Here's the highlights of the Express' 9-2 win over Victoria Friday.
Highlights courtesy of Cary Derksen.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
EXPRESS CRUISE TO WIN OVER GRIZZ
The Coquitlam Express cruised to a 9-2 win over a depleted Victoria Grizzlies team that dressed only 14 skaters.
The opening moments of the game showed the Express were ready to play and showed they were determined to give a strong effort for the full 60 minutes.
The line of Alex Petan, Taylor Bourne and Malcom McKinney got the proceedings going on the first shift of the game with McKinney scoring just 17 seconds into the contest. That goal was just the first of what would be a big night for this line.
McKinney scored again less than 5 minutes into the game taking a drop pass from Petan and snapping home a wrist shot past Nicholas Taylor. For McKinney, the two goals helped bump a slump that saw him register just 2 goals and 1 assist in his previous 8 games.
Chase Kaiser got Victoria on the board scoring on their first shot of the game roofing a great shot over Khaleed Devji on the powerplay.
McKinney and Petan were back at it again on the powerplay picking up their 3rd points of the period setting up a goal by Zach Hodder.
Coltyn Hansen pulled the Grizzlies back within one firing a wrist shot past Devji.
Just 1:22 later the Express were back up by two as Mitch Nardi re-directed a centering pass from Jace Hennig home. The goal for Nardi was part of a strong night for him as well. He played with a presence. He had a strong nose for the net all game long driving hard to the Victoria cage numerous times Friday night.
The dominant opening period saw the Express out shoot the Grizz 16-4.
It was more of the same for the Express in the second period.
Head Coach Jon Calvano took Alex Kerfoot off the line with Brady Shaw and John Siemer in the second period and put Kerfoot with Jace Hennig and AP call up Adam Rockwood. The three skilled youngsters looked magical at times together and their hockey sense working as a unit was a treat to watch on the attack in the Grizzlies zone.
Mitchell Fyffe picked up just his second goal of the season after some good team work by John Siemer and Brady Shaw to set up the goal.
Then it was Alex Petan's turn to find the back of the net for the 6th Express goal of the game set up by Bourne and McKinney.
The middle frame ended with a spirited dust up between Brady Shaw and former Express Jaden Schmeisser who were exchanging jabs a few times throughout the course of the game.
For a second straight period the Express out shot Victoria 16-4.
Victoria relieved Junior B call up Nicholas Taylor after the 2nd period after allowing 6 goals on 32 shots. Taylor Pears who spent some time in the BCHL in the past mopped up in the third.
Alex Kerfoot wired a wrist shot home from the right wing on the powerplay for the 7th goal for the Express.
Petan, Bourne and McKinney capped off their big night with the captain scoring his second of the night to put the Express up by 6. Bourne, and McKinney set it up. Malcom McKinney and Petan each finished with 5 points 2 goals and 3 assists. Taylor Bourne had 3 helpers. Add it all up, the three of them combined for 15 points with 4 goals and 9 assists.
The Grizzly killer Josh Finkelstein rounded out the scoring blasting home his second of the season and second goal in as many games in the span of a week vs. Victoria.
Collectively it was a strong team performance for the home team. The only downside came in the third period when assistant coach Mark Goble took a puck off the head and had to head to the room for repairs. But he did finish the game.
The Express finished with 45 shots while allowing a season low 18 shots allowed. The 9 goals scored was also a season high.
It's back to the Island for the Express with key conference games Saturday in Cowichan Valley and Sunday in Nanaimo.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
HENNING COMMITS TO MERRIMACK
The Coquitlam Express are extremely pleased to announce that Jace Hennig has committed to Merrimack College, Division I NCAA, for fall of 2014.
Hennig, a native of Port Moody, BC, played 4 games with the Express as an affiliate before being signed by the club at the trade deadline on January 10th. Since then the 16 year old forward picked up his first BCHL points, a goal and assist, during a 5-2 win in Victoria on January 20.
"This is great news" said Head Coach Jon Calvano, "and a good commitment for local young kids to see how our program benefits the younger players". The BCHL prides itself on being a feeder league to NCAA and CIS schools and giving the opportunity for young hockey players to further develop their skills while receiving post-secondary education.
Hennig joins Alex Petan (Michigan Tech, 2012) and Rajan Sidhu (RIT, 2012) as the third Express player to commit this season.
Hennig, a native of Port Moody, BC, played 4 games with the Express as an affiliate before being signed by the club at the trade deadline on January 10th. Since then the 16 year old forward picked up his first BCHL points, a goal and assist, during a 5-2 win in Victoria on January 20.
"This is great news" said Head Coach Jon Calvano, "and a good commitment for local young kids to see how our program benefits the younger players". The BCHL prides itself on being a feeder league to NCAA and CIS schools and giving the opportunity for young hockey players to further develop their skills while receiving post-secondary education.
Hennig joins Alex Petan (Michigan Tech, 2012) and Rajan Sidhu (RIT, 2012) as the third Express player to commit this season.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
MORE BCHL TOP PLAYERS VOTING
In October and November, fans voted by the thousands to name the top-50 players in the British Columbia Hockey League’s 50-year history.
Now, the league is asking for more votes to name the top “Player of the Decade” from each of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
From today until the end of the regular season, fans can vote at www.bchl.ca by clicking on the “VOTE HERE” graphic. Fans must check one name per decade to submit their ballot.
“We had a great response to our first round of voting leading into our Celebration Weekend back in November,” said BCHL communications director Brent Mutis. “Now, we’re looking to narrow it down a little further; hopefully we get another great show of participation from fans as we honour past players.”
