I found these press releases off team websites, twitter accounts, blogs or online. All Vipers news-trades are posted on this blog as soon as released-announced.
BCHL News & Trades:
Powell River Kings Sign Wardle:
The Powell River Kings that have signed 2002-born goaltender Thomas Wardle. Wardle, 17, began the season with the Coquitlam Express, going 2-1 with a 3.00 GAA and .899 SV%. The West Vancouver, BC native picked up his first BCHL win against the Langley Rivermen (9/7), allowing two goals on 43-shots. “He’s improved over the last two years,” said Head Coach Tyler Kuntz. “Jason (Fortier) in Coquitlam really liked him, and I have a lot of friends who are really high on him. After watching him play, I like his size, his movement in the net, his rebound control, and I liked how he would fight through a screen.” Kuntz later added that Wardle is also a piece for the future. “He’s a young guy that can come back next year. I think he’s a goalie that will surprise some people, and he’s got a lot of people who are really high on him. This is all good stuff as we want someone to come in and play 12 to 15 games.” Wardle previously played for the West Van Academy Elite 15s (2017-18) and the Notre Dame Hounds Midget AAA (2018-19) where he led them to a Saskatchewan Midget Championship. He will join Derek Krall in net this season. The Kings would also like to thank goaltender Braedy Euerby all the best in his future endeavors.
Ammonia Leak Shuts Down Port Alberni Ice Rink Venue:
All programs and activities at a Port Alberni, B.C., community venue have been cancelled until further notice because of an ammonia leak discovered at the facility's ice rink on Sunday. The leak at the Alberni Valley Multiplex set off a low-level alarm indicating ammonia levels of at least 25 parts per million. According to Tim Pley, the city's chief administrative officer, it's an environment which is safe for up to eight hours. "Because of our inability to control that leak and an abundance of safety, Technical Safety B.C. directed that we turn the plant off and shut it off until it's repaired," he said. City staff are on site working with Accent Refrigeration Systems, the company responsible for ice plant maintenance, as well as WorkSafeBC and Technical Safety B.C. The leak has been located in a weld in the refrigeration system's piping. Pley says previous tragedies have made municipalities and regulators extremely vigilant when it comes to dealing with ammonia. Two years ago, three men died after an ammonia leak at the Fernie Memorial Arena in the East Kootenay city. "Fernie, as tragic as it was, was certainly a reminder to all of us that products that we take for granted, interacting with them on a daily basis, can be dangerous," said Pley. The municipality is anticipating the facility will be closed for at least a week depending on how long it takes for welders to repair the leak. As of now, Pley says, the rink's ice is still intact and if the leak is repaired, activities could resume late on Wednesday. Otherwise, they'll have to start from scratch making new ice. The closure is significant in Port Alberni, where Pley says the rink acts as a community hub. "It's a very heavily used, cherished facility," he said. "It's where everybody meets and it's used for a variety of different sports and age groups." A minor league hockey tournament is scheduled for this long weekend and several junior teams already have travel plans for games on Friday and Saturday.
Street-Hockey Movie Filmed In Kelowna To Fight Homelessness Stigma:
Downtown Kelowna was transformed into a street-hockey rink this week. Outside of the Kelowna Gospel Mission on Leon Avenue, mission residents, volunteers and the West Kelowna Warriors joined in a charitable street-hockey game, which will be turned into a small film, to bring more light to the homelessness crisis in the Okanagan. Local film group Solid Rock Video set up the lights and the cameras as players grabbed their sticks and joined in a sport that all Canadians enjoy. “Hockey is something that brings us all together,” said Solid Rock Video owner Curtis Allen. “Maybe you played street hockey growing up and maybe the guy sleeping in the tent had a dream to play in the NHL. We got to bring everyone together for a game of street hockey.” The Kelowna Gospel Mission brought in Allen’s crew for the film to help lower the stigma behind the population of people experiencing homelessness in Kelowna. Allen said that the turnout on Tuesday morning and the overall response was better than expected. “It was great to see the Warriors and the community playing together with everyone. It couldn’t have gone any better.” he said. The game also saw Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran and West Kelowna city councillor Jayson Zilkie put their hockey skills to the test against the Warriors and the energetic mission residents. “It was awesome, it was a good game,” said mission resident Greg Pearson, who played goalie during the game. “Been a long time since I’ve played goalie and I’m happy I was able to join and support community events and volunteering and helping people and try and come to a solution to end the homeless crisis.” A game of hockey won’t end the homelessness crisis in the Okanagan, but on a bright, crisp October morning in Kelowna’s downtown, the community came together to take a step forward in the fight against the stigma. Allen said that the film will be released near the end of November.
