Asides

Game Recap VS. Dauphin Kings

The Blizzard and the Dauphin Kings faced off at the Credit Union Place in Dauphin, Manitoba on Wednesday night.
The Blizzard start Tomas Anderson (#30) in net, hoping to stop the Kings’ offense. The first period was a tight and tense affair, with both teams playing solid defense and not giving up many chances. The Blizzard had to kill off two penalties, but they did so successfully, keeping the Kings off the scoreboard. The Blizzard also had a golden opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty shot. Kieran Cooke (#10) skated in on the Kings’ goalie, Cole Sheffield (#29), but he was unable to score the first goal.
The first period ended with no goals for either side, but the Kings had a slight edge in shots on goal, 9 to 5.
The Blizzard broke the scoreless deadlock at 4:39 when Eric Mork (#39) scored a beautiful goal, assisted by Marlen Edwards (#27). The Kings responded at 15:29, when Anthony Bax (#7) tied the game, assisted by Jordan Bax (#13).
The Blizzard dominated the shots on goal in the period, outshooting the Kings 16-7. However, they could not capitalize on their one power play opportunity.
The period ended with a 1-1 tie, setting up an exciting third period. The Blizzard showed their resilience and determination in the second period, despite facing a tough opponent and a hostile crowd.
Third Period was a tough one for us. The Blizzard, who were tied 1-1 after two periods, gave up two goals in the final frame and could not find the back of the net themselves. The Kings won the game 3-1.
The Kings took the lead at 5:11, when Anthony Bax (#7) scored his second goal of the game and the game-winner, with no assist. The Kings added an insurance goal at 8:36, when Cayden Glover (#71) scored, assisted by Gavin Nemis (#28) and Jordan Bax (#13). J
The Blizzard had four power play opportunities in the period, but could not convert on any of them. The Kings had two penalty kills.
The shots on goal were 6-5 in favor of the Kings in the period. The total shots on goal were 26-22 in favor of the Blizzard..
The Blizzard played a hard-fought game, but could not overcome the Kings’ defense and goaltending. The Kings’ goalie, Cole Sheffield (#29), made 25 saves. The Blizzard’s goalie, Tomas Anderson (#30), made 19 saves and kept his team in the game.
The next game for The Blizzard will be at home on Dec.1 at the Roy. H against The Selkirk Steelers.

Community Survey

In order to serve our communities better, we’d love to hear your feedback about hockey in our communities.

Please do an anonymous survey here. If you’d like to enter your name for a draw for a prize package, enter your email address at the end.

Orange Day Jersey Auction

Would you like to own a piece of Blizzard history? What a big OT win – the first of the regular season in our new home. Due to the amazing feedback on these special Orange Shirt Day jerseys, we will be doing an auction for these game-worns. 100% of the profits will go to OCN Minor Hockey. Jerseys designed by Shawna Hrappstead.
$10 bid increments, $150 minimum, with the final day being October 20th.
For more information: ocnblizzard.marketing@hotmail.com or call/text 204.620.5200
Note to our fans, this will be the only opportunity to purchase a special jersey for the remainder of the calendar year.

2023-2024 Season Tickets Now on Sale!

With the season fast approaching, the much awaited season tickets have now gone on sale! All tickets will be in Rush seating formatting. Prices are as shown below.

Please contact Director of Marketing, Jenn Reynolds to purchase.

(204)620-5200 or ocnblizzard.marketing@hotmail.com

Blizzard Announce Assistant Coach

Another move made by HC/GM Eric Labrosse since his recent hiring is to add Paul-Antoine Deslauriers as Assistant Coach. With an extensive background that naturally leads to coaching, he will take the full-time position to join Labrosse behind the bench in the coming season.

