Riels battle hard to stay close to the top

St. Boniface

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This article was published 13/12/2023 (1023 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While they hit a rough patch in early December, coach Zach Franko said the St. Boniface Riels’ 2023-24 season has only delivered positives. At press time, the Riels sat in third place in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League with a 12-8-0 record.

This is Franko’s first season as a head coach. He’s applying lessons gleaned from a hockey career that’s included playing stops at the college, junior, professional and European levels, and a front-office stint with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks.

Along the way, Franko has learned from the best. He’s played for Calgary Flames head coach Ryan Huska, New Jersey Devils assistant coach Ryan McGill and former Nashville Predators assistant coach Dan Lambert.

“I’ve been fortunate to be coached by coaches at the highest levels,” Franko said. “Everything they said to you had a purpose. When my playing days were over, it all made sense.”

Creating a positive environment was a priority for Franko this season. His goal is to foster a culture of accountability where losing is not accepted. The first fruits have been positive.

“I didn’t have to sell the team; people wanted to play for us and the organization,” Franco said. “I take great pride in that, and the owners do too. I think we lost our way over the past few years.”

The Riels sit in third place in the 10-team MMJHL. Yet their offence and penalty killing are ninth-best, their power play eighth, and their defence sixth. Franko said there are a couple of reasons for that.

One is the MMJHL’s parity. Seven teams sit within seven points of each other. Of the Riels’ first 20 games, 11 were decided by a single goal. That makes for plenty of exciting hockey.

“Every weekend is drastically huge in the standings,” Franko said. “Any team can beat any other team on a given night. That’s the fantastic thing about sport and about this league in particular.”

The second reason is the team environment the Riels have worked so hard to create. Everyone on the roster needs to show up, and on most nights, they have. When the team is on, the Riels shut the other team down. While the team does not have a point-a-game player, there are many contributors. The third-place standing shows the Riels play hard every time out.

“It shows me — as a coach — we’re doing it by committee; we’re not a one- or two-person team,” Franko said.

The coach described captain Connor Davis as the Riels’ backbone. He cares about the program and is a leader. The culture shift begins with him.

“Matthew Trott, he wears his heart on his sleeve,” Franko added. “They’re all good kids and want to be here for the right reasons.”

Franko is also excited about some of the youngsters who are getting noticed. Defenceman Dylan Bauknecht shows incredible poise and has changed the team dynamic. He can control the game’s pace and excels on the power play.

The rookie coach was also happy to get defenceman Ethan Alsip back from the Selkirk Steelers. Alsip contributes on the ice and is the type of player the Riels want off of it, too.

“He’s a fantastic human being,” Franko concluded.