The Lloydminster Junior A Bobcats hosted a meet and greet with newly-hired head coach Brad Rihela, right, and returning associate coach Jeff Woywitka, left, last Thursday afternoon at the team’s main office. Rihela comes to the Bobcats with roughly 10 years of coaching experience in the BCHL, CSSHL U15 and the PIJHL. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
The Lloydminster Junior A Bobcats are excited to get back on the ice for pre-season camp under the direction of newly-hired head coach Brad Rihela.
Rihela comes to the Bobcats with approximately 10 years of coaching experience in the BCHL, CSSHL U15 and the PIJHL, respectively, and he’s looking forward to hitting the ground running in the Border City.
“This is a league I’ve been a fan of for a long time and my discussions with Nigel were fantastic,” said Rihela during a meet and greet at the team’s office last Thursday.
“Early on it was pretty evident, from my perspective, it was going to be a good fit and ultimately, (I’m) just excited to get started here in Lloydminster.”
Having spent roughly 10 years coaching in B.C., Rihela explained he’s a big fan of the AJHL.
“I think it’s one of the best leagues in the country, if not the best,” he said. “I’m really excited as a coach to come into this opportunity. We have a really great staff who I’ve been fortunate to meet this week, and I’m really excited to get started and get to know our players and the community as a whole.”
As far as goals for the upcoming season, Rihela stated the ‘Cats are going to be a hard-working hockey club.
“I think every coach that’s ever been interviewed in the history of hockey says that at the start of a new job, but for us, it’s going to be about setting a standard right from day one and make sure we hold true to that.”
When asked to share one fun fact with local media, Rihela was as transparent as they come.
“I’ll be honest and throw myself under the bus right off the bat … I cannot swim,” he said.
“Maybe I’ll have to throw a lifejacket on when we’re out skating on the pond,” he added with a laugh.
The ‘Cats are also excited to welcome back associate coach Jeff Woywikta, who joined the team mid-season last year and is looking forward to picking up where he left off.
“For me and Brad, we want to be a team that’s hard to play against,” he said. “We’re quick, we’re in your face, we’re a blue-collar team, and I think that’s what Lloyd stands for– a blue-collar team that’s high-paced. We’re not bullies out there, but we want to play hard, right? We want to have skill inside of that.
“We’re excited, we’re young, we’re fresh coaches that have a lot of ideas, and we’re looking for good things.”
When asked to share one fun fact about himself, Woywitka was quick to reply with “well, I’m still single,” with a laugh.
“In my off time I like to do some fishing and camping, and I grew up on a farm so this time of year I usually go help on the farm and get my hands dirty.”
