Flin Flon Bombers rookie Connor Beebe is no stranger to travelling long distances to play hockey.
Prior to joining the Bombers, Beebe played for Edge School, a private school in Alberta. That squad’s travel schedule included bus trips to BC as well as plane rides to Quebec, New York State, Ohio and other destinations.
Now Beebe, who is from Dewinton, Alta., settles in for long bus rides as the Bombers hit the road in the SJHL.
“Those trips definitely helped prepare me for the life on the road with the Bombers,” Beebe said. “We were constantly on the road almost every weekend during my four years at the school.”
The Flin Flon squad definitely spends a lot of time on the road. Bus trips to places like Estevan – about 805 km away – can be grueling. However, the Bombers feel these trips also benefit their team.
“It can help the team bond and get closer together, which is good, so we all build chemistry as a team,” said Brandon Lesko, a second-year Flin Flon forward who leads the team with 11 goals.
This week the Bombers are on the road for three games in as many days. They play in Nipawin, Humboldt, and Melville on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively. Four road games in five nights are fixtures on the SJHL schedule.
“The best part about going on a road trip is spending time with the team,” said Bombers defenceman Ben Lanfermann. “Road trips give us a good chance to get out and become a tighter group.”
Players find ways to make the time on the long bus rides go faster. Some try to sleep. Lanfermann, now in his second year as a Bomber, said he usually bounces from seat to seat talking to different guys or watching whatever movie is on.
Nate Hooper had to adjust to longer road trips as he joined the Bombers from his hometown Winnipeg Thrashers of the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League.
“The road trips are a lot longer than what I was used to in midget AAA,” the rookie forward said. “Playing for the Bombers, our closest road trip is about four hours. And playing midget we would have lots of one- to two-hour road trips. Our longest road trip in midget is when we went up to Thompson [to play the Norman Northstars]. It wasn’t too bad because we only did that once all season.”
Even Beebe has found the SJHL road trips slightly different than what he experienced at the Edge School. The Mountaineers compete in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League, which has members mostly in BC and Alberta, as well as the Midwest Prep Hockey League, which has teams scattered through eastern Canada and the United States.
To make things work, the leagues held showcase weekends where the squads would gather to play a number of games.
“Now in the SJHL we go on longer road trips where we might play in four different cities on one trip, or make a trip for just one game,” Beebe said.
No matter the length of the road trip, Beebe said it’s “always fun to steal two points in someone else’s rink.”