The BCHL regular season ends on Sunday, March 11. The list of five names will be unveiled on the first night of the playoffs which is Friday, March 16.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
RIVERMEN SQUEAK BY EXPRESS
In the first 4 games of a sequence of 11 of 13 games away from home the Express are an even 2-2. Their record was evened up Saturday with a 5-4 loss to the Coastal Conference basement occupyers the Langley Rivermen.
Langley got off to a good start in the opening minutes by jumping out to a early 6-0 advantage in shots.
Jackson Playfair opened the scoring beating Cole Huggins with a wrist shot past his glove. It was the first BCHL goal for Playfair in his 37th game.
The Express had a great chance to pull even but Malcom Mckinney couldn't beat Jim Kruger who made a great save going to his left on a 2 on 1 break.
There was some controversy in the opening frame. Alex Petan had a good chance coming down the right wing. His shot was partially stopped and juggled by Kruger, but as he was going back the puck fell under the goaltender and may have crossed the goal line. The Express celebrated as they scored, the goal judge in the building ruled it to be a good goal, but referee Grant Tyson who was well behind the play waved it off without consulting the goal judge.
The Express did get on the board before the period was done as in the dying seconds Justin Georgeson finished off a 3 way passing play with Taylor Bourne and Cody Michelle.
Langley did outshoot the Express 15-11 in the 1st period.
The Express were better in the second period. Brady Shaw gave the Express their first lead 5 minutes into the period snapping a shot past the glove of Kruger following a scramble in the slot.
Alex Petan nearly put the Express up a pair as he came down the wing but snapped a shot off the post.
That turned out to be a lucky break for Langley as just over a minute later Sebastien Pare snapped a shot through a partially screened Cole Huggins to tie the game at 2.
Mitch Nardi got a gift to put the Express back in the lead as his wrist shot from just inside the blue line eluded the glove of Kruger.
The lead could have been more if the Express buried all their chances. Alex Kerfoot had a pair of similar looking chances. Both times he got in too tight on Kruger who laid down the left pad as Kerfoot was trying to tuck it in. On both occasions Kerfoot ran out of real estate.
The game was tied at 3 entering the third following Peter McMullen's goal wth just over a minute remaining in the middle frame. The Rivermen got 3 shot attempts and the 3rd finally got through to the net.
Sebastien Pare put the Riverman back in the lead as he came down the right wing and snapped a wrist shot past Huggins low to the stick side. That was followed by some insurance shortly thereafter as Chris Tracy deftly re-directed a puck through the legs of Huggins.
The Express had their chances to get back into the game including three powerplays in the third. But the execution just wasn't there on this night. The Express man advantage finished the night 0 for 4.
Brady Shaw did pull the Express within one with just over a minute to go but it was too little too late.
Langley held on to snap their 6 game losing streak and pick up just their 2nd win in their last 13. For the Express it was just their 2nd loss in their last 11.
The Express come back home for one game next Friday vs. Victoria.
Langley got off to a good start in the opening minutes by jumping out to a early 6-0 advantage in shots.
Jackson Playfair opened the scoring beating Cole Huggins with a wrist shot past his glove. It was the first BCHL goal for Playfair in his 37th game.
The Express had a great chance to pull even but Malcom Mckinney couldn't beat Jim Kruger who made a great save going to his left on a 2 on 1 break.
There was some controversy in the opening frame. Alex Petan had a good chance coming down the right wing. His shot was partially stopped and juggled by Kruger, but as he was going back the puck fell under the goaltender and may have crossed the goal line. The Express celebrated as they scored, the goal judge in the building ruled it to be a good goal, but referee Grant Tyson who was well behind the play waved it off without consulting the goal judge.
The Express did get on the board before the period was done as in the dying seconds Justin Georgeson finished off a 3 way passing play with Taylor Bourne and Cody Michelle.
Langley did outshoot the Express 15-11 in the 1st period.
The Express were better in the second period. Brady Shaw gave the Express their first lead 5 minutes into the period snapping a shot past the glove of Kruger following a scramble in the slot.
Alex Petan nearly put the Express up a pair as he came down the wing but snapped a shot off the post.
That turned out to be a lucky break for Langley as just over a minute later Sebastien Pare snapped a shot through a partially screened Cole Huggins to tie the game at 2.
Mitch Nardi got a gift to put the Express back in the lead as his wrist shot from just inside the blue line eluded the glove of Kruger.
The lead could have been more if the Express buried all their chances. Alex Kerfoot had a pair of similar looking chances. Both times he got in too tight on Kruger who laid down the left pad as Kerfoot was trying to tuck it in. On both occasions Kerfoot ran out of real estate.
The game was tied at 3 entering the third following Peter McMullen's goal wth just over a minute remaining in the middle frame. The Rivermen got 3 shot attempts and the 3rd finally got through to the net.
Sebastien Pare put the Riverman back in the lead as he came down the right wing and snapped a wrist shot past Huggins low to the stick side. That was followed by some insurance shortly thereafter as Chris Tracy deftly re-directed a puck through the legs of Huggins.
The Express had their chances to get back into the game including three powerplays in the third. But the execution just wasn't there on this night. The Express man advantage finished the night 0 for 4.
Brady Shaw did pull the Express within one with just over a minute to go but it was too little too late.
Langley held on to snap their 6 game losing streak and pick up just their 2nd win in their last 13. For the Express it was just their 2nd loss in their last 11.
The Express come back home for one game next Friday vs. Victoria.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR 12-13 OUTLINE BCHL SEMI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The BCHL recently held it's semi annual general meeting, and there is some big news that came out of the meetings that will dramatically change the look of the BCHL for the 2012-13 season.
