The bus trips kick off this weekend for the Thunder Bay North Stars.
With ongoing renovations at the Fort William Gardens, the Superior International Junior Hockey League squad will continue their season-opening six game road swing with a pair of games against the Red Lake Miners Thursday and Friday, which will be followed by a Saturday night skate with the Dryden GM Ice Dogs.
Head Coach Rob DeGagne, in a conversation with Acadia News Wednesday, says it’s a good time of year to travel within Northwestern Ontario.
“It’s good to get the team together on the road, do a little bit of bonding,” says DeGagne. “I typically like to have a lot of games away from home this early in the season, and it just so happens that (the Lakehead Thunderwolves) have a lot of their home dates early, which will be mean a lot of bus trips for use before December.”
The North Stars opened the season on September 18th with a 4-2 loss to the Kam River Fighting Walleye. Jordan Smith turned aside 30 of 34 shots while Raj Sangha led the way offensively with a pair of goals, including one on the powerplay in the second period.
Like the season opener, DeGagne says it’s a guessing game as to what the Miners and Ice Dogs look like on the ice.
“Most teams build their clubs based on how big their rink is,” adds DeGagne. “Dryden is probably going to be a bigger team that likes to be physical, they always seem to be. In terms of Red Lake, they like to mix skill and size in terms of players, and with them host the Dudley Hewitt Cup this year, it may have been easier for them to recruit talent.”
The coach notes the team has to be ready for the weekend.
The road trip concludes Friday October 1st and Saturday October 2nd against the Fort Frances Lakers.
