The defending Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Timmins Rock are on a bus to Collingwood Monday morning, for the annual Cottage Cup pre-season tournament.
Coach and GM Brandon Perry likes what he sees following a two-week training camp and a pair of inter-squad games.
“It was a tough couple of weeks and trying to learn a bunch of stuff,” he says, “and then trying to implement it in these games and some stuff’s a little messy and we’ve got some work to do obviously, but it was a good two weeks.”
Perry knows his team has its work cut out for it at the Cottage Cup. Host Collingwood, like Timmins, made it to the Centennial Cup national championship tournament this past spring. Also in this tournament are three other Ontario Junior Hockey League teams, and a U-20 squad from Germany.
“They’re going to be good,” Coach Perry predicts. “Unfortunately, the four OJ teams are probably four of the best in the Ontario Junior league. Only one could go to the Centennial Cup, but it’s going to be really good competition.”
The Rock’s regular season gets underway September 8th and 9th in Sudbury and Elliot Lake. Their home opener is the 15th against Kirkland Lake.