Read the full press release below from the BCHL for the full details.
The British Columbia Hockey League passed a number of significant motions Thursday at the league’s semi-annual governors meeting in Richmond. The changes will take effect in the 2012-13 season.
To allow more fans to attend games, governors voted to lower the number of regular season games from 60 to 56. This will decrease the number of mid-week games when fans are less able to attend. Now, a greater percentage of home dates can be held on the prime nights of Friday and Saturday.
Also, a showcase event will be held Sept. 7 to 9 at a site yet to be determined. The showcase is similar to events held in the Alberta and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey leagues where college and professional scouts are invited. Showcase results will count in the regular season standings. Each BCHL team will play two games at the event meaning all teams, except the host of the showcase, will then have 27 home dates in the 2012-13 season. Any revenues from the showcase will be split up amongst the league’s 16 clubs. Teams are being asked to submit by Feb. 1 their bids to host the event.
Another motion that passed was the decision to move the start of the regular season to Sept. 14, 2012. This will mark the date that the standard BCHL regular-season format shall commence though by that point, two regular season games will have been played at the showcase event by each team.
The season will end March 10, 2013 which means the coming season is two weeks longer than normal. This also will allow more games to be scheduled on prime nights rather than mid week.
With respect to the alignment of the conferences, there will be now be 10 teams in the Coastal Conference and it will be split into two groups called the Island Division and Mainland Division. The Island Division will include Victoria, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Alberni Valley and Powell River. The Mainland Division will include Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley, Chilliwack and Prince George.
Prince George will be given the option to return to the Interior Conference after the conclusion of the 2013 playoffs. With Prince George and Chilliwack set to join the Coastal Conference, the new Interior Conference will include the remaining teams: Merritt, Trail, Penticton, Vernon, Salmon Arm and Westside.
“These decisions were not made in haste and came only after lengthy debate by our governors,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “The BCHL considers itself an innovator and model for Junior A hockey in Canada and these decisions, not all of them unanimous, have been made with the intention of ensuring the long-term viability of our league.”
Each club has been asked to submit new playoff format ideas to the BCHL office by Feb. 1, 2012. After that, a decision will be made and announced.
Read the full press release below from the BCHL for the full details.
The British Columbia Hockey League passed a number of significant motions Thursday at the league’s semi-annual governors meeting in Richmond. The changes will take effect in the 2012-13 season.
To allow more fans to attend games, governors voted to lower the number of regular season games from 60 to 56. This will decrease the number of mid-week games when fans are less able to attend. Now, a greater percentage of home dates can be held on the prime nights of Friday and Saturday.
Also, a showcase event will be held Sept. 7 to 9 at a site yet to be determined. The showcase is similar to events held in the Alberta and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey leagues where college and professional scouts are invited. Showcase results will count in the regular season standings. Each BCHL team will play two games at the event meaning all teams, except the host of the showcase, will then have 27 home dates in the 2012-13 season. Any revenues from the showcase will be split up amongst the league’s 16 clubs. Teams are being asked to submit by Feb. 1 their bids to host the event.
Another motion that passed was the decision to move the start of the regular season to Sept. 14, 2012. This will mark the date that the standard BCHL regular-season format shall commence though by that point, two regular season games will have been played at the showcase event by each team.
The season will end March 10, 2013 which means the coming season is two weeks longer than normal. This also will allow more games to be scheduled on prime nights rather than mid week.
With respect to the alignment of the conferences, there will be now be 10 teams in the Coastal Conference and it will be split into two groups called the Island Division and Mainland Division. The Island Division will include Victoria, Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Alberni Valley and Powell River. The Mainland Division will include Coquitlam, Surrey, Langley, Chilliwack and Prince George.
Prince George will be given the option to return to the Interior Conference after the conclusion of the 2013 playoffs. With Prince George and Chilliwack set to join the Coastal Conference, the new Interior Conference will include the remaining teams: Merritt, Trail, Penticton, Vernon, Salmon Arm and Westside.
“These decisions were not made in haste and came only after lengthy debate by our governors,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “The BCHL considers itself an innovator and model for Junior A hockey in Canada and these decisions, not all of them unanimous, have been made with the intention of ensuring the long-term viability of our league.”
Each club has been asked to submit new playoff format ideas to the BCHL office by Feb. 1, 2012. After that, a decision will be made and announced.
PREDS CLAIM YIP
Brandon Yip's new home in the NHL is with the Nashville Predators who claimed him on waivers from the Colorado Avalanche.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 19, 2012) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club claimed forward Brandon Yip on waivers from the Colorado Avalanche and activated forward Jerred Smithson from injured reserve.
Yip, 26 (4/25/85), has 41 points (23g-18a) in 113 career NHL contests, all with Colorado, since the 2009-10 campaign. The Vancouver, B.C., native has been limited to 10 games in 2011-12 – going pointless – due to arm (missed 18 games from Oct. 8-Nov. 15) and groin (missed four games from Dec. 13-19) injuries. The 6-1, 195-pound right wing amassed 108 points (45g-63a) in 139 games with Boston University from 2005-09, helping the Terriers win the 2009 NCAA National Championship on a team that also included current Predator Colin Wilson.
Colorado’s seventh selection, 239th overall (eighth round), in the 2004 Entry Draft, Yip is on a one-way contract worth $750,000.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 19, 2012) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club claimed forward Brandon Yip on waivers from the Colorado Avalanche and activated forward Jerred Smithson from injured reserve.
