Sanford hockey faithful start junior team

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This article was published 09/10/2021 (1752 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League is about to welcome its newest team to the club, thanks to the efforts of two men looking to grow the game of hockey in the R.M. of Macdonald. 

“I felt for a long time that there was just a lack of opportunity for older players in this area,” said Brad Day, general manager and assistant coach of the Macdonald Swarm.

“We’ve got a huge minor hockey program here and it’s been very successful, and a strong high school program. There’s just not a place for kids to play after high school in minor hockey. My hope was this would fill the need.”

Day and his friend, Darren Wiechern, head coach of the Swarm, were recently approved to join the league with their debut set for the upcoming 2021-22 season. It was an idea Day wanted to pitch in 2020 based on his son’s advice.

“I talked to the league last year and just with COVID-19, I decided to not go forward at that time,” Day said.

“The St. Adolphe Hawks had six or seven players from our area playing with them. My son said ‘if you tell people you’re doing this, they’ll come,’ and he was right. I was a little skeptical but he knew there were a lot of guys in the community who wanted to play.”

There are currently 24 players on the  Swarm’s roster, ranging in age from 17 to 21. The team has been able to draw athletes from Oak Bluff, Starbuck, Sanford, La Salle and two kids from Notre Dame de Lourdes who really wanted to play, according to Day. 

Wiechern, an alumnus of the HTJHL, is excited to take on the head coaching role and mentor those who had not previously had a chance to play junior hockey.

“It’s big for them to be able to continue their game,” Wiechern said.

“For me, I wanted to continue playing after graduating and I never really had the opportunity until I realized there was this league. That’s why I was playing out in St. Adolphe. Just to be able to bring it closer to home, give these guys a chance to do the same.”

The Swarm will be one of just six HTJHL teams able to ice enough athletes to play in the league this season. Day said he believes his team has the biggest core of players, having even found a second goalie. The general manager said there was significant interest from those in the area who liked what the league has to offer.

“There’s just not a lot of places for kids this age to play. Ater high school there is a void,” Day said. “This league has filled that void in the past and I think they realized there is a demand for this beyond their traditional area.”

Other teams in the league include the Steinbach Huskies, Red River Mudbugs, Niverville Clippers, Springfield Xtreme, and Lorette Comets. Wiechern said the HTJHL’s 24 regular season games followed by playoffs offer a more relaxed approach for a competitive league.

“Ideally it’s a lot of higher-skilled hockey players that can’t make the dedication to a higher tier, so come down (and) play in a competitive league and get a reasonable number of games,” Wiechern said.

The Swarm are expected to play out of different arenas this year based on prior rink commitments already made in Sanford. Day and Wiechern would like the Sanford Recreation Centre to become the home arena for the Swarm.

“I’m excited to see what we can do this year, see what our players can do, and see how this team does in its inaugural season,” Wiechern said.

“I feel the same way, being in this league, be competitive and develop the program into something that is consistent and long lasting,” Day said.

“We hope the community will come out and support this team and give these kids the opportunity to keep playing.”

The Swarm’s first regular season game is scheduled for early November.