The 2009 Royal Bank Cup in Victoria, British Columbia is fast approaching and the 5 teams who will be competing for the Championship have earned their spots in the tournament.
The teams who have qualified are the host Victoria Grizzlies, the BCHL and Doyle Cup champion Vernon Vipers, the OJHL and Dudley Hewitt Cup champion Kingston Voyageurs, the MJAHL and Fred Page Cup winning Summerside Western Capitals and last but not least the defending Royal Bank Cup Champion and current SJHL and ANAVET Cup winners, the Humboldt Broncos.
Victoria Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are the host team for the 2009 Royal Bank Cup but be warned: These Grizzlies have bite. They finished 16 points ahead of the Cowichan Valley Capitals for first place in the Coastal Conference - Island with a record of 43-13-1-3. They also ended the regular season on a 9-1 run in their last 10 games. They earned a first round bye in the playoffs before edging the Capitals 4 games to 3 in the 2nd round to advance to the league semi finals against the Powell River Kings. The Kings eliminated Victoria in 7 games giving the RBC Hosts a nice long rest to get all their boys healthy. The Grizzlies offence is lead by forward Trevor Hertz, who had 36 goals and 36 assists in 64 regular season games and forward Justin Courtnall who had 22 goals and 41 assists. The main set up man on the team is forward Derek Lee, who only had 12 goals, but did register a team leading 47 assists in the regular season. Another key player offensively is Jonathan Milhouse, who had a shortened season due to injury, but did average a point per game in the regular season collecting 19 goals and 23 assists for 42 points in 42 games. Milhouse also led the team in scoring during the post season with 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points in 14 games. Defensively its Lee Baldwin and Shawn Stuart who anchor the blueline for the Grizz. Both Baldwin and Stuart have some offensive upside to go with their defensive prowess. In net, the veteran Anthony Grieco will likely get all the starts in the tournament although rookie netminder Alex Peck is no slouch either, winning 16 games while losing only 6. Grieco had a 2.53 GAA in the regular season to Peck's 2.69. Their save percentages were nearly identical however, with Grieco's being .947 while Pecks was .935.
Vernon Vipers: The Vernon Vipers finished the regular season with a record of 42-14-1-3, good enough for first place in the BCHL's Interior Conference (2nd overall to the RBC Host Victoria Grizzlies). The Vipers then battled their way to the BCHL finals where they defeated the Powell River Kings 4 games to 2 to earn a berth in the Doyle Cup against the AJHL champion Grande Prairie Storm. The Vipers easily disposed of the Storm, sweeping them in 4 straight to give themselves some time to heal some battle wounds for the Royal Bank Cup. Offensively the Vipers are led by the Jones brothers, Connor and Kellen. The twins led the team in playoff scoring and would have been one/two in regular season scoring had Kellen not missed 9 games. Regular season wise Connor had 19 goals and 41 assists while Kellen had a respectable 15 goals and 37 assists. Two other players to watch are Braden Pimm (24 Goals, 30 Assists) and the only member of the 25/25 club, the rookie Mike Collins (25 Goals, 25 Assists). Defensively the Vipers are led by Kyle Bigos and Cameron Brodie. Both are capable of playing very solid defence as well as occasionally chipping in offensively (Bigos had 8 goals while Brodie had 6). One knock for both players is, they tend to take penalties as both hit triple digits in PIMs with Bigos picking up a team leading 126 and Brodie registering 109. 1988 born Andrew Hammond is expected to start the games in the RBC in net as he had a nice 27-12-1 record in the regular season before playing every game in the playoffs. Hammond had respectible regular season stats with a 2.30 GAA and a .912 save percentage before blowing those number out of the water in the playoffs where he had a 1.50 GAA and an outstanding .946 save percentage.
