The Unity Miners' senior hockey season can be described as a surprise, because only two years ago this senior hockey team was nearly a write off.
The team was struggling with player numbers and a lack of people who were willing to commit to the executive. A group of community individuals stepped up to rebuild and rejuvenate the team, as well as re-enthuse the community about senior hockey.
The Unity Miners have a long history in town. The banners hanging in the arena indicate they have also seen their share of success. Recently, players with jobs and families were finding it difficult to commit to the team. At times, it appeared there was a sense of apathy in the community about whether the team prospered or folded.
In 2012, a group of community members took over and worked to build a committed roster and community support. The first year appeared to have more steps backward than forward, with games often lacking enough skaters in addition to the few fans in the stands. Jake Senger and Brent Weber offered to be co-managers. Jeff Boser is the Miners president, while Senger also serves as the team's treasurer. Rick Hill, Don Robertson, Doug Meier, Carleen Wildeman, Obie Miller and Curtis McLean also helped form the new team booster club and executive.
Perseverance was the key, but the league standings this year were not indicative of a team that was going to excel, finishing the season with a 6-14 record. The team and the executive forged on, working to achieve their championship goal in the playoffs.
The result was a championship run through the Sask West Hockey League playoffs that resulted in the Miners beating the Eatonia Huskies and the Kindersley Lions en route to the league finals. In the finals, the Miners swept the Lloydminster Border Kings in the best-of-five series to capture the SWHL league championship.
"After being thrown into fire in the 2012-13 season, we felt that we had started to put our stamp on the team early in the season," said Weber.
Captain Adam Shirley led the team with 26 points in the playoffs, including 19 goals. Behn Robertson and Michael Shirley were also league-leading players in playoff points.
The remainder of the team roster includes Behn Robertson, Michael Shirley, Dustin McAleer, Brett Mosher, Bobby Davey, Travis Mosher, Scott Brownlee, Dillon Belliveau, Mitch Weinman, Michael Pool, Alex David, Cody McCubbing, Rob Jackson, Brandon Chester, Leon Delorme, Daniel Bloder, Travis Sopyc and Lorne Nielsen. Goaltenders were Josh Laturnus, Cory Grant and Grant Wilkie.
The head coach of the Miners was Lorne Nielsen, with assistant coach Brent Pool and trainers Shayne Kirby and John "Huntzie" Klaehn.
"We had added a head coach, a top notch goaltender and some real firepower up front," said Miners executive member Brent Weber. "To top it all off, we added some young local talent. We did believe that on any given night we would be able to compete with anybody."
Weber said there were bumps en route to the championship, but the team peaked at the right time. The club is currently looking for new executive members. If players are interested in being a Unity Miner, contact the team.
