Our first weekend on the road turned out to be very successful both on and off the ice. Although it is still early in the year, and we have had little time to practice together, there were many positive signs from our first three games. UQTR, McGill, and Ottawa are three of the better teams in the OUA and are a good measuring stick for our progress so far this year. Winning a couple of games on the road against this tough competition was encouraging, however more encouraging was the way we played. The team showed a lot of intensity and it is clear that we will not be outworked by anyone. We are definitely farther ahead of where we were at this time in previous years. Perhaps the biggest indication that this will be an exciting year was the play of our first year players. I think all returning players will agree with me that the new recruits exceeded the high expectations we had for them.
Having an early season road trip also gave the guys an opportunity to get to know each other away from the rink. I can already see that this will be a very close group of guys. Whether it was at the hotel, at a team meal, or in the airport, everyone was having a great time. Playing with such a great group of guys makes you look forward to heading to the rink each day.
This coming weekend will be the first opportunity for fans in Thunder Bay to check out our team. As I said earlier, McGill is one of the top teams in the OUA. Last weekend's game against them was intense, and hard hitting, so I will expect the same against them this weekend. Many people feel they are the best team in the always-competitive Far East Division this year, so I look forward to seeing how we handle this next on-ice test.
See you at the Gardens and talk to you next Week!
Joel
Editor's Note: This is the first in a yearlong series of diary entries from the Thunderwolves' Fourth Year Captain, Joel Scherban. Enjoy!