Kingston Voyageurs: At the end of the regular season the Voyageurs had a 36-9-1-3 record, good enough for tops in Ruddock Division and 5th overall in the 37 team OJHL. Kingston then breezed through the playoffs, losing only 3 games in 3 series before meeting up with the defending OPHL champion Oakville Blades, who the Voyageurs disposed of in 6 games. The Voyageurs then played in a mini tournament for the Dudley Hewitt Cup. Kingston's only defeat in the round robin portion of the tournament was a 1-0 shutout at the hands of the Fort Williams Northstars, but due to their 12 goals for and 1 goal against, the Voyageurs still won the round robin and earned an automatic berth into the finals where they would meet the Northstars. Kingston gained a measure of revenge as they defeated Fort William 4-1 to earn a spot in the Royal Bank Cup. The Voyageurs are offense by platoon. In the regular season Kingston had 10 players with 20 or more goals (one just missed with 19). Players to watch for the Voyageurs would be top scorer Dustin Walsh who came over from the Trenton Hurricanes when the team folded and tallied 10 goals and 11 assists in 12 games with Kingston (22 Goals, 20 Assists for Trenton), Brock Higgs (28 G, 30 Assists), Ben Power (22 Goals, 36 Assists) and "The Wildman" Mike Farrell (19 Goals, 38 Assists and 149 PIM). Defensively the Voyageurs are led by Stephane Chabot who had 2 goals and 31 assists in the regular season before upping his offensive skills in the post season where he had 3 goals and 19 assists for 22 points in just 25 games. In net Shawn Sirman got all the starts in the post season where he compiled a 19-6 record with 3 shutouts and a 2.41 GAA to go along with his .932 Save Percentage. Sirman also seen the brunt of the work in the regular season where he collected a 21-5-0-3 record with a 2.36 GAA and .926 save percentage.
Summerside Western Capitals: The Capitals finished atop the MJAHL standings in the regular season with a 39-13-0-2 record. Summerside coasted through the playoffs, sweeping their first two opponents before dumping the Truro Bearcats in the finals in 5 games thereby giving them a spot in the Fred Page Cup. The team they swept in semi final round of the MJAHL playoffs and host of the Fred Page Cup, Dieppe Commandos went 3-0 leaving a 3 way tie for 2nd place at 1-2 between Summerside and the rest of the competition. Due to goals for and against Summerside finished the round robin in 2nd place giving them a semi final game against the Pembroke Lumber Kings who Summerside defeated 4-3 in OT in their round robin game. The Capitals beat Pembroke 4-1 before handing Dieppe a 3-2 loss in OT in the finals to win the Fred Page Cup and qualify for the Royal Bank Cup. Offensively the Cap's are led by Brad Smith (38 Goals, 46 Assists), Chad Locke (34 Goals, 42 Assists), Brett Gallant (24 Goals, 49 Assists), Mike MacIsaac (36 Goals, 31 Assists in just 36 games) and the set up man Spencer Corcoran (9 Goals, 58 Assists). In the post season they all kept their scoring going with Lock and MacIsaac each averaging over 2 points per game. Defensively the Capitals are led by Corcoran. When it comes to offense from the back end all they have is Corcoran, then the offensive numbers drop off the table as the second highest scoring d-man was Parker Deighan who had 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points (Corcoran had 67 points). Alex Dupuis is the man between the pipes for Summerside. In the regular season Dupuis had a record of 20-10-5, with 4 shutouts, a GAA of 2.61 and a save percentage of .912. Dupuis picked his play up in the second season however, as his record was a stellar 12-1 with a GAA of 2.31 and a save percentage of .921.
