Devin Gerwing has great memories of going to games of the then named Tri-Town Thunder.
“Growing up in Arborfield, every weekend we went to Thunder games,” Gerwing said. “Sitting in the southwest corner of the Arborfield Rink on top of the wheelchair accessible ramp watching the Thunder every weekend with my friends is one of my fondest childhood memories.”
Now Gerwing is a member of the squad currently called the Carrot River Outback Thunder. He played midget AAA in Tisdale and suited up in 2015-16 for the Junior A Yorkton Terriers. After not playing last winter, Gerwing opted to join the Junior B Thunder on the ice.
“Coach and general manager Trevor Logan has brought back a positive reputation to the organization, which, along with his strong recruiting efforts, persuaded me to join the team,” the son of Sherry and Allan Gerwing said.
Last week the Outback Thunder fell 7-4 to the league-leading Saskatoon Quakers on the road and thumped the Traveland RV Storm, 5-0, at home. As of Sunday, Carrot River was 8-6-5 and sat fourth in the Prairie Junior Hockey League’s Bob Dybvig Division.
This week, Carrot River hosts the Delisle Chiefs. Earlier in the week, the Outback Thunder played the Saskatoon Royals on the road after the Review deadline. On Dec. 13, the Outback Thunder host the Saskatoon Quakers in Kinistino.
A 5-foot-11, 185-pound defenceman, Gerwing has been a positive addition this season to the Outback Thunder. He has four goals and 14 points in 12 games.
“Devin is a smart player that moves the puck well and has a good quick release shot,” Logan said. “He always has his head up, makes good first passes, and gets pucks through to the net.”
The head coach said that Gerwing is a leader on the ice and in the dressing room.
“He has the most experience at higher levels of anyone in the room and he isn’t afraid to try to help the younger guys out, which is what we were looking for when we went out to try sign him,” Logan said.
Gerwing is currently taking classes at the McKay Career Training in Saskatoon. He will start attending the Canadian School of Osteopathy in Vancouver next fall. For now he is having fun playing hockey for the Outback Thunder.
“I’ve really enjoyed competing and playing hard for my teammates as well as making some new friends,” Gerwing said.
Roster Moves
The Outback Thunder have added 18-year-old forward Kieran Dyason. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound Nipawin product had nine goals and 17 points in 26 games last season with the North East midget AA team.
Carrot River has released goalie Ben Gilbertson. The team is working on adding a netminder with local ties. The team also released Matt Goudy. The veteran forward was busy with school and other commitments.
Quakers 7, Outback Thunder 4
The Outback Thunder trailed the Quakers, 3-2, heading into the third period on Dec. 1. The Quakers outscored the visitors 4-2 in the final session to grab the victory.
Austin Linnen scored twice for the Outback Thunder. He leads the team with 25 points. Zack Spray and Justin Cay also had goals for Carrot River. Kolton Holmen stopped 38 of the 45 shots he faced. Backing up Holmen was Alex Bell from the North East midget AA team. He drove to Saskatoon all the way from La Ronge to serve as a backup. Logan praised his dedication and attitude.
Austin Swystun had 21 saves for the Quakers. Scoring for Saskatoon were Jordan Hudson (two), Dawson Bacon, Carson McManaman, Josh Sielsky, Ethan Hill and Cody Illerbrun.
Outback Thunder 5, Storm 0
Holmen recorded his first shutout of the season while backstopping the Outback Thunder to a 5-0 victory at home on Dec. 2. He made 34 saves. Carrot River led 2-0 and 3-0 at the intermissions.
Gerwing had four points for the Outback Thunder. He, Spray, Ethan Rheaume, Kyle Njaa and Linnen had Carrot River’s goals. Storm goalie Landon Audet had 28 saves.
The Outback Thunder were playing the game with some players banged up. They used two affiliated players and a newcomer in Dayson. Carrot River had one player who wasn’t able to make it to the game in time. The squad was still able to post the victory.
“That’s why this game baffles you sometimes,” Logan said. “Everyone just went and did their job and we got a few lucky bounces finally. Kolten was also playing confident and in control.”
