You could forgive Virden Oil Capitals head coach and GM Tyson Ramsey if he was frustrated. His team has outshot the Niverville Nighthawks in both games of their Turnbull Cup final series so far, but lost both contests.
Ramsey, however, showed no signs of any frustration ahead of a pivotal game three tonight in Niverville. Being down 2-0 might not be ideal, but it’s not cause for any panic from the veteran head coach either.
“We’ve liked the way we’ve played,” Ramsey said. ” Five-on-five, we’ve done a really good job spending more time than they do in the offensive end of the rink. We’ve done a good job getting the puck out of our end of the rink, into theirs, and spending time down there. Their goaltender is playing really well, he was the best in the league during the regular season and he’s certainly showing that now.”
Ramsey and his team have ample reason to trust the process by now. They’re in the midst of one of the best seasons in franchise history, in their league final for the first time since 2018, and in pursuit of the city’s first ever MJHL championship.
“We missed the playoffs a year ago and there were some bad feelings after a season like that where we expected more,” said Ramsey. “The guys returning had that in the back of their mind coming into the season this year. Our guys did a really good job of being consistent and buying into the way we need to play. It was a really good season for us and we expected to make the playoffs and then go deep, and here we are.”
Virden’s road to the finals helped prepare them for some adversity. They swept the Neepawa Titans in round one, then went up against a strong and (by the standings) favored Steinbach Pistons squad in the second round, eventually prevailing in six games.
“Steinbach forced us to play a little faster and a little heavier,” said Ramsey. “They’ve got a good offensive group so we had to make sure we were good in our defensive end of the rink. That really prepared us well for Niverville. Our d-zone has been really good, our exits have been great, and now we’re feeling it on the offensive side. Against Neepawa and Steinbach we filled the net a little bit.”
Whichever team ultimately prevails in this series will win their first ever championship (Niverville joined the league in 2022-23 as an expansion team) and for the Oil Capitals that championship really would feel like one for the City of Virden and all of WestMan. Their roster is dotted with players from Virden, Brandon, Boissevain and Killarney.
“We’ve had some good success with our local guys, not just from Virden, though we have a lot of Virden guys as well, but from the surrounding area too,” Ramsey said. “We’ve had really good success with those players, really good character kids, they’ve been a big part of our program for the last couple of years. We take pride in that, in giving the Manitoba kids a place to play and compete.”
Whatever the outcome of game three tonight in Niverville, the series will shift back to Virden for game four on Thursday night, and that’s where the crowd at Tundra Oil and Gas Place will become a factor, as they have been all season long.
“We’ve had great support not just in the playoffs but all season long from our season ticket holders, business partners, and fans in the surrounding area,” said Ramsey. “We’re pretty fortunate that our community has supported us the way they do. The last couple of games against Steinbach, I don’t know if I’d ever heard the place so loud, and then they came out and did it again for game two in the final. It’s super appreciated.”
As for entering game three down by a 2-0 count in the series, Ramsey has a simple mantra for his team the rest of the way.
“It’s seven games for a reason, and it doesn’t matter what order you win them in.”
