Huskies fall short of fifth consecutive championship win

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Huskies’ 2023-2024 season came to an end in the North West Junior Hockey League (NWJHL) playoff finals late last month, dashing their hopes of a fifth consecutive championship win. 

The Huskies were winless in the first three games of their series against the La Crete Lumber Barons before a 2-0 shutout win in game four, which head coach Todd Alexander says was the best game he watched this season.

“From start to finish, the guys were very checked on and bought into the type of game we needed to play in order to beat an opponent,” said Alexander. 

“The execution of the game plan was incredible. We didn’t really give up too much in that game. We didn’t make any mistakes. Each and every line went out over the wall and did their job exactly how we talked about it.”

Despite their victory in game four, the Huskies suffered a 3-1 loss in game five, resulting in the Lumber Barons being crowned league champions for the 2023-2024 season. 

Although the Huskies were unable to obtain a fifth consecutive championship win, Alexander still looks at the season as a success, where his team showed strength in the face of adversity. 

“We fell short of our goal at the end of the year in playoffs, but we lost a lot of very key players,” said Alexander. 

“Our general manager did a good job of finding guys and bringing them in — for whatever reason, we were hit with the injury bug really heavy, but that’s not an excuse. At the end of the day, you still have to play the games and figure out how to win with what you have. We took it off the chin pretty hard this year.”

Alexander believes the challenges his team faced this season, paired with falling short of winning the league finals, will ignite a “hunger” in next season’s returning players. 

“You need to be hungry in order to stay on the top or be part of the top. I think we got a pretty solid group that’s coming back [next season],” said Alexander. 

“Sometimes you need to fail to learn your lessons. Hopefully, this failure we had this year in playoffs will feed those guys for next year.”

Reflecting on the season, Alexander says he is grateful to have had the opportunity to work with his coaching staff, which includes his father, Gary Alexander. 

“My dad is a blessing. He’s been in the game for a long time,” said Alexander. 

“He still has a lot of fire and wants to continue down the path with us. I’ve been working with [general manager] Jeremy [Clothier] for a long time now too, and we’ve been able to grow a good relationship over the years.”

Alexander acknowledged the hard work of assistant coach Brent Morgan and goaltending coach Travis McLean as well, saying he looks forward to working with both coaches again next season. 

Looking ahead, Alexander says he is still “very hungry” to lead his team to success and will learn from his experience this season in terms of implementing strategy in the next. 

“Obviously, I will go back, and I’ll evaluate myself and see what I can do better and what I can do to push the group and continue to make sure we’re up at the top where we belong.”

The Huskies organization will host its annual general meeting on May 7th at 7 p.m. in the Pomeroy Sport Centre meeting room. 

Those who are interested in volunteering and joining the Huskies’ board of directors can attend the meeting or visit the Huskies’ Facebook page for more information.