Railer Express off to a solid start
Transcona hockey club hopes to capture its first MMJHL title
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This article was published 15/10/2021 (1451 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
It’s full steam ahead for the Transcona Railer Express.
“We’ve got lots of young talent, lots of local kids, too,” Derek Gagnon, Railer Express head coach and general manager, told The Herald. “The last two years have come to an abrupt halt. Hopefully this year doesn’t and hopefully we don’t disappoint.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Winnipeg in March 2020, the Railer Express were going head-to-head with the Raiders Junior Hockey Club in the MMJHL playoffs. The team had high hopes of going all the way after finishing the 2019-20 regular season in third place with a 29-15-1 record.
After a successful training camp in September 2020, the Railer Express was undefeated in five games when the season was called to a halt as the COVID-19 pandemic’s second wave hit Manitoba hard.
With most of the core group of guys intact, losing six players from last year’s roster, it didn’t take long for the Railers to come together this season.
“Thankfully, we’ve done some due diligence over the past year and we have some guys coming up to fill roles and keep us chugging along,” Gagnon said.
Through the first five games of the 2021-22 Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League season, the Railers are 4-1-0, with their only defeat at press time a close 3-2 loss to northeast rivals the River East Royal Knights on Sept. 26.
“We’re a fast team,” Gagnon said. “We’ve been building to be fast the last couple years. We’re finally rounding into that identity. We’re fast, work hard, we’re not overly physical but we’re not shying away from anything.”
Led by veteran forward and captain Devon Matsumoto, a former star with the Transcona Titans in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League, who has two goals and two assists in his first five games, the Railers are making it hard for opponents to play against them.
“We’ve been playing some good team defence and we have some solid defencemen and goalies,” Gagnon added. “We practice hard, and as a coach that’s something you can ask them to do, but it’s not going to happen if they don’t want it to.”
The Railers have also benefited from excellent goaltending to date. Ahead of a matchup against the Stonewall Jets on Oct. 15, Transcona’s 20-year-old netminders, Justin Powers and Dylan Arnold, were the number one and two goaltenders in the 10 team league.
“It’s nice to have a nice tandem,” Gagnon said. “They support each other. Their talent aside, they compete and push with each other.”
At press time, Powers had a goals against average of 0.500 and a save percentage of .974 in two games played, while Arnold held a GAA of 1.000 and a save percentage of .970 in two games.
For the Railer Express to continue enjoying success, and ultimately win the club’s first MMJHL championship since it joined the league in 2012, Gagnon said the guys will need to focus on fundamentals.
“It’s buying into the process. It’s doing little things, things that might not go on the scoresheet from Game 1 to 45,” Gagnon said. “Our team cohesiveness has been good so far. The team’s competing with each other, and we want to keep that going.”
Results from the Transcona Railer Express games vs. Stonewall on Oct. 15 and the St. Vital Victorias on Oct. 17 were not available at press time.
For complete results and schedule, visit www.mmjhl.ca
Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist
Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist
Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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