Alex Bell is the newest member of the La Ronge Ice Wolves. (submitted photo/Kelly Kocur)

By Derek Cornet

Junior Hockey

‘Something I’ve dreamed of’: Bell joins La Ronge Ice Wolves

Nov 6, 2020 | 4:47 PM

Lac La Ronge Indian Band member Alex Bell, 19, has signed on to play with the Ice Wolves.

He’s the first band member to join the Ice Wolves in 14 years and he’s also the first goaltender from La Ronge. Bell most recently played with the Lac La Biche Klippers posting a 2.20 goals against average and a .932 save percentage, which were both the best in the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League.

“I took the year to fine-tune my game a little bit better and make that jump to Junior A,” he said. “I just wanted to develop and I knew I had to get my game up to the next level and I had a really good year there. The team did really well and put up good individual numbers.”

During his childhood, Bell participated in La Ronge Minor Hockey, before spending a season with the Beardy’s AA Midget Blackhawks and two seasons with North East Wolfpack. With the Wolfpack, the team won the provincial Midget AA championship in 2018.

As a child, Bell mentioned he was an Ice Wolves fan and his family billeted many of the players throughout the years.

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“This is something I’ve dreamed of since I was eight years old and watching them win here,” he said. “It’s great to stay at home and play in a rink I’m all too familiar with and I’m looking forward to getting the season going tonight.”

Ice Wolves Head Coach Kevin Kaminski explained Bell attended the main camp in September and proved himself to be worthy of joining the team. He also noted fellow goalies Xavier Cannon and Liam McGarva will be available to mentor him.

“I talked to him today about he’s got to be the hardest worker and do extra and all of that stuff, and then when he gets the opportunity, he’s got to make it happen, make it worthwhile,” Kaminski said. “I know Alex is a very good, hard working kid and it’s great to have a hometown boy on the Ice Wolves. We look forward to when he gets that opportunity to come up big for the Ice Wolves and to keep improving day in and day out.”

Tonight marks the home-opener for the Ice Wolves who are up against the Nipawin Hawks at the Mel Hegland Uniplex. The Ice Wolves will then travel to Nipawin on Saturday in back-to-back action. Both games start at 7:30 p.m. and all 150 tickets for the match in La Ronge are already sold.

“We’re in Saskatchewan. A little snow isn’t going to stop hockey,” Kaminski said about the snowstorm expected to hit the province tomorrow. “We’ve been stopped for too long.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno