Like any reputable hockey coach, Dan Auchenberg already had a sound scouting report on Lloydminster before moving to the Border City to become coach of the U18 AAA girls’ Steelers.
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As a veteran coach at various levels, from junior A to U18 girls’ and boys’ teams, he had been down this road before.
“I’ve always respected Lloyd,” Auchenberg said in late April as his Steelers hosted the Esso Cup U18 girls’ hockey championship at the Centennial Civic Centre in Lloydminster. “I’ve found it’s always a tough place to play. They’re always committed to a hard-working team, whether it’s on the female side or on the male side.
“You’ve got to come into Lloyd expecting a physical game all the time. It was the same thing when I first started with the girls here. That’s kind of the mentality. They’re not shy about working hard. And it’s working in their favour.”
Auchenberg and his Steelers made a favourable showing in the six-team national championship tournament, beginning with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Eastern Stars of Prince Edward Island in front of a supportive hometown crowd April 20 at the Civic.
It set the tone for the week, as the Steelers went on to finish with a 3-4 record that included an overtime loss in their semifinal against the eventual champions, the Edmonton Junior Oilers White.
Just days before the Esso Cup, Auchenberg’s efforts with the Steelers during the regular season were recognized as he was named the U18 AAA coach of the year in the Alberta Female Hockey League.
“I truly think this award is a big team award more than anything, because they’ve bought in to what we’ve asked from the start of the year,” he said. “It’s not just an individual award. Winning something, it has to do with your support all the way around you all the time. That makes you a better person or a better coach or a better player, whatever it is.”
The provincial award was the latest honour for a coach with a long history in Alberta rinks. That reputation made Auchenberg an attractive candidate for the Lloydminster post in 2023 when he made the move from his longtime home in Sherwood Park.
Now three years into his Steelers’ job, Auchenberg and his wife Daisy consider Lloyd as their hometown.
“I don’t think we’re intending to move anywhere quickly, at all,” said Auchenberg, the general manager of the Lloydminster Minor Hockey Association. “We’re very comfortable here. We like Lloyd. Daisy likes Lloyd. The community here has embraced Daisy very well.”
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