Members of the Thompson Okanagan Lakers at their opening game at the Esso Cup at Kal Tire Place April 21. (photo credit: Hockey Canada)

By Pete McIntyre

national championship

Host team’s coach likes chances to make the final four at the Esso Cup

Apr 22, 2024 | 3:00 PM

The head coach of the Thompson Okanagan Lakers admits they were a little sluggish to start the Esso Cup tournament.

However, Ed Patterson said that can happen when a team hasn’t played a competitive game in about five weeks.

“That was the layoff from a finals in the [B.C. league] playoffs until now. I thought the girls did a fantastic job of getting their feet back underneath them, dealing with all the nerves and excitement that go with hosting an event like this,” Ed Patterson told Vernon Matters after his team’s 2-0 win over the Northern Selects from Atlantic Canada on Sunday night at Kal Tire Place in Vernon.

It was the team’s opening game at the six-team Canadian women’s under 18 national hockey club championship.

With several hundred fans on hand for his team’s opening game, Patterson said it was phenomenal to get the support.

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“There is lots of family and friends here for everybody. I think as the tournament goes on, it’s more of a marathon, not a sprint, so we just want improve ourselves every single game, win or lose, and set the tone for the semi-finals and hopefully the final.”

Patterson said his team is made up of girls from around the region, just like the other five teams.

“Our girls are from Trail, Okanagan, Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops, all over the place.”

The coach said the only difference is that Alberta and Saskatchewan don’t have any boundaries, so they can get players from all over the place and make “somewhat of an all-star team.”

“At the end of the day, it’s the team that works the best, and that’s why hockey is a great team sport. You’ve got to work together, you have to love each other and compete together to be succesful.”

Patterson doesn’t believe there is a clear favourite at the tournament, saying anybody can beat anybody else on any given day.

“To win anything, you need a bounce or two, and luck on your side, but the ladies are there as far as talent and compete. They definitely are in the top four to get to the semi-finals and what happens from there, you never know,” the former WHL and NHL player said.

Patterson said Kal Tire Place is the perfect venue for the event.

“It’s awesome. I’ve played in this rink plenty of times and coached a lot. It’s a beautiful facility. I’ve been to plenty of Vipers games, plenty of big games there, and the fans in Vernon and around this area, always come to support good hockey.”

Ed Patterson, head coach of the Thompson Okanagan Lakers. (submitted image)

Patterson has coached the Lakers for a couple of years. Before that, he was head coach of the KIJHL’s Kamloops Storm for eight years and was an assistant coach with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers for two seasons.

Patterson played his minor hockey in Delta before making the jump to junior with the Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos and Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. He accumulated 15 years of professional hockey experience, playing in the International Hockey League (IHL) in North America, Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany, Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom and the National Hockey League, where he played 68 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1993 to 1997.

The 1-0 Lakers play the Pacific representative, the Edmonton Junior Oilers (1-0), at 7 p.m. Monday.