MMJHL strikes a good balance

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This article was published 25/04/2019 (2641 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

James Van De Velde has been juggling school and hockey for four years now, and the captain of the Pembina Valley Twisters craves a championship before he settles into a life managing the books for the family farm.

The 22-year-old from Mariapolis in southwestern Manitoba joined the Twisters in time for the 2015-16 Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League season, the same time he was beginning his studies at the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba.

The workload’s been heavy for Van De Velde, who will graduate in the spring of 2020 with a double-major in accounting and finance. He spent many days in the classroom, raced out to Morris for a Twisters’ practice or home game and then slipped back into Winnipeg late at night with a pile of homework still waiting for him.

But that’s the draw of the MMJHL, which offers young men a chance to play a competitive brand of hockey while striking a balance with real-life responsibilities, says one of the elder statesman on the Pembina Valley blue line.

“This has been perfect for me because it’s not four or five days a week, it’s one practice and maybe a couple of games. I can still manage time with school or with work on the weekends back on the farm,” Van De Velde said Thursday afternoon, just hours before the Twisters’ critical Game 4 battle with the St. James Canucks in the best-of-seven MMJHL championship series.

The Canucks won 4-1 to even the series at two games apiece.

The series returns to the Morris Arena on Saturday for Game 5, scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Van De Velde, who moved to the city when he was 16 to attend school and suit up for the St. John’s-Ravenscourt Eagles, attended a spring camp with the Winnipeg Blues. He said it wasn’t something he pursued, and he’ll never know if he could have carved out a long junior-A stint in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The Twisters program just seemed like the most logical landing spot.

“The (MJHL) is a widespread league and I didn’t want to be on the road that much, with all the school work and making sure I was getting it all done,” said Van De Velde, in his final season of MMJHL eligibility, with more than 200 games under his belt.

“I love playing at a high level. I’m going to miss it.”

That’s music to the ears of MMJHL president Kerry Lines, who isn’t just a league booster on paper. He’s crazy about the on-ice product, takes in as many games as he can and enjoys working closely with 10 strong franchise operators, eight in the city — the Canucks, Transcona Railer Express, Raiders, St. Vital Victories, Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins, Charleswood Hawks, St. Boniface Riels and River East Royal Knights — and two in rural Manitoba, the Twisters and Stonewall Jets.

Lines said the league has found its niche, and he isn’t concerned about the local market reaching a saturation point, even with the Winnipeg Ice of the Western Hockey League moving in this fall.

“The one thing about Winnipeggers, they’re passionate about their hockey and they support it at multiple levels. We’re just thankful we have a strong fan base and will continue to grow it as our ownership groups in the communities are doing the right thing,” said Lines.

“We’re a unique league, a high level of hockey with a focus on education and kids starting their careers. There’s a lot of talented hockey players here that prefer not to travel. It’s for the guys that come out of AAA midget or high school that aren’t destined for the WHL or the MJHL, they come here and have a competitive place to play.

“Fan support, especially at playoff time, has been terrific. The buildings are fun. The Morris building was at capacity for Game 3. The (St. James) Civic Centre had a good crowd for Game 2 and, with the (Winnipeg) Jets on the sidelines, that helps us out.”

Pembina Valley went from ninth in 2017-18 to first in the 2018-19 regular season, posting 17 more victories (35-6-4). The Twisters dispatched Charleswood and Stonewall in the playoffs to reach the final and are gunning for their first league title since 2012-13.

St. James (29-13-3, third place), meanwhile, was down 3-1 to Transcona in its best-of-seven series but stormed back with three consecutive wins. The red-hot Canucks then registered a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 of the championship before the Twisters earned back-to-back victories.

“We had a 10-day break and they were coming off a strong turnaround in their series. They came at us faster than we were expecting. But we’re pushing back,” said Van De Velde, who scored a big goal — his first of the post-season — in a 4-2 Pembina Valley victory in Game 3 Tuesday. “The last couple of games we’ve really tried to take control of the series.”

But the Canucks, who haven’t hoisted the Jack McKenzie Trophy in 20 years, are a hungry crew.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, we’re looking at a 12 right now,” said St. James captain Wyatt Kemball, who had five goals and 10 assists in 15 playoff games prior to Thursday’s contest. “We’re pretty fired up. This is a big opportunity for all of us.”

The 22-year-old Winnipegger is also playing in his last year in the MMJHL, while working full time for a delivery company. Kemball, a centre, said he’s cherished every moment he’s spent with the organization.

“I didn’t want to quit playing after high school (John Taylor) and it’s been a lot of fun. We have great support from our alumni and we have a lot of fans,” said Kemball. “We’ve always been pretty involved in the community, doing different activities, and so to be a part of an organization like that is huge. The hockey is good, but it helps build character as well.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell