Alright, as the hockey season is pretty much over, does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should follow? I am planning on following some baseball, as well as the Memorial Cup of course.
Also will have signings from the NHL, some Junior hockey and European leagues.
If you have any suggestions feel free to voice them!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
RBC Final
The Royal Bank Cup final was another low scoring, great game. Following last years 1-0 shutout win the Broncos were now the team suffering the shutout defeat, falling 2-0 at the hands of the Vernon Vipers on the strength of great goaltending by Andrew Hammond and timely goals by Braden Pimm and Kyle Bigos. Bigos' goal was especially beautiful as he went around 3 Broncos before sliding the puck beneath Broncos goalie Mathieu Larochelle.
Humboldt did put 1 puck past Hammond but it was quickly waved off, eventhough it should have been a goal. Bigos slid into the net and the big man knocked Hammond down and the net off its pegs.
Vernon is now the winningest franchise in Junior A hockey.
Congratulations to the Humboldt Broncos on a very successful season. You've made all SJHL fans proud.
Congratulations to the 2009 Royal Bank Cup champions, the Vernon Vipers. Very well deserved championship!
Humboldt did put 1 puck past Hammond but it was quickly waved off, eventhough it should have been a goal. Bigos slid into the net and the big man knocked Hammond down and the net off its pegs.
Vernon is now the winningest franchise in Junior A hockey.
Congratulations to the Humboldt Broncos on a very successful season. You've made all SJHL fans proud.
Congratulations to the 2009 Royal Bank Cup champions, the Vernon Vipers. Very well deserved championship!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
RBC Final: Humboldt vs Vernon
And then there were two. After a hard fought round robin and an intense semi final, both the Humboldt Broncos and Vernon Vipers have made it to the final of the Royal Bank Cup.
Vernon has not lost a game so far in this tournament, outscoring their opposition 30-15 in 5 games (including a 7-1 shellacking of the Broncos). Expect Andrew Hammond to get the start tonight in the net as he has proven all tournament long he belongs between the pipes.
Humboldt has lost 2 games, one to the team they play tonight in the finals. The Broncos have bounced back with the "revenge factor" after nearly every loss this season, and that, combined with the experience this team has in a Royal Bank Cup final, may prove to be vital, as they should come out with high intensity as well as experience in this big game.
Vernon is looking to become the winningest franchise in Junior A hockey by capturing their 5th Royal Bank Cup title, while the Broncos are looking to become the first back to back champion since Vernon (then known as Lakers) did the deed in the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
Vernon also defeated Humboldt in the 1989 Abbott Cup, which was awarded to the Western Canadian Junior A Hockey Champion.
Vernon has not lost a game so far in this tournament, outscoring their opposition 30-15 in 5 games (including a 7-1 shellacking of the Broncos). Expect Andrew Hammond to get the start tonight in the net as he has proven all tournament long he belongs between the pipes.
Humboldt has lost 2 games, one to the team they play tonight in the finals. The Broncos have bounced back with the "revenge factor" after nearly every loss this season, and that, combined with the experience this team has in a Royal Bank Cup final, may prove to be vital, as they should come out with high intensity as well as experience in this big game.
Vernon is looking to become the winningest franchise in Junior A hockey by capturing their 5th Royal Bank Cup title, while the Broncos are looking to become the first back to back champion since Vernon (then known as Lakers) did the deed in the 1990 and 1991 seasons.
Vernon also defeated Humboldt in the 1989 Abbott Cup, which was awarded to the Western Canadian Junior A Hockey Champion.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Cardiac Kids Strike Again!
In a rematch of the opening game of the Royal Bank Cup tournament, the defending champion Humboldt Broncos took on the host Victoria Grizzlies. This time, the winner goes on and the loser goes golfing.
The Victoria Grizzlies carried the play throughout the first period but Broncos goaltender Mathieu Larochelle was up to the challenge early, making big saves early on. At the 7:43 mark of the 1st period Broncos speedster Tory Allan was sent off for boarding, sending the high powered Grizzlies powerplay onto the ice. Just 40 seconds into the powerplay Grizzlies forward Derek Lee put the biscuit in the basket to give the hometown Grizz a 1-0 lead. The Grizzlies continued to pour the pressure onto the Broncos but Larochelle was calm, cool and collected, turning the homeside away time after time. At the end of 1 period of play the Victoria Grizzlies had a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard and a 15-6 lead on the shotclock over the defending champion Humboldt Broncos.
