Why are the Winnipeg ICE so good?

By Olivia Lawrence

RP Show Intern 

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Winnipeg Jets are top focus for Winnipeg sports fans, but now these fans can add the Winnipeg ICE to their radar. This hockey team is having a great start to their season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) sitting at 12-1, and leading the WHL. Their first loss came from the Edmonton Oil Kings 1-3 on Friday Oct. 29 but they redeemed themselves the next night (Oct. 30), shutting out the Lethbridge Hurricanes 0-7.

“I still think right now that Winnipeg is the best team in the league,” said Brian Munz, Winnipeg ICE play-by-play broadcaster on Monday’s episode of The Rod Pedersen Show. “They’ve played more games than everybody, I understand that, but when you’re plus 49 in goals for, goals against, it’s been an enjoyable, fun start to a new season, and they’ve got targets on their back though. Everybody’s ready for them when they come into their building.”

ICE forwards Conor Geekie and Matt Savoie have been particular standouts for the team, the two of them were just listed as ‘A’ ratings by NHL Central Scouting on the Preliminary Players to Watch List. There is no doubt Geekie and Savoie have helped this team reach success so far, but Rod Pedersen wanted to know what makes the Winnipeg ICE so good. 

“They’ve been able to build this team for a long time,” said Munz. There were a lot of nights when you look back in the record books of Kootenay Ice or the early days of Winnipeg, they just weren’t able to compete with the talent that those other clubs had, but now they’ve been able to grow there players.”

Some of those players include left wing Mikey Milne, right wing Jakin Smallwood, and defensemen Carson Lambos, Nolan Orzek, and Connor McCLennan. And then of course the ICE goalies — Gage Alexander and Daniel Hauser. Both of them are sitting top five statistically right now in the league.

“I think the fun part about it for me is we’re not just talking about one or two players every night, you’re talking about everybody throughout this entire roster,” said Munz. They’ve got the depth, and this is definitely their time right now to try and take a run at things for a league title and then you never know what else happens. I think everybody also remembers right now that we’re only one month into a long season here, but you can’t take anything away from what they’ve been able to accomplish here so far.” 

The Winnipeg ICE will go on to play the Red Deer Rebels this week, they will have two opportunities to win against this team with the first game on Thursday Nov 4 and the second on Sunday Nov 7. This is the first time the ICE will play the Rebels this season.