A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Junior Hockey Powerhouse Penticton:
There are easier ways to get to Penticton, B.C. There's a small, regional airport adjacent to town and a much larger one an hour up the road, just north of Kelowna. But I took the scenic way, starting in Vancouver and winding through towns that you see dotted across college hockey rosters under the "previous team" column: Coquitlam, Surrey, Chilliwack. They are all home to teams in the British Columbia Hockey League, a developmental junior league where players can stay college eligible. It is one of the primary feeders to NCAA hockey rosters. Chilliwack, in particular, has been a vital one as of late for UND. It's where alternate captain Jordan Kawaguchi and freshman Harrison Blaisdell played juniors. It's also where future UND players Ethan Bowen and Cooper Moore are competing. Kawaguchi's picture still hangs on the front door at Prospera Centre, where the Chiefs hosted and won the 2018 Canadian Junior A national championship. The drive is just beginning, though, and the end destination is Penticton, a small town in the center of British Columbia that has become a popular stopping ground for top college players. In the last decade, no high school or junior hockey team has sent as many players to UND as the Penticton Vees. From Brendan O'Donnell and Mark MacMillan to Troy Stecher, Nick Jones and Tyson Jost to the six players on this year's roster -- Adam Scheel, Colton Poolman, Dixon Bowen, Gabe Bast, Jonny Tychonick and Jackson Keane -- the Fighting Hawks have brought 12 recruits to campus in the last 10 years from Penticton. That's more than the six from the U.S. Under-18 Team, the five from the Waterloo BlackHawks in the United States Hockey League and the four from the Fargo Force (USHL), Lincoln Stars (USHL) and Okotoks Oilers in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. So, what is it about Penticton that draws so many recruits and churns out so many prospects? Let's get back to the drive. As you get on the Trans-Canada Highway leaving Chilliwack, you have mountains on one side and a creek running alongside the road on the other. It may not be the Pacific Coast Highway, but it's in the same league. Each winding turn opens up a new window of scenery that is somehow better than the one before it. There are reminders that it's not always this beautiful, though. After passing through the town of Hope, you get on the Coquihalla Highway and begin rapidly climbing in elevation. There are signs every few miles that warn travelers that the weather can change in an instant. Semi trucks get their own lane because they are nearly ground to a halt by the elevation. In the winter, it can be such a dangerously wild stretch of highway that Discovery Channel centered a TV show around a towing company that operates on the Coquihalla. They titled the show, 'Highway Thru Hell.' "I was definitely a little scared more than once," Poolman said of driving on the Coquihalla. After an hour driving north on the Coquihalla, you get to another BCHL town of Merritt, then turn east toward Okanagan Lake. One more hour and you get to the massive lake that's 84 miles long and 2-3 miles wide. Drive along the lake for 30 minutes and you arrive in Penticton. The highway that leads to Penticton, B.C., is located alongside Okanagan Lake. Vacation, hockey town Penticton, population of roughly 37,000, is located on the south end of Okanagan Lake. It's actually sandwiched between two lakes. The other side of town borders Skaha Lake, which is roughly 7 miles long. There's beachfront on both sides of town. Each morning in the summer, workers groom the sand in front of Skaha Lake's recreation area as both residents and vacationing tourists fill in. Numerous wineries dot the side of outskirts of town. But these attractions are not what bring top hockey players to town. In fact, most of them never spend a summer in town, and some never even make visits before committing to the junior program. They go there for the hockey. This is nothing new. UND has been recruiting hockey players from Penticton for decades. Howard Walker, Cary Eades, Darren Jensen, Ian Kidd and Neil Eisenhut all played junior hockey in Penticton. Outside the locker room, there's an NCAA wall with photos of all of its alums who played college hockey. You'll also find pictures of Rory McMahon, Mike Prpich, Brett Hextall and Evan Trupp there. Prior to 2008, the Penticton's junior team -- which has been called the Vees, Panthers, Knights and Broncos at different times -- played at Penticton Memorial Arena. It's a barn-styled building that's still used to this day. Now, the Vees play at the South Okanagan Events Centre, located adjacent to the old Memorial Arena, right next to the downtown area. It's just a couple of blocks away from Okanagan Lake. Outside of the arena, a Penticton Vees car sits in the parking lot. On one side of it is a picture of Scheel. On the other side, it's Tychonick. The arena seats 5,000 for hockey games. They don't often sell out games, but Penticton did lead the BCHL in attendance last season, averaging 3,119, which was just ahead of the Wenatchee Wild, Chilliwack Chiefs, Vernon Vipers and Trail Smoke Eaters. But the main recruiting and development center is down below. This is where head coach Fred Harbinson, assistants Matt Fraser and Patrick Sexton and operations director Adam West have their offices. In the coaches room, they have a whiteboard with the projected line chart of every BCHL team and an area to prepare for each weekend's games. Down the hall, there are reminders of the program's past successes: the NCAA wall, the NHL wall, tributes to every captain and every major BCHL award winner. Walker, Kidd, Prpich, Hextall, Stecher, Jost, Jones and Massimo Rizzo, a 2020 UND recruit, have all served as captain there. They even have a section of wall that records the name of every player who