It will be an expensive venture but League President Josh Gribben is looking forward to seeing the Current River Storm competing in the Central Canada Cup in Manitoba later this month.

The Storm wrapped up their first ever Joe Ward Memorial Trophy on April 4 with a 7-3 win in Game Four over the Thunder Bay Northern Hawks at the Fort William Gardens.

“I'm confident in the ability of the Storm to be able to compete with the teams from Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan,” Gribben said in an interview with Dougall Media.

“I am hopeful that our league winners will be able to fulfill the commitment to go to Flin Flon.”

Despite the fact the Storm went 8-1 in the LJHL playoffs and swept the finals, head coach Robbie Untinen recognized that they beat a tough team to win it all in just their second year.

“The guys had a bit of a chip on their shoulder when we found out that they wouldn’t have access to their home rink after game two,” Untinen said after the win on Thursday.

“They wanted to do everything possible to avoid having to play games in the Port Arthur Arena.”

The Storm will skate in the Central Canada Cup alongside the host PBCN Selects, the Peguis Juniors of the Keystone Junior Hockey League (KJHL), the Saskatoon Royals of the Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and the St. Paul Junior Canadiens of the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League (NEAJBHL).

Gribben noted that the event is an unsanctioned tournament meaning it’s not under the Hockey Canada umbrella, which would mean financial obligations to get to the event would be on the team.

All of the games will be played at the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon, Manitoba.

Tournament Schedule

Wed April 17: Canadiens vs. Storm 5:30pm
Thurs April 18: Storm vs. Royals 2:30pm
Fri April 19: Peguis Juniors vs. Storm 11:30am
Fri April 19: Storm vs. PBCN Selects 5:30pm