OMG’ s HOCKEY STORY OF THE MONTH
Pilot Mound Academy Set to Add Female Program
By Scott Taylor Photos courtesy Pilot Mound Hockey Academy
HOCKEY STORY
OF THE MONTH
Rod Collins has a right to be proud of what he’ s done, creating a male hockey academy in tiny Pilot Mound, Man.
The first place team in the Canadian School Sports League’ s Midget Varsity Division, the Pilot Mound Buffaloes finished their second season of competition with a record of 26-4-0( 33-19-4 overall). It was such a successful campaign that three of the Buffaloes won CSSHL individual awards-- Tyrae Fountain was named the Midget Varsity Most Valuable Player; Ben Hilhorst won the award as Midget Varsity Top Defenseman; and Carson McConnell earned a spot on the CSSHL All-Academic Team and was named WHL Scholastic Player Of The Year.
These successes have come quickly for a small hockey academy located in a tiny community 60-kilometres west of Morden. However, for the academy’ s founder, 70-year-old Rod Collins, it’ s not a big surprise. After all, he knew how difficult the project would be, but he never thought for a moment that it wouldn’ t be a success.
However, Collins has his sights set on expansion. Now that the boys program is successful – and is almost full for next season – he wants to add girls’ hockey. He has the facilities. The local school is on board and the team plays out of the Black Jack Stewart Memorial Arena inside the Pilot Mound Milennium Complex. He and his investors have just purchased $ 500,000 worth of dorms and study space from an oil site in Alberta. The Pilot Mound Hockey Academy is growing and a girls’ program is next.
“ The boys program has been quite successful and right now, boys are knocking down the doors to get in,” said Collins.“ Our ultimate goal is to get girls into the program and because we’ ve been approved by both Hockey Manitoba and Hockey Canada and have been accepted into the Canadian School Sports Hockey League, our goal is get the program started this coming season.”
Collins certainly has help, when it comes to developing these programs. His daughter, Delaney, is a former Canadian National women’ s team player who is now coach of Canada’ s U-18 team. Collins himself played senior hockey with the old Pilot Mound Pilots and went to coach at both Lord Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask., and at Shattuck-St. Mary’ s School in Faribault, Minn.
The annual cost for the 10-month boys’ program is about $ 26,000( for Manitoba players). That includes room and board, travel and most of a player’ s equipment. It is certainly in line for what most student-athletes pay to attend other programs such as Pursuit of Excellence, Okanagan Hockey Academy and The Rink Hockey Academy.
“ The boys have been successful, but we now want to provide that option for the girls,” Collins added.“ Our biggest issue in recruiting for the girls’ team is just getting the word out. We’ ve had one training camp( end of April) and we’ ll have another on May 7. The boys program has drawn athletes from all over the world. I’ d love to have a large number of Manitoba kids in the girls’ program. Our ultimate goal is to put these high school girls in a situation where they get university hockey scholarships.” n
Larry Finnson and OMG Candy of Winnipeg are outstanding supporters of amateur hockey throughout our province. Game On Magazine is proud to partner with OMG to select the Manitoba Player of the Month. Our Player of the Month will appear in every issue of Game On, Manitoba’ s Hockey Magazine, in 2017.
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