The Northern B.C. Inline Roller Hockey Association season starts in less than a month and with the ice gone at Kin 3, the wheels are already in motion for the Prince George Northern Knights rep team.
They've been practicing their game strategies for a few weeks now at the Roll-A-Dome and the interlocking plastic-block surface will soon be place at Kin 3, where the home makes its home for a two-month season.
Last year the league had about 125 players who competed in three age groups. The league is still looking for traveling team coaches, especially for the atom, peewee and bantam age groups.
New and returning players are invited to the freeskate/registration session at Kin 3, Saturday April 19 from noon-6 p.m. The cost to play in the 25-game house league season ranges from $155 for tykes (six-and-younger) to $175 for midget-aged players. Goalies who play the full season play for free. For more information go to pginline.com.
Prince George teams have a history of success in high-profile inline hockey tournaments.
Last May, the Prince George Suits, an all-star U-16 team that included Darren Hards, Dylan Krahn, James Gordon, Mitchell Williams, Rob Raju, Ryan Watson and Devin Wasylyshen won the triple-A division at the West Coast Classic tournament in Langley.
In July at the Canada West Cup tournament in Sherwood Park, Alta., B.C. won the 15-and-under championships and seven of the nine players on the team -- Wasylyshen, Markus Plamondon, Chris Metcalfe, Treavor Gagne, Jordan Waterson, Austin Gray, and Mitchell Truefitt -- were from Prince George. Several Prince George players were on B.C. teams that competed at the 2012 State Wars inline tournament in St. Louis.
"There's lots of talent in Prince George," said Lance Truefitt, whose midget team has plans to go to tournaments in Sherwood Park, Langley and the provincial championship in North Vancouver, June 27-30. The Northern Knights might also compete in the State Wars U.S. Roller Hockey Championships in Fort Wayne, Ind., July 30-Aug. 10.
Also on the horizon for the bantam-aged players is the B.C. Summer Games tournament in Nanaimo, July 17-20. Mac Anderson is coaching the Prince George under-14 travel team that will go to Nanaimo.
"We really want to promote the Summer Games team and keep that going," said Lance Truefitt. "We did it two years ago in Surrey and it was awesome, it was a really good time."