Yip, 26 (4/25/85), has 41 points (23g-18a) in 113 career NHL contests, all with Colorado, since the 2009-10 campaign. The Vancouver, B.C., native has been limited to 10 games in 2011-12 – going pointless – due to arm (missed 18 games from Oct. 8-Nov. 15) and groin (missed four games from Dec. 13-19) injuries. The 6-1, 195-pound right wing amassed 108 points (45g-63a) in 139 games with Boston University from 2005-09, helping the Terriers win the 2009 NCAA National Championship on a team that also included current Predator Colin Wilson.
Colorado’s seventh selection, 239th overall (eighth round), in the 2004 Entry Draft, Yip is on a one-way contract worth $750,000.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
EXPRESS RECORDS UPDATE
Personally, part of the vision I had for this blog was for it to be a place to be a one stop shop for Express records, stats and some other historical information for the franchise. I personally believe it is important to have some form of a record of every single game the Express have ever played in regular season and playoffs.
Ever since I've been the broadcaster for the Express dating back to their 4th season in the league in 04-05 I've been keeping track of the Express head to head record vs. every team in the BCHL among other information.
Over the course of the last few weeks, I've spent a number of hours looking up the results of every single regular season and playoff game the Express have played in their first 3 seasons in the BCHL starting with the 01-02 season right on through to the 03-04 campaign.
Our public address announcer Brendan Batchelor told me about this website www.wayback.archive.org and I've been able to look up the Coquitlam Express website from years gone by and look up old Express scores. I also was able to use other sources the Coquitlam Now newspaper archives, the BCHL website among others to do my best to gather information on old Express games played.
Now that I've been able to tabulate this information, plus the records I've maintained over the years as the broadcaster of the Express, I would like to work on create an even more detailed Express record book. I will now be able to figure out what the Express all time record is vs. every team in the BCHL. Plus I can also work on having information on this blog of other Express records, most shots on goal in a game, most goals in a game etc. I think you get the idea where I'm going.
I won't be posting it anytime soon. I would like to wait until the current season to come to an end then take all the information I have gathered and hopefully have something posted some time after the season comes to an end.
YIP PLACED ON WAIVERS
Former Coquitlam Express sniper Brandon Yip was placed on waivers today by the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche needed to open up a roster spot when defenceman Shane O'Brien was re-activated from the injured reserve list.
Teams have 24 hours to claim him and his $725 000 cap hit or he will be sent to the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL. Yip is a unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The third year pro has had a disappointing season thus far going pointless in just 10 games this season. Yip has spent most of the season as a healthy scratch.
He started his NHL career with a bang scoring 11 goals and 19 points in 32 games in 2009-10. Last season he just had 12 goals and 22 points in 71 games.
The Avalanche drafted Yip directly from the Express in the 8th round 239th overall in 2004.
Monday, January 16, 2012
NANAIMO TO HOST INAUGURAL WEST. CDN. CHAMPIONSHIP
As we've learned earlier this season, the 2011-12 season will be the last year for the both the Doyle Cup (BCHL Champion vs. AJHL Champion) and the Anavet Cup (SJHL Champion vs. MJHL Champion) to determine who will be the Pacific and Western Region representatives at the RBC Cup.
That has been replaced with a new Western Canadian Junior A championship tournament, and it today it was announced that the Nanaimo Clippers will host the inaugural event in 2013.
Here's the full press release today from the BCHL and the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League is pleased to announce a new regional playoff format for its four western provinces beginning in 2013. The British Columbia Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Manitoba Junior Hockey League will move to a five-team tournament and crown the first-ever Western Canadian Champion.
The Western Canadian Championship will include a host team and the champion from each of the four western leagues. The 13-game tournament will include a round-robin schedule followed by two semifinal games and a championship game. The Western Canadian Champion and the runner-up will both represent Western Canada at the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship.
"Congratulations to the four western leagues on this significant step in the growth of Junior A hockey in Western Canada and across the country,” said CJHL Chairman Kirk Lamb. “The new championship format will create a tremendous opportunity to showcase our players, teams and communities and is yet another example of the strengthening relationship among Junior A leagues in Canada. I commend the four western leagues on partnering together in the development of this initiative.”
CJHL Chairman Kirk Lamb and the four western provinces are honoured to announce the hosting rights for the inaugural Western Canadian Championship in 2013 have been awarded to the BCHL community of Nanaimo, BC. The 2013 Western Canadian Championship will be held from April 26 to May 5.
“I want to congratulate Nanaimo on being selected to host the first Western Canadian Championship in 2013,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “I am extremely confident the host committee, the Clipper ownership group, their fans, the City of Nanaimo and the volunteers will work cohesively towards ensuring the championship is not only successful in Nanaimo, but the legacy left will provide a blueprint for the other Junior A leagues to follow.”
Nanaimo Clippers owner Ken Wagner is proud to bring the inaugural Western Canadian Championship to Nanaimo during a milestone season for the franchise.
“Hosting the Western Canadian Championship in conjunction with our 40th anniversary is a great way for the team and community to celebrate. I believe the Nanaimo Clippers are a flagship franchise in the CJHL and it is a true honour to be selected as the host city for the first-time event. Nanaimo offers the ultimate in hospitality, beautiful scenery and a strong volunteer base, which will result in a successful experience for everyone involved.”
The Western Canadian Championship will be hosted by the BCHL in 2013, followed by the MJHL (2014), AJHL (2015), and SJHL (2016). A Site Selection Committee will be responsible for selecting a host team annually, upon the recommendation of the host league.
About the Canadian Junior Hockey League:There are currently 10 leagues and over 130 teams competing in the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The goal of the CJHL is to enhance and expand development and exposure for its players in order to increase the number of opportunities to further their academic and hockey careers. The annual champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the RBC Cup.
