BCHL Changes Schedule:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:


BCHL changes schedule

Published: June 16, 2009

After a season spent cultivating local rivalries, the B.C. Hockey League will return to a double-interlock schedule with all 17 teams making an appearance in each opposing arena in the 2009-10 season.
As a result, the Vernon Vipers will both host and visit every team in the upcoming BCHL season.
“It’s good for the fans because they get to see every team at least once,” said Vipers’ head coach/GM Mark Ferner.
Ferner noted the expansion Williams Lake Timberwolves have caused the league to tweak the regular-season schedule, and he’s not convinced the resulting changes are all that balanced.
The Vipers will play four of the five Southern Interior teams – Penticton Vees, Westside Warriors, Merritt Centenials and Trail Smoke Eaters – six times each in the regular season.
They will face the Salmon Arm SilverBacks seven times, as chosen via lottery, with the extra game being played at the Sunwave Centre.
That leaves the Vipers facing the three Northern Interior teams – Quesnel Millionaires, Prince George Spruce Kings and Timberwolves – four times each.
However, the northern teams get to play one another 10 times, which is the part that concerns Ferner.
“I’m not a big fan of it. We’re (southern teams) down here slugging it out, and Prince George gets to play 10 times against an expansion team,” said Ferner, noting expansion franchises have traditionally been weaker than established teams when they first enter the league.
Ferner admitted a more balanced schedule would likely mean more road trips up north.
“The travel would have been a pain, but we would have been fine with it.”
In other changes around the league, the Mainland and Island Divisions have been dissolved, leaving a total of eight teams competing in the Coastal Conference, and nine in the Interior.
The playoff structure for next season has also been adjusted, with two additional teams set to make postseason appearances. A total of seven representatives from each conference will qualify for the playoffs, with the top seeds in each receiving a first-round bye.
The remaining six teams in each conference will face off for the remaining three conference semifinals berths.
BCHL governors also adopted an NHL rule that states defending players will no longer be able to make a line change following an icing call.
The league also approved the addition of a clipping penalty, which penalizes certain hits made below the waist.