Traveland RV Storm still going strong
The Traveland RV Storm is going strong — and doesn’t show any sign of letting up.
The Pilot Butte-based team, a winner of six straight games, has won 19 of 25 Prairie Junior Hockey League contests this season. That mark puts the squad six points ahead of both the Assiniboia Southern Rebels and Fort Knox for top spot in the league’s South Division.
“This season is going great,” first-year defenceman Garrett Legare marvels. “I couldn’t ask for a better season.”
Dale Lewgood, the president of the Storm, says he’s similarly happy with the team’s success. He didn’t let on, but if he’s at all surprised by the Storm’s impressive record this season, he could be at least partially forgiven.
Earlier this year, the Storm, then vying for its third PJHL title in three seasons, suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of the Saskatoon Royals in Game 5 of their PJHL final series.
“OUR PHILOSOPHY, OUR GOAL ... IS TO ATTRACT THE RIGHT KIND OF PLAYER AND HELP DEVELOP THEM SO THEY CAN TAKE THE NEXT STEP.” DALE LEWGOOD
“That was terrible,” Lewgood says in retrospect — but things then went from bad to worse for the Storm.
Chris Lewgood (Dale’s son) — then the team’s longserving bench boss and its general manager — thereafter left the squad to take the helm of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Estevan Bruins.
Dale says the players were disappointed about falling short in last season’s finale, but they weren’t bitter. And the head-coaching vacancy was officially filled within two months by assistant coach Karl McNish, now in his seventh campaign with the squad.
While some faces have changed — or at least assumed new titles — the underlying goal has remained the same. And that’s no coincidence, the Storm’s new bench boss says.
“We coached as co-coaches, more so than head coach and assistant coaches, when Chris was still with the team,” McNish says. “Everything was operated by committee, not by individuals.”
A goal of the Storm is to win hockey games — most importantly, Dale says with a chuckle, the final game of the season. But there’s a lot more to the club than winning — even the prestigious Keystone Cup.
“This might sound corny because I’m sure most teams say this,” Dale says, smiling. “But it’s players first.
“Our philosophy, our goal ... is to attract the right kind of player and help develop them so they can take the next step,” he adds. “At the same time, if they’re interested only in just playing hockey and going to university or working, then we have an environment where they have a lot of fun.
“But the expectation is you’re going to win.”
Legare, an education student at the University of Regina, fits into Dale’s second category of player. The defenceman says the goal of the Storm is to pursue excellence on the ice, but the players-first approach of the team is clear to him, despite joining the organization only a few months ago.
“Karl is always in touch with the players and he’s always sure to keep an open line of communication,” Legare says, adding, “He’s an approachable guy.”
“They take us pretty seriously,” adds first-year goaltender Josh Zimbaluk. “When we go on a road trip, we have the best places to sleep, we have the best meals. There hasn’t been one moment where any of us have been mistreated.”
If there is a formula to winning a PJHL title, Dale points out with a chuckle, he hasn’t pinpointed it just yet. But he nevertheless hopes to ultimately win the final game of the campaign — and has an idea of how to make it happen.
“I’m not sure if we’ve read that book or subscribed to it,” Dale says. “But I think all you can really do is recruit well, work hard, surround yourself with the right coaches and players and develop the kind of relationships where everyone is pulling the rope the right way — and the same way.”
The Storm is to return to the ice against the visiting Ochapowace Thunder at the Pilot Butte Recreation Centre on Jan. 5. Game time is 2:30 p.m.