About the RBC Cup:Since 1971, teams from across Canada have fought for the National Junior A Championship. The RBC Cup National Junior A Championship is currently an annual tournament between the Champions of the four regions within the CJHL and the Host Club in a quest to become the National Champion.
That has been replaced with a new Western Canadian Junior A championship tournament, and it today it was announced that the Nanaimo Clippers will host the inaugural event in 2013.
Here's the full press release today from the BCHL and the Canadian Junior A Hockey League.
The Canadian Junior Hockey League is pleased to announce a new regional playoff format for its four western provinces beginning in 2013. The British Columbia Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Manitoba Junior Hockey League will move to a five-team tournament and crown the first-ever Western Canadian Champion.
The Western Canadian Championship will include a host team and the champion from each of the four western leagues. The 13-game tournament will include a round-robin schedule followed by two semifinal games and a championship game. The Western Canadian Champion and the runner-up will both represent Western Canada at the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship.
"Congratulations to the four western leagues on this significant step in the growth of Junior A hockey in Western Canada and across the country,” said CJHL Chairman Kirk Lamb. “The new championship format will create a tremendous opportunity to showcase our players, teams and communities and is yet another example of the strengthening relationship among Junior A leagues in Canada. I commend the four western leagues on partnering together in the development of this initiative.”
CJHL Chairman Kirk Lamb and the four western provinces are honoured to announce the hosting rights for the inaugural Western Canadian Championship in 2013 have been awarded to the BCHL community of Nanaimo, BC. The 2013 Western Canadian Championship will be held from April 26 to May 5.
“I want to congratulate Nanaimo on being selected to host the first Western Canadian Championship in 2013,” said BCHL commissioner John Grisdale. “I am extremely confident the host committee, the Clipper ownership group, their fans, the City of Nanaimo and the volunteers will work cohesively towards ensuring the championship is not only successful in Nanaimo, but the legacy left will provide a blueprint for the other Junior A leagues to follow.”
Nanaimo Clippers owner Ken Wagner is proud to bring the inaugural Western Canadian Championship to Nanaimo during a milestone season for the franchise.
“Hosting the Western Canadian Championship in conjunction with our 40th anniversary is a great way for the team and community to celebrate. I believe the Nanaimo Clippers are a flagship franchise in the CJHL and it is a true honour to be selected as the host city for the first-time event. Nanaimo offers the ultimate in hospitality, beautiful scenery and a strong volunteer base, which will result in a successful experience for everyone involved.”
The Western Canadian Championship will be hosted by the BCHL in 2013, followed by the MJHL (2014), AJHL (2015), and SJHL (2016). A Site Selection Committee will be responsible for selecting a host team annually, upon the recommendation of the host league.
About the Canadian Junior Hockey League:There are currently 10 leagues and over 130 teams competing in the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The goal of the CJHL is to enhance and expand development and exposure for its players in order to increase the number of opportunities to further their academic and hockey careers. The annual champion of the Canadian Junior Hockey League wins the RBC Cup.
About the RBC Cup:Since 1971, teams from across Canada have fought for the National Junior A Championship. The RBC Cup National Junior A Championship is currently an annual tournament between the Champions of the four regions within the CJHL and the Host Club in a quest to become the National Champion.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
DARCY ROTA INTERVIEW
After practice today, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Express President and GM Darcy Rota about how the team approached the BCHL trade deadline that has come and gone.
We also covered his reaction to the deals made around the BCHL, the upcoming schedule for the Express which sees them playing 11 of their next 13 on the road, an update on Alex Petan for the road trip, and we covered the signing of Jace Hennig.
Click to listen to Darcy Rota
Hennig will fill the 16 year old spot for the Express which has been vacant for most of the season. Hennig makes the jump to Junior A after having a great season to date with the Vancouver North East Chiefs of the BC Major Midget League where he was 2nd in BC MML scoring with 24 goals and 52 points in 24 games this season. Hennig has played 5 games this season with the Express as an Affiliate player.
We also covered his reaction to the deals made around the BCHL, the upcoming schedule for the Express which sees them playing 11 of their next 13 on the road, an update on Alex Petan for the road trip, and we covered the signing of Jace Hennig.
Click to listen to Darcy Rota
Hennig will fill the 16 year old spot for the Express which has been vacant for most of the season. Hennig makes the jump to Junior A after having a great season to date with the Vancouver North East Chiefs of the BC Major Midget League where he was 2nd in BC MML scoring with 24 goals and 52 points in 24 games this season. Hennig has played 5 games this season with the Express as an Affiliate player.
NHL MID-TERM DRAFT RANKINGS
NHL Central scouting released it's mid-term ranking of prosects for the upcoming NHL draft.
Express rookie Alex Kerfoot is ranked 81st among North American skaters. The list of 210 players listed consists of 7 BCHL players. Jujhar Khaira of Prince George is ranked 1 spot ahead of Kerfoot at 80th, Salmon Arm's Morgan Zulinick is ranked 104th, Merritt's Reece Wilcox is ranked 114th, Surrey's Devon Toews 181st, former Express and Prince George sniper Paul De Jersey 203rd and just one spot ahead of Penticton Vees forward Wade Murphy.
The NHL draft goes June 22-23rd in Pittsburgh.
EXPRESS STAND PAT AT DEADLINE
The BCHL's trading deadline came and went yesterday and the Coquitlam Express decided to stand pat and go with the roster that has seen them rattle off 7 straight wins and currently occupy a playoff spot.
