The concrete pad was recently poured for the new Thunder dressing room. It's expected to be ready for the start of the season. (Facebook/Carrot River Outback Thunder)

By Mat Barrett

Carrot River Outback Thunder

Carrot River Outback Thunder set for fall tryouts, making progress on new dressing room

Sep 17, 2020 | 4:00 PM

The Carrot River Outback Thunder are patiently waiting for the go-ahead to be able to start their Prairie Junior Hockey League (PJHL) season.

Although, they haven’t been sitting around as a new dressing room is in the works for the Thunder. The concrete slab was recently poured and the building shell should be ready soon. General manager Brennan Hall said players are excited for the new room, and he’s even received calls and texts from alumni, others involved with the team before, and community members who all thought this was much needed.

“They’ve been lobbying for something like this for dozens and dozens of years,” Hall told northeastNOW. “So, to finally see that come to life, it’s pretty remarkable, and everyone’s excited.”

Hall said the room is expected to be ready for the start of the season, whenever that may be. Cost wise, it’s expected to cost between $40,000 and $60,000, according to Hall. The team took out a loan to fund the project and are thinking about how to pay it off. Hall said the team is in good shape right now with farming efforts in the area, but they will have to adjust the budget and spending. He said hopefully having games soon will help with that, but they understand that they will have to adjust spending.

Meanwhile, on the ice, the Thunder are set to hold their fall tryouts starting on Friday, Sept. 25 through Sept. 27 in Carrot River. Hall said after making some moves last season and through the offseason, the team looks very good heading into 2020-2021.

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“The team is shaping up to be very strong,” he said. “And we’re already looking at a very strong, top tier, competitive team even before camp.”

After a 2018-2019 season that saw numerous changes, and struggles with the Thunder, the team showed promise in 2019-2020, making the playoffs. It was Hall’s first full season at the helm along with Luke Folk behind the bench. The Thunder defeated the Saskatoon Westleys in the Survivor Series before falling to the Saskatoon Quakers in the division semi-finals. Hall said the expectations continue to rise. He said expectations from the outside weren’t high for the team last season, but they turned some heads as the season progressed.

“They saw what we were capable of, and what our staff is capable of,” Hall said. “So, the expectations definitely do rise. I think the work we’ve done so far and the guys we’ve brought in so far is going to reflect that.”

Meanwhile, COVID-19 remains on the minds of everyone as winter approaches. For hockey teams, a number of policies and procedures are in place to help curb the spread of the virus. Hall said for their camp next week, they are only having a maximum of 30 players on the ice, and mask usage when physical distancing can’t be achieved. He said the Town of Carrot River has put in a number of procedures as well, but said they are very reasonable.

“We know we’ve got to be cautious, we’re going to follow these guidelines set in place,” he said. “And we’re going to monitor our guys because the last thing we want is one of our guys catching this thing, and then that puts a spiral into the entire season, for not just us, but for the rest of the league and province.”

The Thunder camp will not be open to the public either.

The staff for the Thunder remains the same heading into the season, but with a few changes to titles. Hall remains the general manager, but adds assistant coach to his title. Luke Folk continues as head coach, and Kolten Holmen, who was hired prior to last season, becomes the assistant general manager, and the associate coach.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6