THUNDER BAY -- What a difference a year makes for the Current River Storm.
The Lakehead Junior Hockey League (LJHL) squad has continued its winning ways in 2024 after compiling a 10-2 record to begin the 2023-2024 season.
Their record at the same point in their inaugural season of 2022-2023 was 4-7-1.
The club has outscored their opponents 16-6 in the New Year with returning goalies Parker Ball and Paul Lecuyer holding the fort.
“Me and Parker, we just get along together like peanut butter and jam,” remarked Lecuyer after the team’s 7-2 win over the Thunder Bay Bandits on January 6th. “He's a great partner to have, and I know no matter what he's got my back and I have his.”
Ball added: “Paul is my guy. We keep going back and forth and that's what we're going to keep doing because it's working. You see us at the top of the stats board, and our defence as well has a part in that success.”
Lecuyer is in his second year of Junior Hockey and admits that his confidence is higher this year than last.
He gave up four goals on 10 shots in his Junior B debut on October 6, 2022 and was pulled in favour of Ball in a 7-4 loss to the Thunder Bay Northern Hawks at the Tournament Centre.
Two nights later he would stop 30 of 32 shots that the Northern Hawks threw at him in a 2-2 tie in the first home game for the franchise.
Lecuyer would eventually make history for himself and the franchise on October 29th by turning aside 41 of 42 shots in a 5-1 victory over the Nipigon Elks.
Lecuyer was actually a skater all the way until the formerly known Atom level of hockey (now Under-11) until he switched to becoming a goalie in the Norwest Minor Hockey Association.
After playing Midget/Under-18 hockey with the West End Bruins, Lecuyer was introduced to Storm Head Coach Robbie Untinen.
Lecuyer recalls “I was originally looking into the Kam River Fighting Walleye. I live in Oliver Paipoonge so it would have been a pretty cool experience to play with them. I was excited to join the Storm. It was a new start up and something fresh, and everything just clicked. It just worked out perfectly.”
Ball’s first win in a Storm uniform wouldn’t come until January 5, 2023 against the Thunder Bay Bandits. He would make 17 saves in the victory, which would begin a run of five wins in a row away from the Current River Arena.
Ball played 11 games with the Nipigon Elks and even suited with the Walleye of the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL). He would make 18 saves in just over 27 minutes of action in a game against the Red Lake Miners on March 18, 2022.
Ball nearly hung up the pads after his experience with the Elks.
“It was just such a bad year. I wasn't happy and I didn't see a way out. But I thought I would come out to a couple of skates with the Storm. I also tried out with the Thunder Bay Bandits and thank God I choose here because I like to win, not lose 7-2.”
Untinen noted that the Storm ended up acquiring Ball from the Elks for a Player Development Fee (PDF) as well as player to be named later.
“Once we made the trade, it was then my job to convince him to sign,” Untinen added. “Between me and his step dad, we convinced Parker to a come out for a skate to see if this would be a good fit. Now a year and a half down the road, he's one of the top goalies in the league and he seems to be having a good time with our group.”
“They are good buddies, and they both want to be the top goalie in the league. As a coach I don’t have to worry who I pick to start a particular game, as a team we have confidence in either one of them.”
Lecuyer would love to return to the Storm in 2024-2025 and still has a few more years of junior hockey eligibility.
Ball can play one more year in the LJHL and is working in carpentry after obtaining a Ontario College Certificate from Confederation College upon completing the Carpentry and Renovation Techniques program.
