Lethbridge Lightning Slowed by COVID
The Lethbridge Lightning was in the midst of one of their most exciting post-seasons to date when the order from Hockey Canada came to cease play due to the COVID-19 crisis. Michael Teslak, coach of the Lightning, echoed the disappointment and frustration felt by teams across the country. “The next three weekends were set to be the most exciting of the season. It happened very quickly; it’s very unfortunate for the guys, who play all year for it to just come to an end like that.” After defeating the Siksika Buffaloes in an exhilarating five-game series, the Lightning was set to face off against the Nanton Palominos in the Ranchland Hockey League (RHL) Championships. The playoffs were delayed, as were the AA Men’s Provincial Championships, set to be hosted by Lethbridge the last weekend in March. Teslak says there are currently no concrete plans for hosting in the future, as provincials will be hosted in Fort Saskatchewan in 2021 as was originally planned. “Rob had the goal to host provincials. He did a lot of work internally to create the proposal for Hockey Alberta”, Teslak said, speaking of the planning done by the Lightning president Rob Zintel. “It’ll be easier to apply for again in the future, and we’re ready for it now, Lethbridge will be looking to host again.”
The Lightning season was not without its challenges prior to the cancellation. A myriad of injuries led to different line-ups, almost every game. Alex Sirard and Cole Schafer both sustained injuries, leaving big shoes to fill in net. With Sirard dealing with a lingering injury from the summer months and Schafer being injured in the first game of the season, the call came for other goaltenders to step in. Dean Skidmore filled the position in net, posting a great record over the first half of the season, as did Dillan Kelly, winning both the games he played. Beyond the frustration on the injury front, Teslak recalled a game in Nanton that was called early as a particular annoyance.
“We had a really strong line-up, and the game was called due to ice conditions. Just lots of little things were frustrating leading up to the cancellation of the season.”
Teslak said this year was unique for the team, with the excitement of building and preparing a team for provincials. “We added some really good players, of course, players want to come to play for you when you’re hosting.” Among the players added this year was Mike Wirll, older brother of team captain Shay Wirll. His long professional career spread across Canada, the United States and Europe brought a new level of experience to the Lightning wing, not to mention an enthusiasm to play alongside his brother and compete for a provincial title. Another addition noted by Teslak was that of Leo Lacourciere, coming from the Fort Macleod Mustangs. “He’s a great player; he brought in some size and toughness. The kind of guy who goes hard all the time, he’s just hard and consistent every night”.
The Lightning wrapped the first round of playoffs against the Siksika Buffaloes just days before word came from Hockey Canada to cancel the season. “Games two through five were the best I’ve seen Siksika play as a team. We’ve met them the past two years, and they clearly wanted to change the outcome this season. Great goaltending, backchecking really hard, they played really well”. With both RHL series going the full five games, the league was looking more competitive than ever. Expectations were high that the Lightning would finally take the title away from the reigning champions, the Nanton Palominos. Teslak says he hopes the team can continue that energy moving into next season.
“It’s been pretty consistent year over year with where the teams are at. Hopefully, we can finally be that team to end Nanton’s ride. They’ve set the bar that they’re the team to beat, and we’re really looking forward to the chance to do that”.
Aside from the cancellation of optional summer skates and ice time, the team is moving forward with planning for the 2020-2021 season, as usual, looking to take to the ice a month prior to the start of
games. As far as players go, Teslak says the team may look a bit different than it did at the end of this season. “Come June we’ll start talking to guys, find out who’s interested. We have a few guys who are talking that it may be time to get involved with the organization in a different way as they move ahead in their careers or look to start a family”. The discontinuation of the Pronghorns Hockey programs brings the potential for some new talent, options that Teslak says will be explored in the future as players determine how they wish to move forward in their careers.
Despite the disappointment of such a sudden cancellation, Teslak remains optimistic and is looking forward to next season. “I think we underachieved a bit compared to what was on paper. We’ve learned a lot and figured things out, and I think we’ll bring that into our next season.”
