PENHOLD – Competitive men’s hockey is coming to Penhold.
The newly formed Red Deer Rustlers Senior AA men’s team will hit the ice at the Penhold Regional Multiplex this season, starting Oct. 13.
“We decided there’s quite a bit of talent around that we think we can compete in a competitive league,” said Michael Dempster, president of the organization and captain of the team. “It’s the first year for us and the first year that Red Deer has put a team into the North Central Senior AA Hockey League (NCHL)."
The organization has a six-member board of directors and a 29-man roster.
The Rustlers are one of nine teams in the league this season, said Dempster, adding most players are in the 25- to 30-year age range, and many have had professional careers in Junior A hockey, the Western Hockey League (WHL), Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) and at the college and university levels.
They have now all finished their junior hockey days and returned home to Central Alberta to begin careers in other professions and start families.
However, the competitive hockey bug still remained.
“That’s the whole reason for us wanting to start (the team). We felt there was a lot of gas left in the tank, so to speak,” said Dempster, noting the high skill level of many players.
“Having a competitive platform to play on again was something we all itched for,” he added.
The Red Deer Rustlers have 16 forwards, 11 defencemen and two goalies. Notable players on the team include Kyle Pess, Johnny Li, Brett Bothwell, Dustin Moore and Dempster.
With such talent and high-calibre players on the team, Dempster said there was a burning desire to bring new competitive men’s hockey to Central Alberta.
And Penhold was the perfect fit.
“Once the idea came to fruition, we were all very excited,” said Dempster, adding they will play for the Senior AA provincial championship this season.
“We have goals as a board of directors and we have extremely high goals as a hockey team. We feel that as our first year, it doesn’t really matter. Our goal is to win a provincial championship in year one.”
Dempster said they also want to provide an enjoyable night out for Penhold and area families.
“We want to make it a fun hockey environment that is family friendly, and we want to have a good product on the ice,” he said. “We want people to come to Rustlers games.”
Some details are still being finalized, he said, adding individual tickets are $10 for a game, with kids free of charge. Season's tickets are $65 and include eight home games.
Without taking anything away from other competitive teams like the Red Deer Rebels or the Innisfail Eagles, the Rustlers are hoping to make a name for themselves and gather a loyal following of fans across Central Alberta this year.
“We’re the Red Deer Rustlers by name but we really want to be Central Alberta’s team,” Dempster concluded.
The season opens Oct. 13 at the Penhold Regional Multiplex. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
