As many Jets fans will fill the seats at the Canada Life Centre to watch the Winnipeg Jets wrap up their regular season Thursday night, chaplain Lorne Korol has had a front-row seat to see the on-ice stars grow in their faith. 

"We had our last Jets chapel on Monday and talked a lot about the platform that we have and this great game of hockey that we can use to honour and glorify God," Korol says. "Their platform right now is the biggest it has been throughout the season and as the playoffs go on, the platform gets bigger."

With the added pressure, Korol is excited to see how the Jets handle it. "The guys are dialing into their faith and are playing for God. One of the things they can do by playing for an audience of one, is it takes the pressure off because the stakes are high and there's a lot of pressure on them to perform."

Getting to see the players live out their faith has been a treat for Korol. "We all say shine your light to the Lord and let the Lord's light shine through you. It's so great to see their character. Our leadership group [in chapel] is the same leadership group on the team. Mark Scheifele as our chapel leader, along with Adam Lowry and Josh Morrissey, to see the way they carry themselves, how they take care of the younger guys, and how they grow their faith. It's rich."   

Going through the ups and downs of the hockey season poses challenges. "We have guys that are on top of the mountain and we have guys that want to get in and play. To see them ground themselves in their faith and their families so that they see the bigger picture, I'm so proud of them. Whether it's the top player or a guy trying to get into the lineup, they all realize they have a role but more importantly they have a role in the Kingdom," Korol says.

"There's a physical side, a mental side, and a spiritual side," Korol breaks down the total athlete adding, "We come alongside to help with the spiritual side, to develop that total athlete. It allows them to be grounded and that they're playing for something far greater than the game."

Korol says that at the last chapel, they talked about Paul and how he had to be ready. As the Jets get ready for the playoffs, they need to be ready. "Not just to go into a game but ready for ministry within their team or within their community. We don't know when the next person is going to come up, maybe it's the one sitting next to you and has someone sick in their family, or needs care, it may not be someone in the chapel program, but you have to be ready with the ministry to help at any given time."

Moving forward, Korol asks for prayers for, "The players to focus. There are a lot of distractions and gameday routines are going to be different than normal, often that's the difference between a playoff and a championship team. Also, they would play for an audience of One. Pray that they would really get that, that they would understand that they're doing this for God and they're using this great game of hockey to honour and glorify God. For myself, pray that I'll have ample chances to interact with them and to be a listening ear and ultimately to be there for them."