Express top banner season with silver medal at nationals

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This article was published 24/05/2024 (847 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Express had no idea what to expect, a sledge hockey team from the province had never been in a position to win on the national stage.

The local co-ed program was presented with a golden opportunity recently at the National Para Hockey Championships in Port Colborne, Ont. The only thing in their way was the squad from New Brunswick.

“It was kind of excitement, mixed with nervousness, mixed with, ‘We have no idea what is happening,’” is how forward Teo Roy described it.

Despite an admirable effort from the Manitobans, they fell to the coastal juggernaut in a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime decision.

After tying the game late in the third period, New Brunswick scored the game-winner with 1.8 seconds remaining in the extra frame.

A silver medal was an underwhelming finish to an otherwise electric tournament for the Manitoban squad. And while they’re left wondering what could have been, they aren’t hanging their heads.

The Express became the first sledge hockey team from Manitoba to medal at the national tournament.

“To get silver this year, it’s a big improvement, and yeah, it’s not the outcome we would’ve wanted for that tournament, but it is an outcome that shows that we are good and that we can contend with all of these teams,” said Roy, who tallied one goal and two assists in six games.

Added winger Alyssa White, one of two females on the team (the other being Peyton Vergie): “Manitoba is often overlooked. I think that going into this tournament nobody looked at us and I definitely feel like after this tournament people have looked at us and people are noticing Mantioba.

“It’s exciting to see the growth of how far we have come and how far we have to go.”

The club, which is comprised of 16 players ranging from 14 to 25 years old, went 4-2 overall in the B Division, which also included Quebec. They outscored their opponents 26-10 in the tournament.

It was a banner season for the Express, all things considered. The program won a silver medal at the Western Canadian Sledge Hockey Championship last month (an improvement from bronze in 2023) and finished as the runner-up again at the national tournament (an improvement from fifth place last year).

“I think it is a confidence booster of, you can only get so many silvers before you get that gold, right?” said White, who registered four goals and four assists at nationals. “You know that you’re close — we were 1.8 seconds from going into a shootout, where we could’ve won. So, I think we’re feeling good about it.”

Feeling equally as optimistic about the Express is head coach McKenna Wild, who was behind the bench for the first time this season.

A lack of funding and ice time has hindered the local program, which is lucky to get in two practices ahead of the national tournament most years.

That changed this time around.

Wild set up a GoFundMe page and managed to secure a sponsor, which gave them enough for eight sessions and practice jerseys.

Their time together was reflected on the ice.

“A huge difference, like insurmountable,” Wild said. “We were able to come up with a power play, a (penalty kill), breakouts, forecheck, defensive zone — all of those things we really hadn’t practised before, and those are the things that are going to take this program to the next level is having more practices to be able to establish all of those systems.

“Even with eight practices, it’s hard to develop systems but at least it was getting the idea into their heads on what to do. All of the players said to me, ‘Having those extra practices, you could definitely tell by the outcome and how we played at the tournament.’”

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joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

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