The Niverville High School’s new Panthers hockey team is having a lot of fun while also putting together some great results on the ice in its inaugural season in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League.
“As a first-year program, we had hoped to be competitive in our games, and we have been thus far,” says head coach Brandon Lockerby. “It’s been a lot of fun coaching these talented young players and we’ve had a great start to the year.”
When the team paused for the Christmas break, their record was 7–6. Since returning from the break, they have been playing exceptionally well, winning six games in a row and improving their record to 13–6.
The team currently occupies fifth place in the division.
“We have five games remaining in the regular season, so we look to continue to play well and hopefully pass the teams ahead of us in the standings for a better position when the playoffs begins,” Lockerby says.
The Niverville Panthers are back in action with a road game on February 4 against the Kildonan East Reivers at Gateway Recreation Centre Blue. The puck drops at 4:00 p.m.
“The team has been playing to the expectations of what any team goes through,” he says, “with players coming together from various teams and age levels, new concepts and systems being learned this season, and also they’re balancing school, practice, and game schedules, as well as their work and personal interests outside of school. And of course they’re adjusting to the league and the pace of play compared to the leagues the players have played in the past.”
