Liam McOnie believes if the North Okanagan Knights had survived for one more season, they would have iced a team capable of winning a Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) championship.
Instead, the Knights are no more, having been sold and relocated to Quesnel, the league announced Thursday, April 4.
The team was acquired from Knights owners Dean and Mynah Keller by Quesnel businessman Tracy Mero. The Quesnel River Rush will be the third KIJHL franchise in the Cariboo along with the 100 Mile House Wranglers and Williams Lake Mustangs.
McOnie, who was the head coach and GM of the Knights for the past three seasons, said the move was in part a business decision, as the Knights had the second-lowest attendance in the league.
sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 sure that was a factor,sa国际传媒� he said, adding attendance did pick up sa国际传媒渨hen it got down to the nitty-gritty and the playoffs.sa国际传媒�
The Knights made it to game seven of the second round in the KIJHL playoffs this season, losing that game against the Princeton Posse 7-0 on March 18.
McOnie said this past season sa国际传媒� in which the Knights overcame a slow start and went on to give a dominant Posse team a run for their money sa国际传媒� was the highlight of his time behind the Knightssa国际传媒� bench.
sa国际传媒淕oing through all of the adversity that we faced at the start of the season and emerging at the end of the season as a strong team, and really turning boys into men, I thought this group of guys we had this past year was very special.sa国际传媒�
And based on the quality of the teamsa国际传媒檚 returning players and the players the team had signed for next season, McOnie says the 2024-25 season could have been the Knightssa国际传媒� year.
sa国际传媒淚 truly believe that the team that we would have had this upcoming season would have been a championship caliber team,sa国际传媒� he said.
McOnie said there were sa国际传媒渁 tonnesa国际传媒� of North Okanagan locals on the team who will now have to decide if they want to play in Quesnel.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 going to be difficult for them to accept that they wonsa国际传媒檛 be able to play junior hockey at home,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淣ot a lot of kids in junior hockey get the luxury of being able to play at home.sa国际传媒�
The rights of the players remain with the team through the transition to Quesnel, and McOnie said the players will be contacted by incoming coach Dale Hladun to see if they want to play in Quesnel, or if they instead want to request a trade or release.
McOnie believes there is an appetite for junior A hockey in Quesnel and is confident that locals will come out and support their new team.
sa国际传媒淚 think theresa国际传媒檚 a tonne of local support as shown with their senior team,sa国际传媒� he said, referring to the AA Quesnel Kangaroos of the Canadian International Hockey League.
The Knights represented the North Okanagan for 15 years, and McOnie said itsa国际传媒檚 tough to be leaving the community that has supported the team for so many years.
sa国际传媒淲e really cansa国际传媒檛 speak highly enough about the people that stuck by our sides,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淚t meant a lot for myself as an Armstrong local and Isa国际传媒檓 sure it meant a lot to all of our local players and even our non-local players to see people paying their hard-earned money to come and support us.sa国际传媒�
The Knights joined the KIJHL in 2009 and had their most successful season in 2012-13, when they advanced to the finals and lost the championship series against the Castlegar Rebels in five games.
sa国际传媒淭he KIJHL would like to acknowledge the Keller family and all of the volunteers, billets, fans and sponsors who have contributed to 15 years of junior hockey in Armstrong,sa国际传媒� said league commissioner Jeff Dubois.
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