The Metro Marauders might not be ready for a run at an RBC Cup, but the franchise’s cellar-dwelling days should be a thing of the past.
The Marauders, who were known as the Halifax Lions for the past two seasons, emerged from the Maritime Junior A Hockey League’s basement in 2009-10 to finish third in the Bent Division.
They went on to nearly knock off the Pictou County Weeks Crushers in the first round.
As many as 17 players from last year’s team are eligible to return.
“We’re gonna compete,” said head coach and general manager Troy Ryan.
“But whether we take the steps to bring in top-end players right away, we don’t know if that’s in the plans.”
Ryan called it building a hockey program, not a hockey team.
“The plan is just to build a strong foundation, build it slowly, build it locally, as much as we can.”
