September 10, 2013

The NW Giants have finalized their roster after a weekend of three exhibition games in Abbotsford against BC Major Midget League rivals,   Valley West Hawks;  Thompson Blazers; and Fraser Valley Thunderbirds.

The team will get its first taste of travel this coming weekend when they board a bus for a game against the NE Chiefs Friday in Squamish. After the game the team will travel to Whistler and hold two practices Saturday and then travel back to Squamish on Sunday for a game against the South Island Royals.

The regular season will start Saturday, September 21. Then the first of two showcase weekends will get underway Sept 28-29 at Richmond Oval and BWC.

Head Coach Clint Thorton says he’s excited to get the new season underway.

He says this years team will be a very different team from last year’s, quite a bit younger and not so physical, but probably more skilled.

“Last year’s team was a big team, very strong down low against the boards. We’ll have to score more goals off the rush this year to be successful.”

Thornton says most of the six first year players will be playing with vets as the season gets underway.

“We’ve got a lot of leadership on the team. The older guys will be providing support for the younger guys but we expect they’ll get comfortable soon.”

Three forwards, two defense and one of the goalies are first year players.

Thornton says the line-ups are not set and there will likely be changes as the season develops, though he feels there’ll be a definite top 6 and bottom 6 on the forward lines.

As far as other competition this year, Thornton says he expects to face strong teams again this year in the Okanagan Rockets, Cariboo Cougars, and Vancouver Canadians.

On the bench, veteran BCMML coach Grant Kerr will be looking after the D, while second year coach Kelvin Cech will running the forwards.

Final Team Selections: