(submitted photo/Stacey Simpson, Tisdale Trojans)

By Ben Tompkins

Season Preview

Trojans stay the course, expect better results as core group matures

Sep 27, 2022 | 10:23 AM

The Tisdale Trojans will begin their 2022/23 season tomorrow Sept. 28 in a home game against the Yorkton Secon Maulers.

Tisdale will look to rebound off an unfortunate season last year, which saw them finish dead-last in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL), finishing the year with just 15 points in 44 games played (6-35-0-3.)

Head coach Dennis Kubat told northeastNOW he’s confident in the team’s outlook this season.

“I’m looking forward to just a fresh start and kind of just continuing the process that we put in place last year, having a lot of guys returning, knowing our systems, knowing what type of culture we want to have, and having a competitive drive to find success this year,” he said.

The Trojans competed in four exhibition games this month, holding a record of 2-2 (two wins at home and two losses on the road.)

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Kubat explained the pre-season showed promise and how much his players have improved since last season.

“It was a good start, showed us some areas where we need to continue to improve, liked a lot of things we were doing in the offensive zone and showed us just how far ahead our guys are than where we started last year,” he said.

While last year was a bit of a struggle as the club failed to reach a double-digit win total, the organization believes its strategy will pay off in the long run.

According to Kubat, they were trying to put as many wins on the board as they could, however, they felt the development of their young group of players was just as important.

“The accountability they put on themselves to continue to get better each day, it’s huge. We’re looking forward to this year and for that to pay off into more wins. Buying into the process last year and showing up every day and continuing to get better, should hopefully, reward them coming into the season,” he said.

Kubat is excited about their depth this season, as both of their goalies are now in their Grade 12 years, they have five returning defencemen and a handful or two of returning forwards.

He expects his team to be hungry to compete at a high level, as his group continues to work for this year and beyond.

“That’s one of the best parts about coaching this level is they’re all hungry and they all have bigger expectations and big dreams ahead of them. If we can be a positive development path for them and get them as ready as we can for the next level, I think that says a lot about our program in Tisdale,” he said.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8