The Joe Ward Memorial Trophy Champions are gearing up for a trip to St. Paul, Alberta for the Central Canada Cup.

The Current River Storm wrapped up the Lakehead Junior Hockey Playoffs with a 7-0 record and outscored both the Thunder Bay Bandits and Schreiber Falcons 46-15. The franchise will enter next Spring’s playoffs riding a fourteen-game winning streak.

Head Coach Robbie Untinen feels his group was locked in from the drop of the puck in the post-season.

“Everyone bought into the game plan, played for each other, and stuck to our identity. The depth of our lineup really showed we had contributions across the board,” Untinen said. “Defensively we limited the chances in our end and managed the puck well. A 46-15 goal differential doesn’t happen without buy in at both ends of the ice.”

Four forwards on the team will see their junior playing days come to an end after the Central Canada Cup: Mitch Moore, Nolan Desjardins, Noah Broughton and Braeden Duchesne.

The maturity of this year’s team stands out to Untinen, noting “Last year, we were chasing it trying to prove we belonged. This year, we know who we are. There’s more composure, experience and a sense of unfinished business. The leadership group has grown, and they’ve done a phenomenal job setting the tone. It’s not just about winning, it’s about doing things the right way every single day.”

Moore noted that the team was entering the Central Canada Cup banged up after the LJHL Playoffs. He adds that the team has had a chance to practice hard and rest up ahead of another test at the National Level.

“Obviously it really stung last year getting knocked out in the semis by the Saskatoon Royals,” The Captain reflected. “We have so many returning players that know what that felt like and we’ve used that to motivate us throughout the whole season. We get to play them in game one this year in the round robin, and we are excited to see how we match up against them this time around and we know how they like to play.”

The Storm finished the round robin in Flin Flon, Manitoba with a win, loss and a pair of ties. They outscored their opponents by a slim 21-20 margin.

Moore says the message to the new guys on the team is to be prepared for tough competition but be confident in your abilities.

“When our team plays confident, we are at our best. Everyone is very excited and motivated for the chance to do something we haven’t ever really seen from a Thunder Bay team in this league,” Moore mentioned.

The Town of St. Paul is 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. The host Canadiens are the defending Central Canada Cup champions as they skated to a 3-1 victory over the Saskatoon Royals on Sunday, April 21, 2024.

Untinen wants his players to “respect the opportunity, trust your teammates, and leave it all out there. You don’t get many chances at this, so make it count.”

The Storm will see two new teams this month with the OCN Storm and Wetaskiwin Icemen. Both Untinen and Moore say that video and pre-scouting becomes paramount when you haven’t played someone before.

“We break down as much film as we can tendencies, special teams, structure but at the same time, we focus on our game,” said Untinen. “We need to be aware of what the other team brings but not get too caught up in it. If we play to our identity, with pace and purpose, we like our chances no matter who’s on the other bench.”

“We know how these teams are going to play, and we’ve had a lot of time to practice and implement stuff to hopefully shut them down and put some pucks in the net on them. We are extremely excited and ready for this opportunity, and we want nothing more than to bring a national championship back to Thunder Bay,” Moore concluded.

Round Robin Schedule

Wednesday April 16th vs. Saskatoon Royals 5:30 p.m. ET
Thursday April 17th vs. OCN Storm 10:30 a.m. ET
Thursday April 17th vs. St Paul Jr. Canadiens 5:30 p.m. ET
Friday April 18th vs. Wetaskiwin Icemen 2:30 p.m. ET