That's not to say they weren't active prior to the deadline with the deals that sent Taylor Love to Salmon Arm and bringing in Nicholas Wong.
So the club will stick with it's current arrangement of 11 forwards, 7 defence and the two goaltenders.
There was a fair amount of activity around the BCHL at this years deadline. Here's a look at some of the deals that involved other Coastal Conference teams in the playoff race. The biggest mover has to be the Victoria Grizzlies who came out of the weekend sitting 10 points back of the Express for a playoff spot.
The Grizz shipped out Wade Murphy to Penticton, Jarryd Ten Vaanholt to Prince George. They also dealt Goaltender Jamie Tucker, forwards Mike Collins and Mike Moran to various other locations around Canada.
Powell River traded goaltender Jamie Phillips to the Toronto Jr. Canadians, plus they sent Brenden Forbes and Taylor Carmola to the Nanaimo Clippers for Teal Burns.
The Surrey Eagles didn't make any moves at this years deadline.
Click on the link below to see a full list of trades made at the deadline this season.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
CAPS @ EXPRESS HIGHLIGHTS
Here's the highlights of the 5-4 Express OT win over the Cowichan Valley Capitals Sunday.
Highlights courtesy of Cary Derksen.
Highlights courtesy of Cary Derksen.
LUCKY #7 FOR EXPRESS
The Coquitlam Express have extended their winning streak to 7 straight games with a 4-1 win over the Powell River Kings Saturday. That was followed up with a dramatic 5-4 overtime win over the Coastal Conference leading Cowichan Valley Capitals on Sunday.
On Saturday, Mitch Nardi helped fill the void left with the absence of Alex Petan by scoring twice to help lead the offensive attack for the Express. Cody Michelle and Alex Kerfoot added singles for the Express.
Khaleed Devji posted his second straight win in just over a week vs. the Kings as he turned aside 30 of the 31 shots sent his way in a strong performance on his 20th birthday.
Matt Scarth partially spoiled Devji's birthday as he broke his shutout bid with just 2:17 in the third period.
The win kept the Express undefeated vs. the Kings this season with 4 wins and a tie.
Sunday's game vs. the Caps was another strong test for the Express as they went head to head with the top team in the Coastal Conference in Cowichan Valley.
Since the last meeting between the two teams in December, Cowichan Valley added some additional offensive depth by picking up Richard Vanderhoek and Brett Knowles in seperate deals.
Cowichan quickly opened the scoring as former Express Jake Charles beat Cole Huggins up high with a wrist shot from the slot just over 3 minutes into the game.
John Siemer pulled the Express even with one of the prettiest goals we've seen this season as he picked up the pick in his own zone and carried it with speed dangling around a Caps defender then firing a backhand over the glove of Brady Rouleau.
Click to listen to Siemer's 1-1 goal
Malcom Mckinney was awarded his third penalty shot this season in the opening minute of the second period as he was hauled down cutting to the goal. Mckinney was 2 for 2 on penalty shots earlier this season scoring vs. Derek Dun vs. the Caps back in November 2, and he scored in overtime on a penalty shot vs. Andrew Hunt of the Surrey Eagles to give the Express a 5-4 OT win back on November 5th.
This time around Mckinney wasn't so lucky as he made a move to the backhand but his shot went off the post. The Express are now 2 for 7 on penalty shots this season.
30 seconds later the Caps took their second lead of the game as their top line of Brett Knowles, Matt Brown and Devin Gannon hooked up with Gannon converting a Brett Knowles feed past Huggins to put the Caps up 2-1.
Brown then put the Caps up a pair on the powerplay as he was able to bang home the rebound of a hard point shot by Brayden Sherbinin that Huggins couldn't quite corral.
Cowichan Valley took their 3-1 lead to the third period. Malcom Mckinney cut the lead down to one in the opening minutes of the third as he snapped a shot from the slot through Rouleau.
Brayden Sherbinin appeared to give the Caps some insurance as he blasted a puck from the line past the glove of Huggins to put Cowichan Valley up 4-2 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third period.
Cole Huggins needed to be very strong for the Express in between the pipes all game long in this one. He finished with 45 saves after having 49 shots sent his way Sunday afternoon.
Huggins saved his best with just over 4 minutes to go as he stopped Logan Proulx on a breakaway as he tried to deke to Huggins' right but he kicked out his pad to keep the Express within striking distance.
That save proved to be valuable as just moments later Taylor Bourne banged home a loose puck following a won faceoff in the Caps zone to pull the Express within one with 3:10 to go. The goal for Bourne was his first point in 6 games. And it was his first goal in 7 games and just his second in his last 12 games.
The Express got their chance to tie it with just over a minute to go as Brayden Sherbinin was assessed a hooking penalty on Alex Kerfoot.
On that powerplay the Express made it count as John Siemer took a feed from the corner and snapped home his second of the game with just 45 seconds remaining in the game.
Click to listen to Siemer's game tying goal
A valiant comeback by the Express as they scored twice in the 3:10 of the game to earn a valuable point and send the game to overtime.
Nothing was decided in the first overtime.
Devin Gannon thought he had won it for the Caps in the opening minute of the second overtime but he rang a shot off the post from the slot.
Brady Shaw made sure to win it for the Express just over a minute later as he took a feed from the corner and went to the backhand and found just enough room to slide the puck home on the backhand to give the Express their 7th straight win.
Click to listen to Shaw's OT winner
Certainly one of the biggest wins for the Express this season. Plus it was one of the more dramatic comebacks I've seen from the Express in recent years.
