Emergency goalie enjoys weekend on road

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This article was published 06/02/2024 (590 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nixon Ordway has apparently become the first customer in the Brandon Wheat Kings’ new experience-tourism initiative.

With Carson Bjarnason on the shelf with an injury — the Carberry netminder has since returned to the lineup — the Wheat Kings found themselves heading west for a Western Hockey League trip to Alberta from Jan. 26 to 28 with just one goaltender, backup Ethan Eskit.

Since Wheat Kings director of player personnel Chris Moulton knew Ordway’s father Rob, they reached out to him to see if the Lethbridge product was interested in joining them for the weekend as the emergency backup goalie.

And like experience tourism, it was going to be an intensive, hands-on weekend.

“It was awesome,” Ordway said. “One hundred per cent I would do it again if they called me. It was a lot of fun and I’m super glad I got the opportunity. A big thanks to the Brandon Wheat Kings and the whole organization for making it as good as it could be.”

The netminder also served as an emergency backup for the Lethbridge Hurricanes last season. One of their goalies was injured, and when the callup goalie’s flight plans were disrupted, Ordway sat on the bench for a game in Lethbridge and the next night at the Calgary Saddledome against the Hitmen.

Ordway, who turned 20 last month, plays in the 13-team Heritage Junior Hockey League with the Coaldale Copperheads. He is in his second season with the club as he works through his first year of engineering at the University of Lethbridge. He is planning to transfer to the University of Alberta in Edmonton next fall.

The Copperheads carry three goalies, so getting permission from the club wasn’t very difficult.

“We have a 25-man roster in our league so we had an extra goalie,” Ordway said. “I gave him the heads-up at practice on Tuesday and he said it was an awesome opportunity and to have a lot of fun.”

Since Ordway grew up in Lethbridge, he knew and had previously played with Rylen Roersma, who is from nearby Raymond, and was also familiar with the other local player, Carter Klippenstein.

“I knew Roersma a little bit more,” Ordway said. “I played a couple of years with spring with him growing up and in summer camps all the time. Klippenstein is a little bit younger than me, but I still knew him from around the rink.”

After classes ended on Thursday, he and his father drove to Calgary to join the team at the hotel.

“I met Ethan Eskit, who was really nice,” Ordway said. “I got to room with him the whole weekend, and then packed all my stuff on the bus and just rode with the team for the rest of the weekend.”

He said one of the nice things was players went out of their way to welcome him, which he appreciated.

“They were great,” Ordway said. “Everybody was super nice. Everybody asked my name and I got to know everybody pretty well though the warmups and even in the pre-game skates. They did a really good job of making me feel like part of the team for the little while I was there.”

Major junior players are essentially treated like young pros, staying in nice hotels, eating nutritious and travelling in some level of comfort on a well-appointed bus. Ordway said it’s impressive for an outsider.

“Everything is run super, super professionally, especially being at those NHL, high-level rinks,” Ordway said. “Lots of stuff is set up for the team, like the breakfasts before. It’s always ready and always on time. The pre-ices, water bottles set out, pucks, towels in the dressing room. It’s just the next step, everything is just one step above to make the playing experience feel that much more professional.”

Ordway had been on the ice at the Saddledome with Lethbridge last season, but it was his first visit to the Centrium in Red Deer and Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The other part of the experience came on the ice. It’s a big step up having WHL shooters when you’re playing Junior B.

“It took some time to adjust,” Ordway said with a chuckle. “The first couple went right by me. As the weekend went on, I felt like I started to adjust a little bit more. Still, with the speed and the playmaking, once I’m beat, I’m beat. It was a lot of fun to see the creativity and some of the plays that just don’t get made in our league.”

Brandon went winless during the trip, falling 8-0 to Calgary, 5-3 to the Red Deer Rebels and 5-4 to the Edmonton Oil Kings in overtime. Ordway had the best seat in the house on the bench, and was quickly drawn into the action on the ice in front of him

“That bench atmosphere is intense,” Ordway said. “There’s lots of back and forth, lots of chatter on the bench. Everybody gets up and everybody helps pull the team together and everybody just cares so much about the outcome, which is super awesome.

“Going to overtime in Edmonton was pretty intense. Just that atmosphere and being right there is so cool and so surreal.”

That’s one of things he’ll be sharing with his Junior B teammates.

“The atmosphere between the two teams is quite a bit different,” Ordway said. “It’s a bit less focused down in Junior B. The way they play and the intensity and some of the video stuff I saw is pretty cool.”

He’ll also be mentioning the goal-line tips that Nolan Flamand does on the power play, calling it unstoppable.

Ordway’s father travelled with the team for the weekend, and the two drove home together to Lethbridge after the overtime loss to Edmonton as the bus headed back to Brandon.

He’s thankful for every bit of the experience, and the generosity the team showed him.

“I got to keep the jersey I wore, which was super cool,” Ordway said. “My dad will love to hang that up in his room. I broke a stick in the first pre-skate and the equipment staff was quick to grab me a replacement, which I was super, super grateful for.

“They have some traditions. Everybody has a handshake and stuff, and they let me join in on that and made me feel like a part of the team. It was a lot of fun.”

» pbergson@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @PerryBergson