Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L. – The Straight Shore Beothics want back in.
The 2012 Central Newfoundland Hockey League champs have been out of the league since 2015, but there’s a strong push being made out of New-Wes-Valley to bring the Beothics back.
A meeting was held at the Beothic Arena Tourist Chalet on April 23, which resulted in the team naming an executive and coaching staff.
Craig Loder, who was a member of the 2012 CNHL championship winning team, will sit in the general manager’s seat, while Ryan Preston is team president.
According to Loder, the plan is to have everything ready by the time the executive presents to the league in September with the ultimate goal of returning.
“We have money in our account, we have an executive in place and we have a roster,” said Loder. “We want to be ready. I think we did a lot of good things at the meeting and we got the right people involved.”
Fans might be familiar with some of the names on the roster, players like the Stratton brothers (Blake, Troy and Cory), Brandon Burry and Andrew Norris.
Kendall Humphries will coach the team and Juan Gill will join as an assistant coach.
The team will make a presentation to the league during the September meeting, and plenty of information will be shared.
“We want to go into the meeting and say, here is our roster, we have an executive, the Town is on board, the stadium is on board, we have X amount of dollars in our account right now, so money won’t be a issue for us at this given time,” said Loder. “A lot has changed since four years ago when things went awry. There’s a new stadium committee now, there’s a new stadium manager, new town manager, and there’s new faces on our town council.
“The town is missing this entertainment and I think a lot of people are hungry for it. I know the players are.”
If there’s something fans of the Beothics miss, it’s the rivalry between their squad and the reigning CNHL champs, Twillingate Combines.
The two teams have battled several times over the years, and the two communities have a sporting rivalry that dates back several years.
When the Beothics did compete in the league, and whenever they hosted the Combines or travelled to Twillingate, the games were circled on the calendar and for a good reason.
“Both barns don’t really like each other…both teams don’t really like each other. But you know, I think it’s great for the community,” said Loder. “I know if we do get back in this league and Twillingate comes to our rink for two games, I’m well aware that stadium is going to be packed. It gets intense and it gets a bit heated, but I mean, like most hockey rivalries at any level, that’s what players remember and that’s what fans remember, and that’s where great stories come from.”
Anyone interested in helping out still can. Contact Preston at [email protected], or Loder at
[email protected], for more information.