Humboldt Broncos: The Broncos ran rampant over the SJHL for the 3rd straight season compiling an outstanding record of 45-8-1-2, good enough for first place by a wide margin in both the Itech Conference and the SJHL. The Broncos had one scare in the SJHL playoffs when the lowly Battlefords Stars took them to 6 games, but then it was coasting as they ousted the Flin Flon Bombers in 4 before disposing of the Sherwood Conference champion Melville Millionaires in 5. The win meant Humboldt would meet up with the MJHL powerhouse Portage Terriers in the ANAVET Cup for the second consectutive season (last season Humboldt handed the Terriers a 4 games to none setback). Humboldt lost the first game then won the 2nd before dropping back to back games at home to put them in their biggest hole in their playoff run, down 3-1. The Broncos stormed out of the gates in game 5, scoring 6 goals in the first period enroute to a 12-2 shellacking, a game that would proove to be the turning point in the series. The Broncos went on to win games 6 and 7 in Portage in overtime to advance to the Royal Bank Cup and give them a shot at defending their title. Regular season wise the Broncos offense began on the back end, with "The Little General" Brady Wacker tallying 17 goals and 65 assists to lead the Broncos in scoring. Another defenseman, Tanner Vandesype had 22 goals and 42 assists while offensive production from the forwards came from a few players, these including the Schroeder twins Scott (27 Goals, 39 Assists) and Steve (27 Goals, 30 Assists) and Matthew Kirzinger, who missed nearly half the season due to injury (Kirzinger had 29 Goals and 23 Assists in 39 games). Other players to watch are Tory Allan (28 Goals, 25 Assists), Nick Kalnicki (18 Goals, 27 Assists) and Spencer Braaten (21 Goals, 18 assists). Defensively the Broncos are a powerhouse, with the likes of Wacker and Vandesype being able to both score at will and defend their own end easily. Kyle Cowan, Garrett Leedahl and Russian born Dimitri Levin are also solid on the blue line. In net Andrew Bodnarchuk was the man the Broncos went with in the regular season as he compiled a 25-5-0-2 record with 6 shutouts a 2.23 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Mathieu LaRochelle was acquired at the trade deadline to add some experience for the goaltending situation which payed off dearly as Bodnarchuk went down with an injury in the SJHL semi finals against Flin Flon. LaRochelle stepped up and won the Credit Union Cup before standing tall in all 7 games in the ANAVET Cup to lead the Broncos to a Royal Bank Cup berth. In the SJHL playoffs Bodnarchuk had a 7-0 record with a 1.30 GAA and a .950 save percentage while LaRochelle had a respectible 5-3 record with a 1.96 GAA and .934 save percentage.
Teams Goals For and Against Regular Season
Humboldt Broncos (West): 249 GF, 130 GA
Victoria Grizzlies (Host): 237 GF, 159 GA
Vernon Vipers (Pacific): 223GF, 145 GA
Summerside Western Capitals (East): 249 GF, 149 GA
Kingston Voyageurs (Central): 256 GF, 136 GA
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Jonas Hiller the Shark Killer
Who is Jonas Hiller you may ask? Is he a fisherman who kills sharks off the coast of South Africa? Or is it the real name of the actor who played Matt Hooper in Jaws? Actually, its neither. He is simply the reason why the Anaheim Ducks eliminated the San Jose Sharks from the 2009 playoffs. Well, one of them, the other being they were the Sharks and are not capable of winning in the second season.
Jonas Hiller is a shark killer. He went into the Shark Tank and snagged two wins, one being a shutout. Then, he decided to shutout the Sharks one more time before ending their playoff lives wit a 4-1 win. Most people only know about Hiller due to his NHL days, more recently, his playoff series that he just finished against the Sharks. I however, knew about him for a long time and at one point sent an email to the Edmonton Oilers telling them to go after this Swiss kid who was at that time playing for HC Davos in Switzerland. I was ignored.
Hiller is no flash in the pan either. He may have only played in one NHL playoff series, but his post season and tournament credentials are more then impressive. In 2002 he led HC Davos to the Nationalliga A Championship then did the same thing in 2005 and 2007 (The Nationalliga A is one of most competitive hockey leagues in Europe). Sandwiched in between the two league titles of 05 and 07 is a Spengler Cup title, an invitation only tournament hosted each year by HC Davos, which includes a Team Canada consisting of Canadians in European leagues as well as some AHL players.
Hiller has certainly turned some heads due to his stellar play inbetween the pipes of the Ducks net this post season, but keep in mind, he'll be around for many more seasons, and this Swiss is for real. Detroit, bring your A game because Hiller may just clip those winged wheels...
Jonas Hiller is a shark killer. He went into the Shark Tank and snagged two wins, one being a shutout. Then, he decided to shutout the Sharks one more time before ending their playoff lives wit a 4-1 win. Most people only know about Hiller due to his NHL days, more recently, his playoff series that he just finished against the Sharks. I however, knew about him for a long time and at one point sent an email to the Edmonton Oilers telling them to go after this Swiss kid who was at that time playing for HC Davos in Switzerland. I was ignored.
