Practise how you play, and make hockey fun - that's the simple message Kent Lewis and the Powell River Kings passed along to minor hockey coaches Tuesday night.
Lewis, the head coach and general manager of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League club, along with associate coach Shane Luckinchuk paid a visit to Gibsons for a chalk talk session with coaches, followed by an up-tempo, one-hour-and-15-minute practice. It was a rare treat for coaches and hockey fans on the Coast and a good crowd came out to take in the action.
They even got a chance to see some local content as midget rep player Brady Bjornson laced up with the team for the practice.
Powell River finished in first place in the Mainland Division of the Coastal Conference with a record of 39-16-1-4 and 83 points. The Kings await the winner of the best-of-five first round series between the Langley Chiefs and Surrey Eagles and start the playoffs on March 6.
Lewis said since this was their bye week it was the perfect time to come down, practise and share some knowledge with minor hockey coaches."You have to make hockey fun, and that's at any age and any level," Lewis said. "We passed on a few tips and strategies for the coaches and the reasons why we do things and practice structure. We had a really receptive group of guys who came out and it seems well for the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association that guys are that keen. Making the game fun, making practices energetic where kids can develop and get better, that's the most important thing."
Lewis said the team travels through this part of the Coast all the time and it was great to finally get this practice together.
"We've been trying to get down here for quite a while. This is a great facility. It's a good night for us as well," he said. "Our practices are always up-tempo and we're no different than the peewee rep coach, because we want to develop the players to move them on to the next level and make them better for us. We've seen so much development with our guys because of the way we play and the way we practise. I think kids come to understand that the game needs to be played at a fast level and they have to get a lot better, too. Hopefully they like what they see and they'll get something out of the experience."
