It’s a team looking for redemption.
The Stratford Fighting Irish are looking to get back to the finals after a disappointing finish last season, losing in the semifinals against rivals Alvinston.
“We didn’t get beat, we lost to Alvinston who is a good team,” said Fighting Irish president/general manager/head coach Jamie Petrie. “ We shot ourselves in the foot, we were undisciplined and to me that was the difference in the series.”
A lot has happened in the off-season. The Fighting Irish and the rest of the Western Ontario Senior Hockey League have merged with the Central Ontario Super Hockey League to create the Ontario Super Hockey League.
“We are still in the same division as Alvinston,” said Petrie, who is also the founder and co-commissioner of the league. “They don’t like us and we don’t like them, so we have a good rivalry.”
The league has seen lots of interest in expansion, and the goal is to eventually grow it into four or five divisions and go straight across the province. But for this year there will be 15 teams, including nine in the same loop as Stratford.
The Fighting Irish hit the ice for the regular season starting on Friday against Petrolia with hunger in their bellies and revenge on their minds.
“We’ve had to pivot a little bit,” said Petrie. “We have a good nucleus coming back, but we need to change the mindset moving forward.”
The Fighting Irish were the most penalized team in the entire league last year.
“It’s a mindset, and it starts with holding myself and some of the older players accountable,” said Petrie. “We need players to play the game right or they won’t be playing. We have an eager bunch; we had 26 players show up to our first practice. The players are fired up, they seem pissed off about what happened last season, and a pissed off, motivated group is a good thing.”
A Fighting Irish game isn’t just about hockey.
“Putting on a hockey game is the easy part,” said Petrie. “We want to create a unique atmosphere different from anything else around. Four years ago I really had to pitch myself and the team to partners. We went from 500-600 fans to averaging 700-1300 fans in our community.”
“The ultimate goal for the on-ice product is simple," said Petrie. "We want to get back to the finals."