Hiller is no flash in the pan either. He may have only played in one NHL playoff series, but his post season and tournament credentials are more then impressive. In 2002 he led HC Davos to the Nationalliga A Championship then did the same thing in 2005 and 2007 (The Nationalliga A is one of most competitive hockey leagues in Europe). Sandwiched in between the two league titles of 05 and 07 is a Spengler Cup title, an invitation only tournament hosted each year by HC Davos, which includes a Team Canada consisting of Canadians in European leagues as well as some AHL players.
Hiller has certainly turned some heads due to his stellar play inbetween the pipes of the Ducks net this post season, but keep in mind, he'll be around for many more seasons, and this Swiss is for real. Detroit, bring your A game because Hiller may just clip those winged wheels...
Welcome to the Big Time
Canadian forward Scottie Upshall was suspended 1 game by the IIHF for a hit he layed on Team Hungary forward Andras Benk. A hit that would not have even been penalized in the NHL, or any other North American hockey league. Let me paint the scene for you, incase you did not catch the game. Benk had the puck and was coming out of his own end. He lost control of the puck and leaned forward to gather it back up just as Upshall came flying across the ice. Upshall caught him with a thunderous, and completely clean, bodycheck. A bodycheck which Benk did not get up from. The refs decided to go all European (ref-wise that is) and kick Upshall out of the game and give him a major and a match penalty. Thats fine, if it is deserved. Unfortunately the refs cannot review tape to see if they made the correct call, because if they could have they would have seen that it was a completely clean hit. Upshall caught Benk with a tremendous hit but during the hit you can clearly see that Upshall did not leave the ice and had his elbows tucked in. Upshall DID collide with Benks head, but it was with his shoulder. Benk was leaning forward and as such Scottie's shoulder hit Benks head. Benk put himself into that position and suffered the consequences. Now, I am not saying I am happy he broke his collar bone. However, I am saying he won't make the same mistake again. He may have gotten away with that against lesser known hockey nations such as Ukraine or Belgium, who do not play the physical game like Canada.
Hungarian fans have come out of the woodwork saying things like "It was a completely dirty and uncalled for hit when the game was already out of Hungary's reach."
Well, to those fans, I say this. You play for the entire 60 minutes and do not take it easy on a team just because they are less skilled. Thats how you develop bad habits. Benk will learn from his mistake to not make himself vulnerable. Welcome to the Big Leagues Hungary and keep your heads up. Both on the ice when the freight train is coming and off the ice, because you are doing your country proud by representing them.
Hungarian fans have come out of the woodwork saying things like "It was a completely dirty and uncalled for hit when the game was already out of Hungary's reach."
Well, to those fans, I say this. You play for the entire 60 minutes and do not take it easy on a team just because they are less skilled. Thats how you develop bad habits. Benk will learn from his mistake to not make himself vulnerable. Welcome to the Big Leagues Hungary and keep your heads up. Both on the ice when the freight train is coming and off the ice, because you are doing your country proud by representing them.
Prairie Dominance
Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. What do they all have in common? Well, for one, they are Canada's Prairie Provinces. Secondly, they are the three most dominant hockey provinces, both per capita and all around.
Manitoba's Westman Wildcats have just won the Esso Cup to become the first ever Female Midget AAA National Champions, which I believe will start a run of consecutive titles by the Prairies. The male version, the Telus Cup, has been award many more times then the Esso Cup yet the results are pretty much the same with Prairie teams pretty much dominating, especially in recent years. In the last 11 years a total of 14 prairie teams have played in the finals with 8 prairie teams winning. 6 titles to Saskatchewan teams (including the most recent to the Notre Dame Hounds) and 1 to each Manitoba (Brandon Wheat Kings) and Alberta (Calgary Northstars). To note, 4 of those 11 years there was an all prairie final, once again, including the most recent installment of the Telus Cup.
Then there is the Junior A National Championship, the Royal Bank Cup. The current champions are from Saskatchewan, the Humboldt Broncos, and they are back to try and repeat as champions. A feat that has not been accomplished since the Championship was named the Royal Bank Cup. In the past 13 years their has been 5 prairie province champions, 3 from Saskatchewan and 2 from their western cousins Alberta. But there has also been 14 prairie finalists. Overall Saskatchewan is tied with BC and Ontario with 9 Championships, but if you add Alberta's 7 titles and the 2 from Manitoba you have a total of 18 from the prairie provinces.
