By Robb Fenton
There is already a great deal of optimism coming from the Lloydminster Border Kings.
After struggling with numbers last season, the Kings have had great turnouts for workouts, practices and the exhibition game they played this past weekend.
With all the things he has seen, head coach Kent Staniforth is excited about the season which begins Sunday.
“The first three weeks of practices were positive for the team. I never left the rink disappointed,” Staniforth said. “We had good numbers, good quality out there so we were able to run some fairly formal, high tempo practices. At the senior level, conditioning is the biggest factor and it showed a bit in that exhibition game Sunday, but it was a bonus for us to find some game time prior to our home opener.”
The Border Kings dropped Sunday’s game to the Fort St. John Flyers, but the score wasn’t what Staniforth was concerned about.
Being their first real game of the season, there was admittedly some rust, but overall it was a great game to get in for the team.
“A little slow going, a little rusty at times, but also, there were a few shifts that showed some great speed, good puck movement and overall it was a positive experience for us Sunday,” he said.
Sunday is the first regular season game for the Border Kings, which comes close to a month after the season in the Chinook Hockey League has actually began.
Regardless of how the scheduling is set up, the Kings are ready to make some noise and are looking for a good showing as they eventually prepare for their Saskatchewan provincial run and Allan Cup run.
“We need to reevaluate what’s important going forward. Initially it’s the guys that are going to be there (that) need to buy into what we’re trying to accomplish and by that I mean they need a higher level of commitment to the team,” Staniforth said, referring to the trouble his team had last year. “We have to put our best team forward every time and the early indicators there look really positive. We’re not looking for a bunch of ex-pros to put us on top, we just want a good group of guys who can commit to being a team and that’s the key to any success later on in the year.”
Opening at home, as well as having a solid core of players returning to go along with some new faces, the Border Kings should be a fun team to watch not only during the CHL season, but also as they attempt to secure another national title.
“The guys are definitely ready to go,” he said. “We’re ready for the game time action. We utilize this league as an opportunity to prepare for a provincial run, so if we can get these guys that are here now to commit long term, I know come the end of it all we should be in a decent position to take a run at the Saskatchewan championship.”
Although there are a number of new faces, players like Jordy Dougan, Dallas Fallscheer, Corey Dallyn and Logan Pashniak, who have been around for a number of years, will again be the key players when the Kings suit up.
“These are guys committed to the team and want to see the team be successful. They are guys that are showing up and guys that will give us an opportunity to compete in games and win,” Staniforth said. “With them being the leaders, hopefully the young guys can follow.”
The Border Kings host the Fort Saskatchewan Chiefs Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m. at the Civic Centre.