With back-to-back Atlantic region titles in 2023 and 2024 under their belt, Warrant Officer Pier-Olivier Poulin doesn’t want to say anything as the 14 Wing Greenwood senior men’s hockey team gets set for the 2025 regional tournament.
“We’re going to try and win, is all,” Poulin says. He is a player/ coach this year, along with coach Warrant Officer Dave Jamieson.
5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown hosts Atlantic senior men’s regionals February 3 to 7 at Soldiers Arena, with teams from Gagetown, Greenwood, CFB Halifax and 12 Wing Shearwater. Senior men’s is the new name for the former old timers’ division and, with no national tournament this year; the regional title will be the 2025 bragging rights.
Greenwood has several team members into their 50s, and was working through last practices in January to pare down the number of 37-year-olds allowed on an old timers’ roster.
“We’re getting 16 or 17 players out at every practice all winter, but it’s old timers – many are often higher ranked and it’s tougher to leave work. We’re getting in good skates, we can see what we’ve got. The cuts – it’s better to have that, than not think we can ice a team. We’ll look at the most deserving and the best players and put a team together.”
Roster potential included several new personnel, posted into 14 Wing from last season, along with a few new to the 37-year-old age requirement for senior hockey. With team veterans, and the cap on 37-year-olds, “it makes it complicated.”
Poulin adds fitness will be one of the biggest factors –for any team.
“That makes a difference.”
This 2025 tournament will be Jamieson’s last – marking 17 years coaching Greenwood’s senior team (with a few breaks for away postings). As he gets set to retire, the “high hopes from two years ago (the 2023 national win) are the hopes for this year.
“We won in Esquimalt, and we never win at nationals. That happened.”
Jamieson says team members’ commitment will tell the tale this year, from “following up on a pass to making goals.
“These guys are great.”
Schedule
February 4
8 a.m. opening ceremony
8:30 a.m. Game 1 Halifax vs Gagetown
2 p.m. Game 2 Shearwater vs Greenwood
7 p.m. Game 3 Greenwood vs Halifax
February 5
8 a.m. Game 4 Gagetown vs Shearwater
2 p.m. Greenwood vs Gagetown
7 p.m. Halifax vs Shearwater
February 6
9 a.m. quarterfinal 4th vs 3rd
7 p.m. semifinal Winner QF vs 2nd
February 7
9 a.m. final Winner SF vs 1st
