THUNDER BAY – If the Thunder Bay Kings are going to fare well at this week’s Telus Cup Western Regional, they’re going to have to do it with defence and making the most of the limited scoring opportunities they’re expected to get.
In tough against the Winnipeg Wild, the Notre Dame Hounds and the Kenora Thistles, a team they swept to earn their way into the four-team tournament being staged this weekend at Fort William First Nation Arena, captain Zach Fortin said the team can’t afford any lapses in such a short event.
“It’s good to have a nice start right away. You’ve got to be hard on them right away and hopefully get the fans into it early,” said Fortin, who also spent time with the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s Thunder Bay North Stars this season.
“We’ve got to use our speed lots and quick feet, shoot lots of pucks on net and lay the body.”
Making their opponents pay in the dirty parts of the ice could pay off for the Kings, who are seeking to advance beyond the western regional for the first time since 1997, when future NHL star Eric Staal was the team’s centre of attention.
That and strong defence.
“Our goal coming into the games this week is that whenever we play on home ice, we want to limit our opponents to two or less goals per game,” said coach Darrin Nicholas. “That means we’ve got to try to find a way to score three.
“We’ve been relatively successful at that this year. That’s one of the strengths of our team. We seem to be a difficult team to score on and that’s the recipe for success. We’ve been preaching that all year.”
The Kings split their season between the North American Prospects League south of the border and the local Junior B circuit.
They were 13th of 19 teams in the NAPHL’s under-18 conference, finishing with a 7-10-1 record. They were 12-3-1 against Junior B opponents and 8-10-1 against other midget AAA teams in 2017-18.
If the team is to put pucks in the net, forward Kyle Swerhun is likely the best bet. He had 12 points in 15 NAPHL appearances, including three game-winning goals.
Michael Vecchio had nine points, while Robert Tyska, Jacob Anttonen and Fortin had eight points apiece.
Tyska, 18, said the team is excited to get going.
“It’s a huge weekend for us and something we’ve been working toward all year,” the left-winger said prior to practice earlier this week.”
He’s hoping playing at home gives the Kings an edge.
“It’s something different playing in front of your friends and family with this big of a showcase going on. When we’re on the road our games are broadcast on the Internet, but having people here watching us, that we know personally, is big,” Tyska said.
Thunder Bay opens against Winnipeg on Thursday night at 8 p.m. They play Kenora on Friday night and Notre Dame, from Wilcox, Sask., on Saturday at 3 p.m. The final is Sunday at 2 p.m.
Notes: The Kings have won the western regional four times, in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1997 … The Telus Cup Canadian National Midget Championship is slated for Sudbury starting on April 23.
