Harley Garrioch has never been scared of taking the path less travelled.
The former Flin Flon Bombers captain has just wrapped up his first major tournament as a high-level softball coach.
Garrioch was an assistant coach for the Manitoba men’s softball team at this year’s Canada Games.
Working with the team was a homecoming of sorts for Garrioch. This year, the Team Manitoba roster was largely made up of players from the Pimicikimak Thunder, a fast-pitch team representing Norway House and Cross Lake, Garrioch’s hometown.
The Thunder attracted nationwide attention, winning a Western Canadian softball championship and being the subject of a TSN documentary feature.
The film, called The Sound of Thunder, portrayed the team as a pillar of hope for the communities they represent.
Pimicikimak made headlines in 2016 when the community declared a state of emergency after five suicides.
Team Manitoba started the tournament with a bang, scoring 17 runs in four innings against Team PEI and winning via mercy rule. Despite the hot start, the team went winless through the rest of the tournament, finishing in last place.
Garrioch’s coaching career began at age 16, when he started running hockey camps in Cross Lake during Christmas break.
After studying at Neumann University in Pennsylvania, Garrioch returned to Cross Lake to be the head coach and general manager of the Cross Lake Islanders hockey club, guiding them through their first season in the Manitoba junior B ranks.
Garrioch played for the Flin Flon Bombers from 2007 to 2009. Known as an intimidating physical presence, he was named team captain for his final season. He earned 42 points and a whopping 354 penalty minutes in 93 games in a Bomber jersey.
In the summers, Garrioch branched out by taking his skills to the baseball diamond, playing as an infielder with the Manitoba Senior Baseball League’s Birtle Blue Jays.
He is not the only athlete on the team to make the transition from hockey to softball.
Five players on the Team Manitoba softball team
suited up last winter for the Cross Lake Islanders junior B hockey team, which Garrioch used to lead as head coach and general manager. Justin Nachbaur and Anthony Keeper both played for the MJHL’s OCN Blizzard last season and Dennis Scatch suited up for the Norman Northstars midget team.
Today, Garrioch lives with his wife and two children in Brandon, working in Saskatchewan with the Ochapowace Nation Sports Academy as head hockey instructor and liaison. He plays on the Ochapowace Thunder senior hockey team and returns home to Cross Lake often.
