Lightning strikes MJHL

May 20, 2004

The Minnesota Junior Hockey League announced that it has accepted the membership of the Twin Bridges Lightning. The St. Louis-based team will commence play for the upcoming 2004-05 season.

The Lightning, owned and operated by the St. Charles Jr. Hockey Association (SJHA), is led by president Kevin Coe, vice president-GM Dave Wallace and vice president-finance Bob Tweddle.

“We're excited the Twin Bridges Lightning aggressively pursued admission into our league,” said MJHL president Ken Gaber. “Our investigation showed that the organization has many people deeply involved in making this a fine place for young men to play junior hockey and gain some great skill advancement.”

"We have been completely impressed with the leadership of the MJHL,” said Coe. “Bringing St. Louis into the league demonstrates the progressive nature of the league, and we’re proud to have been accepted.”

The Lightning will play its home games at the St. Louis Mills Ice Zone in Hazelwood, Mo. The venue serves as the practice facility for the St. Louis Blues and is located in a brand-new shopping mall. Twin Bridges will also play a portion of its home games at Iowa State University in Ames and the Kanlan Ice Sports Complex in Kansas City.

“Twin Bridges brings with it a strong history of youth hockey development,” said MJHL commissioner Bob Breu. “This is a positive step for the MJHL as we patiently move forward with expansion.”

Darin Kimble will serve as the Lightning’s head coach. He played in over 300 NHL games with four different teams.

"Darin brings a wealth of experience to our organization,” said Coe. “He knows what it takes for players to advance to various levels throughout their careers and he teaches and expresses his experiences extremely well.”