Per capita, Saskatchewan has put more people in the NHL then any other place in the world. Being a Saskatchewan resident I can tell you first hand, the Green and Yellow province live and die by the wins and losses of their local teams.
For all of you ney sayers who mock the prairies and call the people from the prairies hicks, keep in mind, these hicks produce the best all round players (apart from goalies, thats Quebec's job) and best teams in Canada.
Manitoba's Westman Wildcats have just won the Esso Cup to become the first ever Female Midget AAA National Champions, which I believe will start a run of consecutive titles by the Prairies. The male version, the Telus Cup, has been award many more times then the Esso Cup yet the results are pretty much the same with Prairie teams pretty much dominating, especially in recent years. In the last 11 years a total of 14 prairie teams have played in the finals with 8 prairie teams winning. 6 titles to Saskatchewan teams (including the most recent to the Notre Dame Hounds) and 1 to each Manitoba (Brandon Wheat Kings) and Alberta (Calgary Northstars). To note, 4 of those 11 years there was an all prairie final, once again, including the most recent installment of the Telus Cup.
Then there is the Junior A National Championship, the Royal Bank Cup. The current champions are from Saskatchewan, the Humboldt Broncos, and they are back to try and repeat as champions. A feat that has not been accomplished since the Championship was named the Royal Bank Cup. In the past 13 years their has been 5 prairie province champions, 3 from Saskatchewan and 2 from their western cousins Alberta. But there has also been 14 prairie finalists. Overall Saskatchewan is tied with BC and Ontario with 9 Championships, but if you add Alberta's 7 titles and the 2 from Manitoba you have a total of 18 from the prairie provinces.
Per capita, Saskatchewan has put more people in the NHL then any other place in the world. Being a Saskatchewan resident I can tell you first hand, the Green and Yellow province live and die by the wins and losses of their local teams.
For all of you ney sayers who mock the prairies and call the people from the prairies hicks, keep in mind, these hicks produce the best all round players (apart from goalies, thats Quebec's job) and best teams in Canada.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Broncos Neuter Puppies
Only a few days ago it looked like the MJHL Champion Portage Terriers had the defending ANAVET Cup and Royal Bank Cup Champion Humboldt Broncos down and out. After splitting the first two games in Portage the Dawgs jumped out to a commanding 3-1 series lead after doing the unthinkable. Defeating the Broncos on back to back nights at the Elgar. Game 5 was a do or die game for the hometown Broncos, and do they did. After jumping out to a 6-1 lead after the first period the Broncos put the pedal to the metal, demolishing the Pups 12-2 to send the series back to Portage.
Game 6 was an entertaining affair with both teams getting their chances but Humboldt wanted it more, outshooting the hometown Terriers 46-33 and more importantly, outscoring them 4-3 as former Notre Dame Hound Tanner Vandesype scored an unassisted goal to tie the series at 3.
A day later both teams once again took to the ice, this time, it was a winner take all tilt between two bonafide heavyweights. In one corner you have the back to back MJHL Champs the Portage Terriers and in the other corner you have the 3 time SJHL Champs, defending ANAVET Cup Champs and most impressive of all, RBC Champs, the Humboldt Broncos. Humboldt took the lead early on when Scott "Don't Call me Steve" Schroeder scored, assisted by Shawn Hunter and Kyle Cowan. That lead lasted a whole 30 seconds though as Portage responded nearly immediately when Riley Nixdorf gave the hometown crowd a reason to cheer when he put the biscuit in the basket to tie the game up at 1. Picking up the assists were Donnie Glennie and Ryan Audino. Less then a minute later the Dawgs took the lead when Dylan Kelly potted his 2nd goal of the ANAVET Cup. Picking up the helpers were Carson Rowat and Cam Canart. That was all the scoring in the 1st frame as the hometown Terriers took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Period 2 seen Portage add to their lead when Audino capitalized on Portage's only powerplay of the period to give the home side a 3-1 lead. Nixdorf and Eddie Friesen registered the assists. Just under 4 minutes later the Terriers once again lit the red light behind Broncos goalie Mathieu LaRochelle when Eric Delong bulged the twine to send the Dog Pound into a frenzy. Robbie Roteliuk and Brenden Walker picked up points with the assists on the 4th Terriers goal. That was all the action in the 2nd period with Portage taking a monsterous 4-1 lead into the 3rd and final regulation period.