has ever played in Penticton -- even if it was just for a single game. The Vees have a weight room next door to the locker room. On the way to the ice is a countdown clock, a digital timekeeper that ticks away the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the next game. Similarities to UND While UND doesn't pick and choose specific junior hockey programs to recruit from, the coaching staff does like having players from successful programs. That goes way back to when Shattuck St. Mary's and the Lincoln Stars were sending dozens of players to Grand Forks and has continued with Canadian programs like Penticton, Chilliwack and Okotoks. American-based USHL teams still are the most popular junior hockey destination for UND players. There are other similarities, too. Penticton, like UND, leans on its history. And like UND, Harbinson likes to run the Vees with a professional influence. Harbinson served as an assistant coach at St. Cloud State prior to moving to Penticton. "With both Grand Forks and Penticton, you get a small-town feel," Scheel said. "Penticton is almost secluded, especially for a city kid (like me). Grand Forks has a small-town feel where everyone knows each other. So, it's kind of similar." This season is the first in a decade where UND doesn't have a player on the Vees roster, because Penticton traded away Rizzo in the summer. But the Vees -- whose current roster includes the sons of former NHLers Doug Weight, Mike Sillinger, Tony Amonte, Scott Niedermayer -- will continue supplying other college hockey programs. That's nothing new, either. Saturday night's U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game against Michigan Tech marked the third-straight weekend where a UND opponent had a Penticton player on the roster -- MSU Mankato had Ryan Sandelin, the son of Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, Bemidji State had Owen Sillinger and Zach Driscoll and Michigan Tech had Seamus Donohue. UND will see Griffin Mendel at Denver in two weeks, Sam Rossini and Jack LaFontaine at Minnesota in the first half, too. A different experience Poolman chose to play his final year of junior hockey in Penticton alongside Bowen, his high school teammate at East Grand Forks Senior High. He wanted to play in a more offensive league and have a more offensive role to develop that side of his game. But his decision to go to Western Canada was bigger than that. "I had lived in the Red River Valley all my life," Poolman said. "It was an opportunity to get out of the area a little bit and experience something new. That was the thought process for me. It really impacted my life to see different things from different viewpoints. It was pretty cool." UND's last 10 recruiting classes, previous team
12 -- Penticton Vees (BCHL)
6 -- U.S. Under-18 Team
5 -- Waterloo BlackHawks (USHL)
4 -- Fargo Force (USHL), Okotoks Oilers (AJHL), Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Eagles Name Schandor Captain:
The Surrey Eagles are proud to announce the team has named forward Hudson Schandor the captain for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. The 19 year old forward was already an assistant captain, and has been one of the Eagles best forwards through this BCHL campaign, with 8 goals and 6 assists in 17 games. The news comes after the trade of former captain Cody Schiavon. Schandor, one of the favourites in the room, is excited about the opportunity which lies ahead. “I’m super excited, and it’s super humbling. I’m really thankful for my teammates for trusting me and believing in me. I’m really excited to lead the boys moving forward.” Schandor also knows it’s a huge responsibility and is excited to help lead this team through their early season struggles. “Obviously, there’s a lot of responsibilities as a captain. We’re really going to lean on our assistant captains and some of the younger guys moving forward. I’m not going to change too much, I’m going to keep doing what I was doing, it’s just a little heavier left shoulder now.” Cam Keith was happy to name Schandor the captain, and explains the decision in another quick interview with Surreyeagles.ca. “He was selected by his peers. We had a vote to help take the team in a new direction, and it was unanimous. The only vote that wasn’t for Schandor was himself because of how selfless he is.”
Chiefs Add Murray To Roster:
The Chilliwack Chiefs are excited to announce they have bolstered their lineup with the addition of major-junior veteran forward Davis Murray. Murray, a native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, spent the past three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Edmonton Oil Kings, and the Kootenay Ice. The 6’1 forward suited up in 11 games this season for his hometown Sherwood Park Crusaders putting up one goal, one assist, to go with 103 penalty minutes. Last season with the Kootenay Ice of the WHL, Murray posted nine goals, six assists, and 67 penalty minutes. The ’99 born forward will add experience and grit to the Chiefs roster, and Head Coach and GM Brian Maloney feels like the addition will help take the young team to the next level. “We are happy with where our group is at, and we felt that it was important for us to add a player with character, and experience. Davis is a player that brings size and a heavy style of game to our lineup, and we felt like we owed it to the players in our locker room to give them every opportunity to have success as we progress through the season and towards the playoffs.” When asked about becoming a member of the Chilliwack Chiefs, Murray spoke to how excited he was at the opportunity to be a part of the tradition here in Chilliwack. “I’m extremely excited to join the Chiefs, and to come to the city of Chilliwack. I’m looking forward to meeting my teammates and coaches and am ready to get things started,” said Murray. Davis Murray is expected to arrive in Chilliwack early next week.