The win moves the Express 6 points clear of 5th place Nanaimo in the race for the playoffs with both teams having 23 games remaining in the season. Plus the Express are now 10 points clear of 6th place Victoria after they lost 10-2 in Westside, in addition the Express have 2 games in hand on the Grizzlies.
More importantly however, the win pulls the Express into a tie with the Surrey Eagles for 3rd place in the conference. But the Eagles do have 2 games in hand on the Express. The Express are also just 2 points back of 2nd place Powell River with the Express having 2 games in hand on the Kings.
The win capped off a 8 game home stand for the Express in which they went 7-1. But now the schedule gets very road heavy where they will play 9 of their next 10 games and 11 of their next 13 games away from home.
On Saturday, Mitch Nardi helped fill the void left with the absence of Alex Petan by scoring twice to help lead the offensive attack for the Express. Cody Michelle and Alex Kerfoot added singles for the Express.
Khaleed Devji posted his second straight win in just over a week vs. the Kings as he turned aside 30 of the 31 shots sent his way in a strong performance on his 20th birthday.
Matt Scarth partially spoiled Devji's birthday as he broke his shutout bid with just 2:17 in the third period.
The win kept the Express undefeated vs. the Kings this season with 4 wins and a tie.
Sunday's game vs. the Caps was another strong test for the Express as they went head to head with the top team in the Coastal Conference in Cowichan Valley.
Since the last meeting between the two teams in December, Cowichan Valley added some additional offensive depth by picking up Richard Vanderhoek and Brett Knowles in seperate deals.
Cowichan quickly opened the scoring as former Express Jake Charles beat Cole Huggins up high with a wrist shot from the slot just over 3 minutes into the game.
John Siemer pulled the Express even with one of the prettiest goals we've seen this season as he picked up the pick in his own zone and carried it with speed dangling around a Caps defender then firing a backhand over the glove of Brady Rouleau.
Click to listen to Siemer's 1-1 goal
Malcom Mckinney was awarded his third penalty shot this season in the opening minute of the second period as he was hauled down cutting to the goal. Mckinney was 2 for 2 on penalty shots earlier this season scoring vs. Derek Dun vs. the Caps back in November 2, and he scored in overtime on a penalty shot vs. Andrew Hunt of the Surrey Eagles to give the Express a 5-4 OT win back on November 5th.
This time around Mckinney wasn't so lucky as he made a move to the backhand but his shot went off the post. The Express are now 2 for 7 on penalty shots this season.
30 seconds later the Caps took their second lead of the game as their top line of Brett Knowles, Matt Brown and Devin Gannon hooked up with Gannon converting a Brett Knowles feed past Huggins to put the Caps up 2-1.
Brown then put the Caps up a pair on the powerplay as he was able to bang home the rebound of a hard point shot by Brayden Sherbinin that Huggins couldn't quite corral.
Cowichan Valley took their 3-1 lead to the third period. Malcom Mckinney cut the lead down to one in the opening minutes of the third as he snapped a shot from the slot through Rouleau.
Brayden Sherbinin appeared to give the Caps some insurance as he blasted a puck from the line past the glove of Huggins to put Cowichan Valley up 4-2 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third period.
Cole Huggins needed to be very strong for the Express in between the pipes all game long in this one. He finished with 45 saves after having 49 shots sent his way Sunday afternoon.
Huggins saved his best with just over 4 minutes to go as he stopped Logan Proulx on a breakaway as he tried to deke to Huggins' right but he kicked out his pad to keep the Express within striking distance.
That save proved to be valuable as just moments later Taylor Bourne banged home a loose puck following a won faceoff in the Caps zone to pull the Express within one with 3:10 to go. The goal for Bourne was his first point in 6 games. And it was his first goal in 7 games and just his second in his last 12 games.
The Express got their chance to tie it with just over a minute to go as Brayden Sherbinin was assessed a hooking penalty on Alex Kerfoot.
On that powerplay the Express made it count as John Siemer took a feed from the corner and snapped home his second of the game with just 45 seconds remaining in the game.
Click to listen to Siemer's game tying goal
A valiant comeback by the Express as they scored twice in the 3:10 of the game to earn a valuable point and send the game to overtime.
Nothing was decided in the first overtime.
Devin Gannon thought he had won it for the Caps in the opening minute of the second overtime but he rang a shot off the post from the slot.
Brady Shaw made sure to win it for the Express just over a minute later as he took a feed from the corner and went to the backhand and found just enough room to slide the puck home on the backhand to give the Express their 7th straight win.
Click to listen to Shaw's OT winner
Certainly one of the biggest wins for the Express this season. Plus it was one of the more dramatic comebacks I've seen from the Express in recent years.
The win moves the Express 6 points clear of 5th place Nanaimo in the race for the playoffs with both teams having 23 games remaining in the season. Plus the Express are now 10 points clear of 6th place Victoria after they lost 10-2 in Westside, in addition the Express have 2 games in hand on the Grizzlies.
More importantly however, the win pulls the Express into a tie with the Surrey Eagles for 3rd place in the conference. But the Eagles do have 2 games in hand on the Express. The Express are also just 2 points back of 2nd place Powell River with the Express having 2 games in hand on the Kings.
The win capped off a 8 game home stand for the Express in which they went 7-1. But now the schedule gets very road heavy where they will play 9 of their next 10 games and 11 of their next 13 games away from home.
KINGS @ EXPRESS HIGHLIGHTS
Here's the highlights of the Express 4-1 win over Powell River Saturday.
Highlights courtesy of Cary Derksen.
Highlights courtesy of Cary Derksen.
