The Morden Bombers are chomping at the bit to get the 2025/26 season underway, and coach Lee Kowalski believes the group is primed for something special.
Hockey season is here
With the new season approaching, Kowalski is very excited, and working hard to be ready for opening day. "It's hard to believe we're hear already in September, but we all know how Manitoba summer go anyways," he says with a laugh. "We've had a very busy summer as an organization, so last season doesn't really feel like it ended, which is weird for senior. Especially for me, coming back off of a fairly lengthy layoff from coaching at all. We hosted our Par 3 hole-in-one tournament, we run the social at Corn and Apple, then all the normal day-to-day. I've been fortunate to have enough time during the summer to connect with 23 or 24 of our players individually over the phone, and some in person, and they make me excited because they're excited. That's something I missed from not having coached for a while, the enthusiasm and the dedication that comes with how special they believe the Morden Bombers are, and how proud they are to put that jersey on, and play on behalf of our community."
Building the roster
Kowalski details his thoughts on the roster and how it's being built with camp coming up quickly. "Senior hockey is very fluid, now a days. It's not like how it was back in the ancient days when I played, it's seemingly so fluid, that you know you're going to have turnover every year, and you just hope to have as little as possible, especially if you're good. We're fortunate that the core of players that have been here for five or ten years, they've committed to coming back. We've also excitedly welcomed back a number of guys who have played pro, college, division one, U-Sport, or junior. We are also very fortunate to have a minor hockey system that's allowed us to have players that have been supported throughout their entire career, and then they give that back by coming back to the community, and playing senior. We do have turnover, but in a positive way. Even our retiring players, they were both around 40 years old, both defensemen, and one of them, Steve Mullin, he's going to join us on the bench, as much as he can, because he's also coaching the high school team, giving back there as well. Our turnover, yes it's minimal, but it's significant in the caliber of player we're bringing in, so we're fortunate in that way."
Taking a step
After last season, Kowalski says there are a lot of positives around the team, and he's looking for the group to take that and build on it, leading to more success. "Our fan support, we feel is second to none," he says proudly. "Same with the sponsorship support. Again, I keep saying we're fortunate and blessed, but we are, that's how we feel about our organization. Our executive have maintained, we've added a few new members that way. Because of their consistency, it allows us to roll over the excitement. We probably need to improve on the ice more than carry over anything there. I would say last year would be considered a disappointment, considering what our organization is used to from an on the ice scenario. From an off the ice scenario, we have so many men, young men, older men, dedicated to coaching hockey in the community, dedicated to volunteering, again, we are fortunate and blessed, it's how we feel. The carry over for us is what goes on in our dressing room, the guys get along so well, they are such a unified group, they care about each other so much, so for me, that makes going to the rink an exciting thing. The couch monster wants to grab you on those cold nights, but I never had a single night last year where I didn't want to go to the rink, and it's because of the character of those gentlemen. They all have such great family support, it's special seeing them with their kids when they're around the room. We want to carry over the pride we have in representing the community, and the pride we have in the crest on the jersey."
Representing a community that cares
Morden loves their hockey, and in turn, the players love playing for them. "It's a pride thing for us, we've had a winning organization for a long time, and I know winning isn't everything, but it's certainly a goal for us," Kowalski says with a smile. "When it comes to the representation of the community, I get stopped pretty consistently now that people have recognized that I'm back coaching, the question remains the same, how are we going to look? Is this particular player coming to play? We heard this guy is coming in, or this guy is coming back. They are so involved, our fan group and sponsorship group, they are so proud of the gentlemen that play on this team. We have an evolved fan base, they are so educated, and our men in the community that want to play for this team, they understand it. They hear it in the stands, on the street, at the store when they go in. It's a small community where senior hockey matters, and that's becoming more rare every year. So we're fortunate to have this community that cares so much about the young men that play on this team. We're very, very proud to represent our people both on the ice and off."