One year ago I embarked on a journey with junior hockey. I had zero experience in junior hockey at any level. What I saw though, was a community looking for a leader to help bring a high level of hockey back to Oklahoma City.
It is important to me to build a lasting culture within the community. I wanted to bring young and fun energy to our organization. Adding Josh Berge as our Head Coach was just that. He brings years of experience playing and coaching that could quickly translate to winning on the ice along with having fun with the team. With Josh and his additions of Mick Berge and Tanner Karty we have begun to build a culture that will have a long lasting influence on any player who comes through our organization and within our community.
In just a short time we have brought back the winning culture in Oklahoma City. Currently sitting in second place in our division and in the top 5 in the league we are back in the hunt. We are working within the youth hockey organization to help promote hockey in the city. We are volunteering within the community to help these young men grow off the ice as well. We will continue to inspire as many people we can.
It hasn’t been all success though. The global pandemic has certainly put a strain on how we can operate. Sponsors are such an important part to the success of a program. As a new owner, in a new league, and add a global pandemic it has been a struggle all year to keep things moving forward. A lot of blood, sweat, heated conversations (even a couple gloves being dropped), and A LOT of cash has been poured into this program. We depend on our fans, sponsors, donations, etc. to operate year after year. Thank you to those who have! And as always if interested in supporting please contact me!
As we continue to grow we will also continue to strive for excellence. We will continue to promote players into college or the NAHL. We will continue our focus of developing players on and off the ice. We will work with our local hockey community to help develop home grown talent to the next level.
Of course none of this would be possible without our great staff, volunteers, and fans. Thank you most importantly to Rick Gowin, without Rick I would never of had the opportunity to purchase the team. He continues to support and love this team as best as he can. Angie Hedge has been a pivotal part of organizing our players into homes and coordinating families to take them in. Samantha and Ron Comes – super fans that continue to be at every game and bring the love these guys need! They are often an extension of family to these players who come from all over the US. Daryl Rowley – The man who runs Arctic Edge. He has been patient with this organization and allowed us to continue building our legacy. Tyler Fleck – without his vision and love for all things Oklahoma City Blazers junior hockey would not live in OKC. George DuPont – George has been a key part of minor hockey in OKC and helping transition into a better development ladder. He has brought in our staff and players to help connect a path from minor to junior hockey in OKC.
Thank you to: Jackie Brenner, Will Brenner, Matt Donovan, Elizabeth Mullins, Mark Berge, Larry Donovan, Anthony Goforth, & Ben Barber
Thank you!
Jake Runey
