The assistant captain is pleased with the group of character guys president Ross Coates has assembled for a serious shot at winning a championship. He doesn’t see a need to make changes when things are going so well.
“It’s a really good atmosphere on and off the ice,” Thomey said. “I know we’ve played only a little over half a season so far, but we’ve come together fairly well as a group and everyone has each other’s backs so I’m very happy with what we’ve got on the ice right now.”
Being at the top of the pack heading into the second half season is a change of scenery for the Corner Brook Royals so don’t expect much to change with the roster.
Royals president Ross Coates had a much better Christmas than he’s had in the past couple of years when the team struggled to keep up with the pack. It was a little less stressful because he didn’t have to spend any of his holiday minutes looking for players to help the team, he acknowledged during the holiday break.
The team is winning hockey games with skill, speed and hard work. More importantly, the return to the city has paid dividends with fans coming on board to support the fresh start.
The team’s imports have been among the best players for the Royals in putting up a 9-5 record in the Central West Senior Hockey League at the Christmas break.
Import goalie Bryan Gillis is the league’s top goalie, having played every minute of all 14 games. Imports Phil Mangan, Hunter Tremblay and Chris Hulit are among the league’s top offensive producers at the break.
And, import Derick Martin, well he’s been the workhorse for the defence corps. He logs big minutes and punishes the body, no doubt worthy of votes as the best defenceman in the league, chipping in with four goals and six helpers in 14 games.
Coates has been impressed with the quality of the imports added to the mix this year. They were brought in to put to provide offence and have delivered, while Gillis has proven to be an elite puckstopper making big saves when the team needed him to stand tall.
“Everyone’s accepting their roles and so far it’s working out really well,” he said.
The Royals resume play this weekend with a two-game series — Saturday 7:30 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. — against the Kelly Ford Gander Flyers at the Pepsi Centre.
Thomey said a long homestand, three weekends in a row at home in January with only 10 games left in the regular season, is certainly a time to take it to another level.
“Hockey is a lot more fun when you’re winning,” he said. “It’s nice to be in first place right now, but it’s such a close league and where anyone can win any game you certainly don’t want to take anything for granted.”
