Justin Daigle: West Auckland Admirals Captain on their double header against the Dunedin Thunder

The West Auckland Admirals have experienced a good season so far, sitting second on the NZ Ice Hockey League table.  

This weekend they’re taking on the Dunedin Thunder in a double header that’s crucial in ensuring they maintain their spot. 

Justin Daigle, captain of the Admirals, joined D’Arcy Waldegrave to discuss. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
We're talking the Admirals there hockey team and ice hockey team.
They've enjoyed a positive season in the ins at IHL
so far that you're currently sitting at second on the ladder.
This weekend they take on the Duneed and Thunder and
a double header pretty crucial to ensure they keep that
spot on the ladder. Justin Daegil as the captain of
the Admirals, he joins us now more inner Justin.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Hey, thanks for having me again, Darcy. Always good to
be on the show.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
And always great to talk hockey with you. And another
big weekend for the pure West Auckland Admirals. The way
I got your sponsor in there, they're taking the Thunder
from the Deep South. What do we know about this fixture?

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Yeah, I mean, look, they're they're a competitive team.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
They've they got some good imports they brought over from
from Canada and got some good, good youth down there
with some young players who they got a bit of
a revolving door with players that attend the university down there.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
So look, they're they're a strong side.

Speaker 4 (01:08):
We we know it's going to be a big test,
and uh yeah, we're sort of pushing for This is
sort of the game to decide the semi final hosting
and things like that.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
So there's a lot on the line and it's going
to be a good game.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
How much does that change what you put on the
ice considering the weight of the exchanges?

Speaker 4 (01:25):
I think you know we we we always have our
game plan, We trust our players and coaches do a
good job of putting people in positions to be successful.
So really it's just understanding the magnitude of the whole
thing and and really putting a good effort out there
and doing our best to not leave anything up to chance.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
And when a team visits or that they have to
face in waste Auckland, what should they be not afraid of?
Because hockey players aren't scared of anything, but what should
they be aware of when they get out to Evandale.

Speaker 4 (01:56):
I think you know we're we're the type of team
that brands we play a hard nosed style of hockey.
We we like to play with speed in all threes
owns and obviously play a physical style, so teams know
to come in and it's going to be a battle,
and they're gonna have to be ready for a physical game.
And we've got the best fans in the league by far,

(02:18):
so buildings always just packed, and the atmosphere is awesome,
and you know, it's noisy and everything you want out
of a hockey game.

Speaker 3 (02:26):
So yeah, we're ready for it.

Speaker 2 (02:28):
I tell you what. We had one of your team
and members of associates, Coke Captain's on the show a
couple of weeks ago. Mister Jones ain't bad after all.
Might you be to watch yourself, you might find yourself
being moved out.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
No, look, Flynn Flynn's a great, great young player.

Speaker 4 (02:47):
I actually started coaching him when he was about ten
or eleven years old, and you used to always joke
that one day we'd be teammates. And we've been deep
partners for I think four or five seasons now, so
time time ticks on. But no, Flynn Flynn's a great
ambassador for the sport and represents the Admirals with pride
and is everything we we look for in a teammate

(03:07):
and somebody to carry the banner.

Speaker 2 (03:09):
Now, you've got two games going on the weekend. The
double heaters always works like this full forty five this
afternoon later puck drop on Sunday six o'clock. Any reason for.

Speaker 3 (03:19):
That, look just just sort of the way it works out.

Speaker 4 (03:22):
I mean, the rink is busy, there's there's always groups
looking to get in there. So I think it's just
a nature of some bookings and things, and we just
got sort of pushed a bit a bit back for
the Sunday game.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
But but yeah, should should be all good.

Speaker 4 (03:36):
I mean, still the fans turn out, it's it's awesome
to see, even on a school night or a work night.
Benefit is that this this weekend is obviously school holidays,
so should be a packed house either way, you would like.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
To think so everybody there on the ASL though. I
spent a week bit of time there when I was
off getting my knee rebuilt. Night and I'm sat there,
watched my daughter ice skating, and I sat there for
about an hour and I forgot that I really need
to bring a cushion because you get a cold cold backside.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, you do, for sure.

Speaker 4 (04:04):
You definitely want to layer up when you're coming to
check out the games, and uh and yeah, even a
blanket something like that, just to just to keep your
keep yourself warm, although although once you see the excitement
and the energy of the game itself, you're you're bound
to heat up.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
And uh there's.

Speaker 4 (04:19):
Always some some beverages that can help with that on
site too.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
It's way too skinny, hey, just in the competition as
a whole, shaping is the the go to team from
what you've seen so far. Does favoritism still sit with
the Stampede.

Speaker 4 (04:35):
Yeah, Well, at the moment, they're out front, they've got
you know, a few points on us in the standings,
but you know, we play them down in Queenstown in
a couple of weekends time, so obviously huge implications this
weekend against the Thunder and then uh, you know, massive
implications when we head down to Queenstown and face them
down there.

Speaker 2 (04:55):
And one last word on the strength of hockey in
west Auckland. You mentioned the young players coming through on
the up and that it seems to be increasing in
popularity and also interaction with the amount of people wanting
to play the game. Are you feeling that surge?

Speaker 3 (05:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (05:12):
Absolutely, I mean I haven't seen them myself, but I
hear there's a few new programs out there that features
some hockey related themes and things like that, so I
don't know if it's off the back of that, but
attendance has been huge. Our youth programs are growing steadily
and things are all moving in the right.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
Direction to really put the sport on the map here.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
So fantastic work. You keep representing west Auckland up proudly
justin Dagil. As always, thanks for your time and expertise.
You play hard, play fair.

Speaker 3 (05:42):
Thanks a lot, theres you appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
For more from the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Waltergrave,
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