Friday, January 6, 2012
BULLDOGS @ EXPRESS HIGHLIGHTS
Here's the highlights of the Exrpress 3-1 win over Alberni Valley.
Highlights courtesy of Cary Derksen.
Highlights courtesy of Cary Derksen.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
EXPRESS WIN TIGHT BATTLE WITH DOGS
It was a tight battle for the full 60 minutes, and the Express found a way to prevail by a score of 3-1 over Alberni Valley extending their winning streak to 5 games thanks in part to Cole Huggins.
The Express netminder finished with 37 saves, with 17 of those coming in the third period alone.
The game started with a bang as in the opening minute Turner Popoff leveled Express captain Alex Petan. He was clearly shaken up on the hit. He did finish the period, but Petan didn't play in the second and third periods. Mitch Nardi quickly came to the defence of his captain and dropping the mitts with Poppoff.
Max Fenkell set the tone for a strong game in the Bulldog crease with a number of nice saves off the Express in the opening period.
Coquitlam finally broke through late in the period as Cody Michelle snapped a shot from the slot and got just enough on it to power it through Fenkell to open the scoring.
The game remained 1-0 until the 7 minute mark of the second period when Alex Kerfoot set up John Siemer who blasted home his 18th of the season along the ice through the legs of Fenkell to put the Express up 2-0.
The lead was quickly cut back down to one just 28 seconds later as the Bulldogs won a faceoff in the Express zone and Evan Tironese re-directed a Nick Tupper point shot through the legs of Cole Huggins.
The Express needed their netminder in the third period. Alberni Valley pressed for the entire period looking for the equalizer, but Huggins stood tall for the entire frame to keep the Express in the lead.
Alberni Valley's best chance to tie the game came with just under 3 minutes to go as Justin Georgeson and Jason Bird were each called for seperate minors giving the Bulldogs a 6 on 3 advantage for a full two minutes after pulling Max Fenkell.
The Bulldogs pressed with a number of quality chances on the great chance to tie it, but Huggins came up with a game saving performance for the Express to cap off a 17 save third period.
Justin Georgeson iced the game in the dying seconds picking up his second point of the game by scoring into an empty net.
Alberni finished the game outshooting the Express 38-29. Both teams went 0 for 6 on the powerplay.
The Express are back in action Saturday when they play host to the Powell River Kings.
The Express netminder finished with 37 saves, with 17 of those coming in the third period alone.
The game started with a bang as in the opening minute Turner Popoff leveled Express captain Alex Petan. He was clearly shaken up on the hit. He did finish the period, but Petan didn't play in the second and third periods. Mitch Nardi quickly came to the defence of his captain and dropping the mitts with Poppoff.
Max Fenkell set the tone for a strong game in the Bulldog crease with a number of nice saves off the Express in the opening period.
Coquitlam finally broke through late in the period as Cody Michelle snapped a shot from the slot and got just enough on it to power it through Fenkell to open the scoring.
The game remained 1-0 until the 7 minute mark of the second period when Alex Kerfoot set up John Siemer who blasted home his 18th of the season along the ice through the legs of Fenkell to put the Express up 2-0.
The lead was quickly cut back down to one just 28 seconds later as the Bulldogs won a faceoff in the Express zone and Evan Tironese re-directed a Nick Tupper point shot through the legs of Cole Huggins.
The Express needed their netminder in the third period. Alberni Valley pressed for the entire period looking for the equalizer, but Huggins stood tall for the entire frame to keep the Express in the lead.
Alberni Valley's best chance to tie the game came with just under 3 minutes to go as Justin Georgeson and Jason Bird were each called for seperate minors giving the Bulldogs a 6 on 3 advantage for a full two minutes after pulling Max Fenkell.
The Bulldogs pressed with a number of quality chances on the great chance to tie it, but Huggins came up with a game saving performance for the Express to cap off a 17 save third period.
Justin Georgeson iced the game in the dying seconds picking up his second point of the game by scoring into an empty net.
Alberni finished the game outshooting the Express 38-29. Both teams went 0 for 6 on the powerplay.
The Express are back in action Saturday when they play host to the Powell River Kings.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
SHUFFLING THE DEFENCE
The Express blueline has gone through a couple of changes since returning from their Christmas break.
First of all, Taylor Love was traded to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in exchange for future considerations.
That was followed by the Express picking up the rights to 20 year old blueliner Nicholas Wong from the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL in exchange for the Junior A rights to Tyler Hart and future considerations.
Wong gives the Express another defenceman with BCHL experience having played 17 games and registering 3 goals and 9 points with the Trail Smoke Eaters this season. He has played in 174 career BCHL games with Trail and the Cowichan Valley Capitals scoring 10 goals and 62 points.
The Express defence now consists of 3 20 year olds with Wong, Rajan Sidhu and Clinton Atkinson.
First of all, Taylor Love was traded to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in exchange for future considerations.
That was followed by the Express picking up the rights to 20 year old blueliner Nicholas Wong from the Grande Prairie Storm of the AJHL in exchange for the Junior A rights to Tyler Hart and future considerations.
Wong gives the Express another defenceman with BCHL experience having played 17 games and registering 3 goals and 9 points with the Trail Smoke Eaters this season. He has played in 174 career BCHL games with Trail and the Cowichan Valley Capitals scoring 10 goals and 62 points.
The Express defence now consists of 3 20 year olds with Wong, Rajan Sidhu and Clinton Atkinson.
OH CANADA AT WORLD JUNIORS
Here's a video I filmed of Oh Canada being played at Rexall Place in Edmonton after Canada's 3-2 win over the U.S. at the World Junior Championships.
Enjoy...
Enjoy...
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