Fresh team, fresh start

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This article was published 18/10/2021 (1478 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Charleswood Hawks arrived at a recent game at Terry Sawchuk Arena dressed in attire fit for a downtown boardroom. For the 18 to 21-year-old Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League players, hockey is a special occasion and should be treated as such.

“It puts you in the right mindset,” said Cameron McDonald, co-captain. “When you’re showing up in a suit you’re representing the Charleswood Hawks, and that’s what we came here to do, and that’s what we plan to do tonight.”

The Charleswood Hawks faced off against the River East Royal Knights for the first time this year on Oct. 12. McDonald, a 19-year-old left winger, had never played against tthe Knights. “I’ve heard they’re big. I heard they’re physical,” McDonald said.

Dylan Hess, a 20-year-old defenceman, had played the Knights but just once, during his very first game with the Hawks almost three years ago.

“They’re a good team. It will be a good battle tonight,” Hess said.

Terry Sawchuk Arena is relatively small and has “fast ice,” McDonald said. Because of this, players must be at the ready and always anticipate the next step of a play.  

“We’re a fast team, and with big guys like that, we just got to be shifty, and I think we’ll have success tonight,” McDonald said.

The Hawks now find themselves in the early stages of the MMJHL’s 45-game regular-season schedule. The full season comes with a full training regimen to match.

Despite its best efforts, the team has had a rocky start to the season. Growing pains. Hess noticed a change in his speed and agility during the first few skates. This made him put in a more conscious effort to keep his feet moving.

“For me, it was just getting used to the flow of the game again,” McDonald said. “After the first couple of weeks, guys are starting to pick back up. Especially right now, everyone’s moving in the right direction for sure.”

“We got our first win last Friday, and I think, as a team, we’re starting to turn it around. Another win for tonight could put the guys in a good position.”

The Hawks didn’t secure a win against the  Royal Knights, though, as they lost 6-4.

“I think our team has a lot of potential, and it’s nice to see everyone get better in practice and the team plays better as a system. I’m excited for the rest of the season,” Hess said.

Tim Scharer is the president and general manager of the Charleswood Hawks. He told The Metro before the Oct. 12 game that the team has seen significant lineup changes in the past two years.

Roughly 12 Charleswood Hawks aged out of the league and players in their last years in 2019-20 didn’t get a chance to finish the playoffs.

“That’s almost half the team,” Scharer said. “This year, we had to do a lot of drafting, we had to do a lot of phone calls … make some trades.”

The lion’s share of the Hawks are in the younger age range of the league, many of them fresh out of high school and new to the pace of play, Scharer said. There are plenty of advantages to having new, younger players, he said. For one, they tend to skate fast.

The Hawks have new coaches, too.

“They’re going to grow up with this coach,” Scharer said.

As of Oct. 14, the Hawks stood 10th in the MMJHL, with a 1-5-0 record. The result of the team’s game against the ninth-place Raiders on Oct. 17 was unavailable at press time.