They say those that laugh last, laugh best. They also say good things come to those who wait.
There’s probably a few more clichés one could cite regarding the 2022-23 OCN Storm. But at the end of the day, the best way to sum up this year’s junior B hockey season is with one word – champions.
The Storm, who topped the Keystone Junior League standings before falling in the final to Peguis, battled back in the inaugural Central Canada Cup in Thunder Bay, which was held April 20-23.
The Storm did not have a great start to the tournament, but when it mattered the most, the Storm were unbeatable.

The OCN Blizzard are officially without a head coach today as the contract of Doug Johnson – the man who, despite joining the team very late in the offseason, led the team to a 29-point improvement - and moved the Blizzard from sixth place into second and back into the post season.
It’s been a couple weeks since the Blizzard were eliminated by the Virden Oil Capitals and the sting is still there. For Johnson, while the Blizzard made great progress, it was still an unsatisfactory way to end the season.
“There were highs and lows, and some of that is just not knowing what it takes to win consistently,” said Johnson. “Because they haven’t in the past – so I’m very proud of what we accomplished. The playoffs ended the season a little early as I thought we could have gone at least one more round.”

After a tough loss last week, OCN Blizzard Head Coach and General Manager Doug Johnson said that he was looking for six points at home with the Neepawa Titans coming to town for three games in less than 48 hours.

They nearly pulled it off, earning five of a possible six (as they did in their three games in Neepawa earlier this year).

So, is five of six points and 10 of a possible 12 for the season series enough for Johnson and his team?

“Five out of six points – we’re not going to complain,” said Johnson after Sunday’s loss. “We wish it was six out of six, but we’re moving in the right direction. We like where we’re at, and ahead of where we thought we’d be, and that’s a credit to the players and the buy in.”

Read more in this week's Opasquia Times!