Redvers Rockets win Big Six championship
March 24, 2025, 1:15 pm
Ryan Kiedrowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Redvers Rockets are Big Six Hockey League champions after sweeping the Moosomin Rangers in three games, claiming the Lincoln Trophy for the third time in the team’s history.
Playing Game 3 in front of a home town crowd Redvers on Tuesday, March 18, the Rockets took an early lead with a pair of goals from Drew Hoff and Kenton Miller. Second period action would see Moosomin match those points, thanks to Justin Lamontagne’s lamp-lighter 57 seconds into the middle frame, and a power play goal from Taylor Sanheim for the tie.
But that was where the Rangers’ luck ended as Redvers would go on to post four more goals—singles from Naton Miller, Presten Kopeck, Jordon Miller, and Kenton Miller’s deuce to bring the game to a 6-2 final.
“It was a really good series,” said Rockets’ Head Coach Brian Magotiaux.
“Everybody figured these two teams would meet in the finals—two good teams battling it out. It almost seems like tradition, right? It’s been like three, four years in a row here that we’ve met in the finals or semi finals. We used to have a rivalry against Carnduff back in the day, but now it seems to be more Moosomin.”
Rangers’ Head Coach Ferrel Horn noted once the post-season came around, it seemed like the problems started for Moosomin, who were the defending league champions, defeating Redvers last season.
“The season went relatively easy, but once we hit playoffs and provincial play downs, everything bottled up and we just ran into the same old thing as Redvers did last year,” he explained. “They ran into too many games in too short of a time, and we did the very same thing.”
Injuries, outside commitments, and life in general impacted the team after the regular season wrapped up.
“We’ve got complications with injuries, people working, people not showing up, and just too many games in too short a time,” Horn said. “We go from a one-game-a-week season or two games max, and all of a sudden you’re playing three in a row on weekends. You got guys’ lives involved, families and everything like that. So it complicates the issue.”
The 2024/25 season has been a rebuilding year for the Rangers, highlighted with 11 seasoned players retiring.
“To get us back to where we were again, into the finals again, it’s a real testament on the guys,” Horn said. “When you change 11 guys, and a lot of them were vets after a championship win last year, that’s hard to turn over.
Usually you fail, or it takes a while to get it back again. I thought they did a good job. We don’t want to lose in the final but we’re okay with it.”
Next up was the provincial title with the Davidson Cyclones—a series that remained undecided at press time.
“We’re hoping that we can put it together for two games and bring a provincial title back here, for the first time in 76 years,” Horn said. “That would be huge, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
The last time Moosomin brought home a Senior B Provincial title was back in 1948.
“That’s a long time ago, and they’ve lost in that final before in the ‘90s,” Horn said. “It would really top off the 50th anniversary if we could pull that off.”
Rockets provincial bound
Redvers was also preparing for a Provincial final round in the Senior D pool, hosting the Edam Three Stars on March 23 in Redvers in Game 1. Game 2 is planned for this Saturday, March 29 in Turtleford at 7 pm and Game 3, if needed, will be Sunday, March 30 in Turtleford at 5 pm.
“They’re a good team,” Magotiaux said of the Three Stars.
“I think they picked up a few guys from Paradise Hill who are supposed to be top in their league, top performers, top scorers, good defence. It’ll be a battle, the further you make it, the harder it is and both teams are there for a reason.”
For the Rockets, the schedule of Big 6 finals and Provincials worked out in their favour, allowing the team some rest before taking on the next challenge.
“It’s nice that the schedule kind of worked out good this year because we’re done the league, and got three, four days here, and then Edam Sunday, then a week off, and then back to Edam the following weekend.”
All those bonus post-season games only bring more fans into seats and dollars into Redvers.
“It’s definitely good for the community,” Magotiaux said. “They enjoy it, and it definitely helps the rink.”
This season in general has been stellar for the Rockets, and Magotiaux credits their success largely to just showing up.
“It’s a good year,” he said. “That’s kind of what we talked about last night after the win. It was like we set our goals pretty high at the beginning of the year, and 25 guys there just bought into it, and they were all in and dedicated, just a good group of guys. I don’t know too many senior teams that could run practices during the week, and there’s 20 guys there every night.
They all have the same goal in mind, and when guys buy into it, good things happen.”
Hometown proud seems to be a theme with the Rockets, another factor motivating them onward.
“Redvers sets itself apart because they’re all community guys,” Magotiaux explained. “They’re involved in the community. They live in the community. They grew up in the community, and they play for the community.”
Add in the support from a dedicated fanbase prompting the team forward, and it’s a magic formula.
“Didn’t matter who we were playing throughout the year, the fanbase is there,” Magotiaux said. “Either in Redvers or anywhere we go, there’s really good community involvement.”
By this time of the year, teams in those final contests are usually beat up and worse for wear, but Magotiaux notes the Rockets are in excellent health.
“Knock on wood—we’re not done yet! This has really been an exceptional year, because guys stayed healthy right through and I think it was kind of the way the schedule was set up for us,” he said. “We always had a few days, and we had a lot of depth. So if guys needed a night off or something, somebody else stepped up in the lineup and got the job done.”
