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Meet the Ghostriders – The Free Press
Thursday, November 19, 2020 Page A11
Meet the 2020/2021 Ghostriders Watch Ghostrider games at Hockeytv.ca and selected establishments throughout town
Welcome to the 2020-2021 season!
It definitely has been a crazy year with so many unknowns. Our team is excited to play hockey this year even though it looks very different. Our boys are doing their best to ensure they are prepared and following all protocols. This season will see us stay within the Eddie Mountain Division, playing the Creston Valley Thundercats, the Kimberley Dynamiters, the Columbia Valley Rockies and the Golden Rockets. Our game schedule is reduced to 30 games with minimal travel staying within a 4 team cohort. Creston will be with the cohort until Christmas and Golden will come into the cohort after Christmas and Creston will then play in the West Kootenay. We have some new faces on the bench this season. Helping our Head Coach and General Manager will be Andy McIntyre and Taitum Doering. Thomas Skelton has also returned for another season. It will be an exciting year as we have a hard working group of players who are ready to compete! Looking forward to another season of Ghostrider Hockey! The Board of Directors of the Fernie Ghostriders
Message from the Coach Jeff Wagner returns as the Head Coach and General Manager of the Ghostriders for his 3rd year in Fernie. Over the past 2 seasons he has helped the team finish 5th and 3rd in the league respectively with a combined 59-266-7 record. Since his arrival, Wagner has also assisted in promoting 13 players to higher levels - 8 to the collegiate level and 5 to the Junior A ranks. While this year is different in many ways, Wagner credits the hard work of the community in making this season possible. “There has been a lot of work put in by many people behind the scenes. Amy Demarchi and Brett Logan have worked tirelessly to get the Fernie Memorial Arena up and running in a way that is safe and sustainable for all its users. The rink staff has been firm in their expectations and at the same time, amazingly accommodating to help us in any way they can.” Wagner also sends his gratitude to the businesses in town. “A lot of our sponsors have stepped up and shown their support despite the economic implications that the pandemic has had. Billet families have also shown their generosity by continuing to open their homes for players from out of town. It has been a humbling experience to see the community come together and help each other out. We hope that our players and staff can find ways to give back throughout the season, despite the restrictions we have to work with.” The regular season begins on November 13th when the team takes on the Kimberley Dynamiters. Games can be viewed at select establishments throughout town and on HockeyTV. Jeff Wagner, Head Coach/GM Fernie Ghostriders