To quote the movie Road Trip, "road trips are awesome".
It may be the only usable quote from the entire movie, but it relates to the Sudbury Wolves as they take their first road trip of the season.
For many of the Wolves, this is their first experience hitting the road in the OHL.
“We’ve been on the road playing in exhibition but never overnight. So this is a chance for us to really go south, have team dinners after the game, staying in the same hotel and use it as a chance to get together and get tighter,” said Head Coach Cory Stillman.
“The other part of the game side of it is, now you play a road game. We’re getting better, we’re trying to win the right way and if we go out there and win a 1-0 hockey game and it’s not pretty, obviously we’ll take that.”
The rookies come from playing minor hockey where you would hit the road for tournaments.
“You drive up with your parents in a tournament so it’s totally different. This you’re alone with just the boys and coaches, so you kind of have a little more freedom and get to be a kid and have some fun,” said Conor Ali.
“For the young guys it’s new, I think they just got to get into a routine.”
Stillman does want them to enjoy the experience.
“The game is always fun, you have to have fun. Sometimes pieces have to be put into place, you follow guidelines, but I think the biggest thing for our team is to come out, play well, play a disciplined game, win a hockey game, move to the next city, play that and then come home,” said Stillman.
But you better believe with Stillman there will be a routine and a schedule.
“We have a pre-game skate, which is the start of the day, we wake up we have breakfast, we start to prepare to play. By 7:00 we should be prepared to play that night,” said Stillman.
The Wolves come into Thursday’s game, winless in their first five. The team will play Thursday and Friday games and will then get a chance to go home for Thanksgiving.
“We’re early in the season, I think if this was Christmas or if you’re looking maybe in March at the break or in the dull days, but we’re only five games into the season," said Stillman.
"They should be all excited to play not about going home.”
It may even give them an edge.
“They’ll be excited to play in front of their mom and dad or family and friends. Sometimes that energy can help us,” said Stillman.
The Sudbury Wolves face Niagara on Thursday and Mississauga on Friday, both division rivals.
The next home game for Sudbury will be Friday, Oct. 13 against Ottawa.