 

“What a great acquisition for our organization it is to have Paul-Antoine join us with the Blizzard today. As a newly retired professional hockey player, this is an opportunity for PA to stay in the game of hockey and start his coaching career. His experience and knowledge as an ex-university and minor pro player will be beneficial to our players. Having a bachelor’s degree in Sports psychology as well as being in the process of finishing his master’s degree in human kinetics, PA will hold the roles of assistant coach as well as conditioning and mental coach. He will be a great asset to the coaching staff, offering our players all the resources they need in order for them to succeed both on and off the ice. We want our players to attain the next level in hockey as well as in life coming out of our junior hockey program. PA exemplifies all of these criteria’s and I am happy to have him on board and join our staff.” – Labrosse

 

“I am excited and grateful to be joining the Blizzard organization. Becoming a part of such an esteemed hockey club is very thrilling for myself. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude towards Eric Labrosse and the organization for considering me in my new role as assistant and conditioning coach. The possibility of joining a team whose philosophy is now based around hard work, cultivating commitment to excellence and the nurturing environment it provides for its players was important to me. I am looking forward to bringing my passion, discipline, and creativity to each training session and game, always striving to support the players’ development and the club’s success.
I am also genuinely eager to meet and start working with the management team and the support staff. I believe that together, we can foster a positive and growth-oriented atmosphere that will lead the team to new heights and achievements in the upcoming seasons.” – Deslauriers

 

Welcome to the North!

Blizzard Hire Scouting Staff

In the days since Head Coach and GM Eric Labrosse’s hiring, he has been busy making key moves for the organization. One of the first decisions he made was to ensure the Blizzard added two elite scouting staff members that will help bring quality players to the club. Ryan Goethals will take the role of Director of Player Personnel and Mark Patton joins as Head Scout.

Ryan Goethals: Director of Player Personnel

“I am very excited and honoured to be joining the Blizzard. I want to thank Head Coach/GM Eric Labrosse for giving me this opportunity and putting his trust in me to help build something special here. I’m looking forward to working very closely with Eric and Mark Patton for many years to come.

We are going to be a hard working staff that is dedicated to finding the right players that fit what we are looking for within our organization, developing them into even better hockey players and human beings, and achieving team success. I can’t wait to get started and begin this new challenge.”

 

Mark Patton : Head Scout

“I am excited to be joining the Blizzard in the role of Head Scout. We have some really good pieces in place already and good prospects. Lead by Head Coach Eric Labrosse, I have no doubt that we can return the organization to being a main stay at the top of the standings.

I am eager to get going, and I am honoured to be a part of the organization.”

“Adding both Ryan Goethals as Director of Player Personnel and Mark Patton as Head Scout to the staff was a priority of mine. To build a great organization you need to have a staff on board that has knowledge of the young talent that’s out there. That’s exactly what Ryan and Mark will bring to us.

Their experience whether it’d be with their current WHL teams, as well as their past experiences in Junior A hockey, Ryan being with the La Ronge Ice Wolves the last few years and Mark with the Flin Flon Bombers, will serve the Blizzard’s future tremendously. Their mandate will be to prepare the Blizzard’s future for the MJHL drafts to come, as well as following up on our drafted prospects progress throughout their respective seasons. Their role will be key to making the future of the Blizzard bright for many years to come.

I’m happy they’ve decided to join our organization and look forward to get the season going with them both.” – Eric Labrosse

We welcome both to our tri-community!

Blizzard Looking to Add to Staff

Blizzard are looking to hire two positions to fill their staff for the upcoming season. The first, a full-time Assistant Coach and second, an Athletic Therapist/Equipment Manager. These positions will add to the newly hired HC/GM Eric Labrosse to set the team up for success this year.

Both Job descriptions and requirements are listed below.

Assistant Coach

AT:Equip

All interested applicants are asked to contact Eric Labrosse at

labrosseeric_27@hotmail.com

Closing date: July 22, 2023

Photo by: Kelly  Kocur Jacobson

Summer Camp Registration

Blizzard hockey is back and set to start with our annual Identification camp July 23-24, 2023 in Winnipeg, MB. The camp will take place at the Canlan Arena on Ellice Ave.

All 2003-2007 born players are welcome to attend. There will be a fee of $175 for each player. This will include 2 hours of ice time per day and a dryland session.

Deadline for registration will be July 20, 2023.

Please fill out the registration form below and email it to ocnblizzard.camps@hotmail.com to confirm your spot and make payment arrangements.

Summer Camp 23

For any questions contact HC/GM Eric Labrosse at 514-690-3534.

Photo by Kelly Kocur Jacobson