The Mountain View Colts have wrapped up the 2024 portion of the Heritage Junior Hockey League schedule.
Mountain View closed the calendar year on a hot streak, picking up points in 7 of their last 8 games including a 6 game winning streak that came to an end last weekend against the Agra Risk Wheatland Kings.
The Colts have worked hard to make up ground in the standings, the blue and red were (3-7-0) and 6th in the Northern Division on October 19th and have since climbed to 2nd with a record of (13-11-2) before the HJHL’s holiday pause.
Ron Doig is going through his first season as Head Coach of the Mountain View Colts, he talks about what he has learned about his team so far.
“I think what we’ve learned is that we have a tough time scoring. We’re trying to make sure the guys understand that. At this point, it seems like we need at least 45 shots to get three goals. And we need to get to four goals. Looking back on our season so far, there are probably four or five games where, if we had just gotten that fourth goal earlier—we’d be in a better spot. We were all over the other team, but getting that fourth goal would’ve made things a lot easier. We need the guys who are expected to score to step up and start producing.”
The Colts have scored a total of 84 goals through 26 games, while powerplay goals have been few and far between. The Colts man advantage struggled to begin the year but has since improved to 15 goals on 123 opportunities, rounding out at just over 12 percent.
Doig says the group has made some changes and are starting to see some results out of those tweaks.
“I think we’re definitely moving the puck better, moving our feet better, and playing with more purpose. Like I’ve mentioned, we let the boys go with their own plan, but it wasn’t working. They’ve started buying into what we wanted—a more structured approach. Now, with that structure in place, they’re able to start creating.”
On the contrary, the Colts PK has been lights out. The penalty killers are averaging in at a 89 percent success rate, which is 2nd overall in the league.
Doig says it’s a credit to the group’s work ethic.
“That’s all thanks to hard work. Some of the guys we rely on for the penalty kill—like Tanner Austin, Simon Leischner, and Corbin Rae—are the heartbeat of our group. Their first priority is to work hard and do the right thing. When you have your three leaders setting the tone on the penalty kill, it makes a big difference. Then, you bring in guys like Rhett Miller and Tristan Visser, who’ve played with them and increased our team speed. It’s a good mix.”
The Colts have made some moves during the past few months, adding players like Visser and Miller to the offensive fold, while Nicolas Smith has shored things up in goal for Mountain View.
Doig says the organization will have some tough decisions to make in the New Year, with players potentially joining the team before the Hockey Canada roster deadline in mid January.
“I think we’re still looking. I know we have one, maybe two more guys out there who could be joining us. It’s tough because we’ve had some players on the roster all year, and now we’re going to have to make some moves. We’ve also got a guy coming back who got hurt and only played five games. So, we have a lot of decisions to make over the next 15 days as we get started again. At the end of the day, we want to keep good players here and get them playing. We’re always going to be looking for that. We’re always looking to get better.”
The Colts will also be forced to play the remainder of their home schedule in a new location, as the Didsbury Memorial Complex has been shut down for the remainder of the winter season.
Doig says it’s a challenge, but one that will make them better.
“Coming out of our dressing room is tough. The guys are comfortable in there. They know their spots, where they’re supposed to be and who they’re sitting with. So, that’s an adjustment. Hopefully, we’ll figure something out soon. Karen (Rothenbusch) has been working hard on that, but I’m not sure where it’s at right now. It’s just another challenge we’ve got to battle through—like we’ve battled through injuries and everything else this season. Now we’re dealing with not having a home rink for a while. But, in the end, it’ll make us stronger, more battle-ready. By the time playoffs come around, we should be ready to roll.”
The Colts are off until January 3rd when they travel south to take on the High River Flyers.
The next Mountain View Colts home game is scheduled for the following night against the Medicine Hat Cubs, stay tuned on the Colts social media feeds for more details on where the remainder of their home games will be played.
The next broadcast of Mountain View Colts hockey on 96.5 CKFM will come on January 24th, when they host the Ponoka Stampeders.
Listen to Ron Doig’s conversation with 96.5 CKFM on December 23rd.
