Murray Wood: Drop in reading rates a sad trend to see
New data suggests people are spending less time reading for pleasure. Murray Wood says it's sad that people are drawn to...
What was supposed to be a picture-perfect historic Friday night in Warman, ended with a sour taste in the mouths of many.
The Warman Wolverines suited up for the first time in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) regular season, after the Notre Dame Hounds relocated to Warman following the 2024-25 season.
The SJHL has not added a new franchise to the league since the La Ronge Ice Wolves joined 38 years ago.
Read more:
- Upcoming Wolverines home opener drums up excitement in Warman
- Tyler Parr named Saskatoon Blades’ 64th captain
- Regina Pats kick off a new WHL season with playoff push in mind
A decision that SJHL Commissioner, Kyle McIntyre, admits should have happened earlier.
“We had Notre Dame that probably had outlived their viability in the community of Wilcox,” he said.
“We weren’t looking at expanding, so when the franchise became available and the community of Warman expressed interest, we knew it was going to be a win-win.”
But as fans were seated, no one slid the Humboldt Broncos the script as Warman-born defence Teigan Semchyshen got the scoring started for the Broncos.
Humboldt forward Jacob Strizzi found the back of the net two more times, giving the Broncos a 3-0 win in Warman, spoiling the historic night.
“We’ve been waiting for Warman to come on for a number of years,” said McIntyre.
Brett Pilkington, Warman Wolverines Head Coach, said he was happy to see the community show up and really support the Wolverines.
“It’s pretty amazing to see, the building looks packed,” he said. “This is a hockey town here in Warman, and to see a hit or see a good save and the crowd erupt was pretty cool.”
While the result didn’t go the Wolverines’ way, Pilkington said he noticed flashes of promise.
“I thought we played okay, we created opportunities,” he said. “We had a lot of good penalty kills, but our power play was not there.”
In the end, Warman found themselves in the penalty box 10 times, while Humboldt managed to wind up in the box 12 times.
Humboldt #25 Kristian Lacelle grabbing Peyton Allard #19 on Warman (Will Mandzuk/650CKOM)
Joining the relocation process was 19-year-old defenceman Vincent Palmarin, who suited up for Notre Dame last season, and now dons the ‘C’ this year, making him the first Wolverines captain.
“I’m very honoured to be the first captain in team history,” he said. “I just want to lead my team and set a good role for them, and just help them win some games and help build around the community.”
Palmarin said losing this one sucks and provides some extra motivation heading into Saturday’s rematch between the two squads.
“They did spoil (the night) for us, so I think we got to go in there and spoil it for them,” he said. “We have a quick turnaround … so it’s going to be great to get back on the ice.”
Joining Palmarin from Notre Dame is 19-year-old defenceman Luke Lawford, who couldn’t say enough about the new home crowd.
“It was awesome, the crowd was really exciting, really into it,” he said. “It’s pretty easy to get hype for that kind of game.”
Lawford said one of the biggest adjustments was not having to live in dorm rooms.
“Living in the billets is great, I haven’t heard any complaints from anyone,” he said.
“Everyone loves the way that their billets get home-cooked meals; we’re all super happy that the community was able to give back and do that for us.”
Warman now travels to Humboldt on Saturday night looking for their first goal and win in franchise history.
