Game On Magazine 2017 Nov Game On low res | Page 24

“
LISI HAS
COME A
LONG WAY
DESPITE
THE FACT
HE DIDN’T
GROW UP IN
A HOCKEY
FAMILY
”
season in the KJHL last year,
but he took a year off to get
started in school. He admits
now that taking time off was
not a good idea.
“I started playing when I
was six or seven years old with
St. Andrews hockey,” said Lisi.
“I lived near the Maples area
and I couldn’t play at the right
time so I went to St. Andrews
for a couple of years and then
moved back to Maples when I
was nine.
“I played for the Avalanche
and Aces in St. Andrews
and then played three years
with the Maples Monarchs.
I played A-1 with the Red
River Flames, played Double
A North Stars when they
were still around and I just
kept going up from Triple A
Bantam with the Hawks and
the Sharks the next year.
2 4 | G AM E ON | N OVEM BER 2017
Then I played one year of
High School hockey with the
Garden City Gophers.
“The high school league
was a lot of fun. It was fun
with our team and fun with
the guys I was playing with.
I really enjoyed it. But then,
when I was 17, I joined the
Satelites.
“After one year with the
Satelites I got traded to
Lundar and played for the
Falcons for a year. The next
year, what would have been
my 19-year-old season, I took
the year off to get school
started. However, after a
year of missing it – and I will
honestly say it was the worst
mistake of my life, because I
just love the game too much
– I decided to come back. I
rejoined the Satelites at 20
and now I’m back for my last
year, my fourth year in the
league. I love playing for this
team in this league. It’s just a
lot of fun.”
Lisi has come a long way
in the game despite the fact
he didn’t grow up in a hockey
family. “No, I’m not from a
hockey family at all,” he said.
“My father was a martial artist
and a soccer player and my
mother was a figure skater. I’m
actually the black sheep of my
family in that department. The
techniques in figure skating
and hockey skating are similar,
but hockey is a much different
undertaking than figure
skating. But like my mom when
she was a figure skater, I’m on
the ice as much as I can be and
I love every minute of it.”
Last season, in officially
Lisi’s third year in the league,
the Satelites finished 15-18-
0-1. This year, Lisi is hoping
that despite a pretty major
turnover of personnel, North
Winnipeg will take a shot at
winning the Baldy Northcott
Trophy.
“We had a young team last
year,” he said. “It took a few
games to get the ball rolling,
but we got better as the year
went on. We had a young
goaltender, Wyatt Emes, who
played very well for us and I
wish him all the best with St.
Vital in the MMJHL this year
(he’s won the No. 1 job with
the Vis this year). He will be
tough to replace.
“This year, we have
another young team. It’s
looking a lot like last year’s
team, but hopefully we
can come together as the
season goes along and win a
championship.”
Regardless of what happens,
Lisi is going to cherish his
final year in the KJHL and no
doubt he’ll take a few more
small steps toward his dream
of becoming a coach. ❍