Trevor Stienburg is the first to admit he hasn’t been a pleasant guy to be around this week.
The Saint Mary’s Huskies men’s hockey head coach has been stewing since his club was unceremoniously demolished 10-3 by the New Brunswick Varsity Reds in pre-season play last Saturday.
Stienburg, in his 14th season as head coach, called the loss a “reality pill” and he’s having a hard time swallowing it.
“It was the longest three hours of my life, and it’s been the longest week, too,” Stienburg said. “We got embarrassed all over the ice.”
Although the regular season doesn’t start until Oct. 16, it certainly wasn’t the kind of tone the Huskies wanted to set after winning their first national title in March in Thunder Bay, Ont.
“They think they can just win games by stepping on the ice,” Stienburg said of his club. “We’re going through an attitude adjustment on the ice this week in practice and it’s not a pleasant place to be.”
The V-Reds, meanwhile, enjoyed record-setting success last season before a playoff flop that shocked the country. But they appear to be back with a vengeance.
“Other teams should take note,” Stienburg said. “UNB is for real and they have no qualms about crushing any opponent.”
