Sabres set sights on second season Cooper hired as trainer

The Fort Frances Jr. Sabres aren’t resting on their laurels three months before the puck drops on their second season in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
Head coach Wayne Strachan has been busy re-signing and acquiring players to hit the ice in hopes of improving on a fifth-place finish in their inaugural campaign.
But Strachan also is looking to improve the off-ice product, and recently announced the signing of Dale Cooper as the team’s new trainer.
“We are excited to bring Dale aboard as he is a person that the organization has great respect for,” Strachan enthused.
“We know the trainer’s job will be done with pride, the players needs will be met, and he will be good for the locker-room.
“It’s a win-win situation for the ownership and the coaches, and the players will enjoy Dale’s presence around the rink,” Strachan added.
Cooper, 60, has been around the local minor hockey scene for some time, previously involved at the PeeWee level, but has never held a trainer-type position with a junior team.
“Well, somebody’s got to do it,” Cooper said matter-of-factly. “It’s a brand new experience and it should be good.”
The Sabres will kick off their main camp Aug. 21-24, with off-ice fitness training the Thursday afternoon, then they’ll hit the ice that night. That scheduled will be repeated through the Saturday.
Then the Sunday afternoon will be the first opportunity for the players to get in some semi-game action with a “Red”/“White” inter-squad game.
The team currently has one exhibition game scheduled for Sept. 5 against the rival Fort William North Stars, but Strachan hopes to schedule some out-of-league match-ups before the puck drops for real.
“We are looking to get two more exhibition games, possibly against a Manitoba Junior Hockey League team and a North American junior hockey league team,” he noted.
“We would like to bring some different teams in for our fans to watch and just to see how we stack up against other teams from different leagues,” Strachan added.
The Sabres finished last season with a 22-21-4-3 record. Fort Frances’ last SIJHL championship team was the Borderland Thunder, who won the league crown in 2002-03 with current Iowa Stars coach Dave Allison at the helm.
The Thunder later folded after their fifth season in the SIJHL in 2004-05.
A local Junior ‘A’ re-emerged as the Jr. Sabres last season under owner Carolyn Kellaway of Thunder Bay, and Strachan (who coached the Thunder during their inaugural season in 2001-02) immediately was named head coach.
The SIJHL’s 2008-09 regular-season schedule will be released after a league meeting July 9.