Merritt-Prince George Trade:
The Merritt Centennials have acquired the CJHL playing rights to Jake McLean(02)(F) from the Prince George Spruce Kings in exchange for future considerations
Ex Warriors Coach Hired 'Under Duress'
The former owner of the West Kelowna Warriors has filed a counter-suit against the former head coach of the hockey club. In paper filed earlier this week, Kim Dobranski claims Geoff Grimwood owes him nearly $17,000 for failure to provide receipts when provided cash for trips and expenses, and unauthorized financial commitments to hockey operations staff. Included in the claim is $3,000 for mouthguards which Dobranski says he was told were contra but were paid for, $8,300 for unauthorized player trades, $1,617 for a restaurant bill in Wenatchee along with $3,678 in service commitments for then assistant coaches Taureen White and Matt Miller. The counter-suit was filed along with a response to an original suit filed by Grimwood against Dobranski and the Warriors for breach of contract after Grimwood was fired in January. In that suit, Grimwood is seeking more than $30,000 in damages and fees. Earlier this month Dobranski, who assumed ownership of the team in August of 2019, agreed to sell the club to the BC Hockey League. The league is in the process of trying to secure new ownership. The latest accusations have not yet been proven in court. A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for January.
Second Crack Discovered In Alberni Arena’s New Ice Plant:
A second crack has been discovered in the new ice plant refrigeration system at the Alberni Valley Multiplex, and Technical Safety BC has ordered that the facility remain closed until further notice. City of Port Alberni staff, contractors and Technical Safety BC inspectors worked through the night Nov. 6 to repair the original crack. It wasn’t until a pre-service pressure test of the system was conducted early on Thursday, Nov. 7 that the second crack was detected. “It is disappointing to see the Multiplex close during its peak season,” said Tim Pley, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City of Port Alberni. “The City was proactive in replacing the Multiplex’s aging ice plant and to be faced with a closure in the new system’s first year of service is frustrating. However, the public’s safety is the city’s top priority.” The city installed a new ice plant in April, replacing its 20-year-old chiller. A leak in a weld on a manufactured flange in the piping system was discovered earlier this week. The problem has since been classified as a cracked weld on the flange, according to the city. The leak was first detected on Sunday, Nov. 3 while Alberni Valley Minor Hockey Association players were using the rink. Pley said they weren’t in any danger, as the alarm was for a low-level leak, so the decision was made to allow the players to finish their session before the ice was covered. “We were never in an evacuation situation,” he said. “Nobody was ever at any risk.” The news was made public on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The Multiplex will remain closed pending further testing and repair of the ice plant’s refrigeration system. Due to the time required to re-install ice in the two rinks, the facility closure is expected to last a minimum of one week and possibly longer depending on the outcome of testing. The news forced cancellation of the AVMHA’s midget rep Bulldogs’ hockey tournament scheduled for this weekend as well as two Alberni Valley Bulldogs’ Jr. A home games. “Right now we’re trying to support the Bulldogs’ home game Nov. 15 (and Nov. 17),” Pley said. Usually it’s an eight-day turnaround to get the ice in.” If the city doesn’t receive permission to start the ice chiller by Sunday (Nov. 10), the next weekend’s games will have to be postponed. It is the Bulldogs’ parents’ weekend Nov. 15, where players’ travel from their hometowns to come and watch their sons play. “If we’re not up and running by Sunday we won’t be ready for Nov. 15,” Pley said. Although AVMHA and the Bulldogs are the major user groups affected, Pley said seniors’ and women’s hockey teams and figure skating groups have also been adversely affected by the closure. The city’s recreation programmers are looking at future scheduling to see how they can accommodate these groups. While December’s Winter Wonderland public skating event hasn’t been affected yet, Pley said it’s a consideration. “Depending on how long the closure goes, it doesn’t look like it’s going to go into Winter Wonderland,” but the city is looking at whether they need to curtail Winter Wonderland dates in order for user groups to catch up. The new ice plant is under a 10-year warranty, but Pley said the city will likely open an insurance claim for the incident depending on what exactly is covered under the warranty. He said he isn’t sure whether the city is liable for costs associated with cancellation of events such as the AVMHA tournament and BCHL Bulldogs’ games. “We haven’t consulted the rental agreements yet,” he said. “To be honest, we’ve been flat out managing the closure and trying to get back online.”
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