Things looked good for the hometown team with Portage 20 minutes away from securing a spot in the Royal Bank Cup and winning the ANAVET Cup. Unfortunately for them, the Broncos missed the memo saying it was all over. Cue, the Comeback. When Cory More was called on a rather questionable kneeing penalty the Broncos devastating powerplay went to work. First Vandesype found the tunnel in Terriers goalie Bryan Mountain to cut the lead to 4-2. Then "Thing One" Steve Schroeder bulged the net assisted by "Thing Two" Scott Schroeder and Tory Allan. Both teams went back and forth for the rest of the period and with 1 minute left and Portage fans getting ready to pop the champagne the Broncos struck. Scott Schroeder finished off his 4 point night by making the girls in the stands cry and the men in the stand swig some rye as he tied the game up and sent game 7 into the dreaded overtime period.
5 minutes fifty six seconds. Thats all it took for former Battlefords Star Nick Kalnicki to end the game and send the Broncos to Victoria, BC for the Royal Bank Cup. With that goal the Broncos climbed the Mountain (Bryan) and ended the Portage Terriers great season. Bring on the Vipers!
Game 6 was an entertaining affair with both teams getting their chances but Humboldt wanted it more, outshooting the hometown Terriers 46-33 and more importantly, outscoring them 4-3 as former Notre Dame Hound Tanner Vandesype scored an unassisted goal to tie the series at 3.
A day later both teams once again took to the ice, this time, it was a winner take all tilt between two bonafide heavyweights. In one corner you have the back to back MJHL Champs the Portage Terriers and in the other corner you have the 3 time SJHL Champs, defending ANAVET Cup Champs and most impressive of all, RBC Champs, the Humboldt Broncos. Humboldt took the lead early on when Scott "Don't Call me Steve" Schroeder scored, assisted by Shawn Hunter and Kyle Cowan. That lead lasted a whole 30 seconds though as Portage responded nearly immediately when Riley Nixdorf gave the hometown crowd a reason to cheer when he put the biscuit in the basket to tie the game up at 1. Picking up the assists were Donnie Glennie and Ryan Audino. Less then a minute later the Dawgs took the lead when Dylan Kelly potted his 2nd goal of the ANAVET Cup. Picking up the helpers were Carson Rowat and Cam Canart. That was all the scoring in the 1st frame as the hometown Terriers took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Period 2 seen Portage add to their lead when Audino capitalized on Portage's only powerplay of the period to give the home side a 3-1 lead. Nixdorf and Eddie Friesen registered the assists. Just under 4 minutes later the Terriers once again lit the red light behind Broncos goalie Mathieu LaRochelle when Eric Delong bulged the twine to send the Dog Pound into a frenzy. Robbie Roteliuk and Brenden Walker picked up points with the assists on the 4th Terriers goal. That was all the action in the 2nd period with Portage taking a monsterous 4-1 lead into the 3rd and final regulation period.
Things looked good for the hometown team with Portage 20 minutes away from securing a spot in the Royal Bank Cup and winning the ANAVET Cup. Unfortunately for them, the Broncos missed the memo saying it was all over. Cue, the Comeback. When Cory More was called on a rather questionable kneeing penalty the Broncos devastating powerplay went to work. First Vandesype found the tunnel in Terriers goalie Bryan Mountain to cut the lead to 4-2. Then "Thing One" Steve Schroeder bulged the net assisted by "Thing Two" Scott Schroeder and Tory Allan. Both teams went back and forth for the rest of the period and with 1 minute left and Portage fans getting ready to pop the champagne the Broncos struck. Scott Schroeder finished off his 4 point night by making the girls in the stands cry and the men in the stand swig some rye as he tied the game up and sent game 7 into the dreaded overtime period.
5 minutes fifty six seconds. Thats all it took for former Battlefords Star Nick Kalnicki to end the game and send the Broncos to Victoria, BC for the Royal Bank Cup. With that goal the Broncos climbed the Mountain (Bryan) and ended the Portage Terriers great season. Bring on the Vipers!
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