More than anything, the Rocky Rams Junior B hockey team are simply excited to hit the ice in front of hometown fans for the kickoff to the regular season on Sept. 20, against the Three Hills Thrashers.

The team ended the pre-season at .500 with split wins against Ponoka and Red Deer.

Head coach and assistant GM, Wendall Mason says he’s pleased with what he’s seen so far.

“That’s why you have pre-season, to fine tune a few things,” says Mason. “Saturday night (vs. Red Deer), I don’t think we started the way we needed to. But you know, obviously some cuts had to be made after that skate and some other guys injected into the lineup.”

While finalizing the lineup, Mason says the team recently signed 17-year-old Cooper Lawrence.

Lawrence played on the Red Deer Northstar Chiefs U-17 AAA program in 23/24, but opted out of going back to U18 AAA to pursue junior, says Mason, who anticipates the new acquisition will be a solid top-six forward who will add physicality to the lineup.

Though the Three Hills Thrashers ended the 23/24 season with a middle-of-the-pack 14-20-4 record, Mason still expects a challenge from the opponents.

“Three Hills is a pretty respectable team,” says Mason. “They always got a couple guys I would say that are more high-end. They just kind of come at you in waves.”

Mason adds, since the Thrashers’ 21-year-old goaltender from the previous season has moved on, he’s not quite sure what the team will bring to the table as far as goaltending.

The Rams’ regular season begins with a four-game home stand extending all the way until Oct. 4, something that Mason says, at times, can be a blessing and a curse.

“I think most of our guys are just happy to get back on the ice. It doesn’t matter if we’re at home or on the road,” says Mason. “We want to be a hard team to play at home, so hopefully we can get that set right off the hop before we get going on the road.”

Mason adds, he hopes to see a massive turnout for the season opener.

“There’s a lot of chatter around the league that we have some of the best crowds in the league right from the south to the north,” says Mason. “The boys love playing in front of the fans. If we’re putting a good product on the ice, then I don’t see why that should change.”

The Rocky Rams will kick off the regular season against the Three Hills Thrashers at the Rocky Arena Complex on Friday Sept. 20. Puck drop is 8:30 p.m.

The team will again play at home the following night against the Mountainview Colts. Puck drop at 7:30 p.m..