Aldergrove Kodiaks GM Rick Harkins isn鈥檛 predicting victory when they next host cross-town rivals 91原创 Trappers, on Friday, Dec. 15, but he is forecasting an entertaining, hard-fought game that won鈥檛 be a blow-out.
鈥淲e used to call it a rivalry, but we鈥檙e not up to par with them this year,鈥� Harkins laughed.
鈥淣ot yet, anyway.鈥�
Kodiaks currently rank at the bottom of the seven-team PJHL Harold Brittain conference division, with four wins in 27 games. Their last victory was in October, against Surrey.
But over the last month, the team has been getting 鈥渁 little better each game,鈥� Harkins said.
Kodiaks have seen their margins improve, suffering fewer lop-sided losses and making their opponents work harder for their wins, and that is what Harkins promises fans will see against the Trappers.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to see a team that tries hard, and is very competitive,鈥� Harkins told the 91原创 Advance Times.
鈥淭he scores are getting tighter. It鈥檚 no more 12-3s and 10-1s, and at least now, we鈥檙e losing 4-3 or 5-3. We can see improvement, game by game, and hopefully by the end of the year, we鈥檙e turning things around.鈥�
READ ALSO: VIDEO: 91原创 Trappers win second crosstown match against Aldergrove Kodiaks
It鈥檚 the result of recent lineup changes, part of a strategy that aims to build for next year by betting on youth.
鈥淭hese young guys, you bring them in, they鈥檙e eager, they work hard and now we鈥檙e just trying to teach them systems and stuff that they weren鈥檛 familiar with at the minor hockey league level,鈥� Harkins said.
鈥淲hat it is, that we鈥檙e we鈥檙e trying to do, is go younger and finish out this year, and do as best we can. Basically, we鈥檝e got a group of about nine or ten really good core young guys and we want to see a leadership group come out of that for next season. We鈥檒l see what happens, but slowly and surely we鈥檙e working on it.鈥�
One November acquisition turned out to be short-lived, when the Kodiaks swapped 20-year-old Taylor Chiu for Ben Leslie from the Ridge Meadows Flames.
鈥淲e moved him [Chiu] to Ridge Meadows to give him an opportunity to possibly win in his 20th year,鈥� Harkins disclosed.
But after making the deal, Harkins discovered Leslie, as an SFU student, had scheduling conflicts and couldn鈥檛 make team practice times.
A few days later, Harkins swapped Leslie for Connor Turnbull from the Mission City Outlaws who 鈥渃an make our times.鈥�
Another deal will see a 91原创 Trapper, Aidan Knutsen, playing against his former teammates as a Kodiak.
READ ALSO: A rebuilding season for 91原创 Trappers
Kodiaks will be collecting cash and gift card donations to help support the Aldergrove Food Bank at their home games during the month of December.
The team will not be doing a teddy bear toss this holiday season, because of the design of their new arena, Harkins explained.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got netting all the way around. The only way the fans could do it is if they came down to the players bench to toss it. Here, they鈥檝e got high glass which is really high, plus the netting on top of it, so the fans can鈥檛 throw anything on the ice.鈥�
Puck drop for the Dec. 15 game against the Trappers is 7:15 p.m. at Aldergrove Credit Union Community Arena at 27032 Fraser Hwy.