The second period was much more even, with both teams having their chances to score early on, only to be turned away by the aforementioned Larochelle, as well as Grizzlies goalie Anthony Grieco. Broncos young defenseman Garrett Leedahl took a 2 minute minor for holding at the 12:28, sending the vicious Grizzlies powerplay back out, but the Broncos PK held the fort, and moments after the Grizzly powerplay ended the Broncos struck, when Matthew Kirzinger, who played his first game of the Royal Bank Cup after being injured for the entire round robin portion, found the back of the net to tie the game up at 1. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period as the game was deadlocked at 1 goal apiece after 40 minutes of play.
The Broncos seemed to have the momentum at the start of the third period but the momentum was short lived as Justin Courtnall scored at the 2:32 mark to give the hometown squad a 2-1 lead. The Broncos looked to answer back, and the man to answer was the diminutive but dangerous Brady Wacker, who picked up the puck and scored an unassisted goal at 5:21 of the 3rd period to knot the game at 2. After that both teams played a cautious brand of hockey, not wanting to give up the next goal. There was some scoring chances but none of them could beat either goaltender, as 60 minutes was not enough. Overtime was needed.
The Victoria Grizzlies came out like a house on fire, snapping shots at Larochelle. Shots that Larochelle calmly stopped or deflected into the corners. The Grizzlies carried the play for nearly the entire overtime, but the Broncos played rope-a-dope until they had a chance to score. When that chance arrived it was Shawn Hunter who felt the need to break the hearts of Grizzly fans everywhere as he scored with just 2.3 seconds remaining to end the game and send the Broncos into the RBC final for the 2nd consecutive season. Hunter could not beat teammate Scott Schroeder's buzzer beater however, as he scored with 1.1 seconds left in the first game against the Grizzlies. With the Hunter goal the Broncos now advance to take on the Vernon Vipers, who downed the Kingston Voyageurs 6-3 in the earlier semi final.
One more thing to note, Grizzlies head coach Geoff Courtnall walked off without so much as a congratulations to Broncos coach Dean Brockman, something he did in the first game as well, proving that no matter how far a hockey career goes, sometimes people never grow up.
The Victoria Grizzlies carried the play throughout the first period but Broncos goaltender Mathieu Larochelle was up to the challenge early, making big saves early on. At the 7:43 mark of the 1st period Broncos speedster Tory Allan was sent off for boarding, sending the high powered Grizzlies powerplay onto the ice. Just 40 seconds into the powerplay Grizzlies forward Derek Lee put the biscuit in the basket to give the hometown Grizz a 1-0 lead. The Grizzlies continued to pour the pressure onto the Broncos but Larochelle was calm, cool and collected, turning the homeside away time after time. At the end of 1 period of play the Victoria Grizzlies had a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard and a 15-6 lead on the shotclock over the defending champion Humboldt Broncos.
The second period was much more even, with both teams having their chances to score early on, only to be turned away by the aforementioned Larochelle, as well as Grizzlies goalie Anthony Grieco. Broncos young defenseman Garrett Leedahl took a 2 minute minor for holding at the 12:28, sending the vicious Grizzlies powerplay back out, but the Broncos PK held the fort, and moments after the Grizzly powerplay ended the Broncos struck, when Matthew Kirzinger, who played his first game of the Royal Bank Cup after being injured for the entire round robin portion, found the back of the net to tie the game up at 1. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period as the game was deadlocked at 1 goal apiece after 40 minutes of play.
The Broncos seemed to have the momentum at the start of the third period but the momentum was short lived as Justin Courtnall scored at the 2:32 mark to give the hometown squad a 2-1 lead. The Broncos looked to answer back, and the man to answer was the diminutive but dangerous Brady Wacker, who picked up the puck and scored an unassisted goal at 5:21 of the 3rd period to knot the game at 2. After that both teams played a cautious brand of hockey, not wanting to give up the next goal. There was some scoring chances but none of them could beat either goaltender, as 60 minutes was not enough. Overtime was needed.
The Victoria Grizzlies came out like a house on fire, snapping shots at Larochelle. Shots that Larochelle calmly stopped or deflected into the corners. The Grizzlies carried the play for nearly the entire overtime, but the Broncos played rope-a-dope until they had a chance to score. When that chance arrived it was Shawn Hunter who felt the need to break the hearts of Grizzly fans everywhere as he scored with just 2.3 seconds remaining to end the game and send the Broncos into the RBC final for the 2nd consecutive season. Hunter could not beat teammate Scott Schroeder's buzzer beater however, as he scored with 1.1 seconds left in the first game against the Grizzlies. With the Hunter goal the Broncos now advance to take on the Vernon Vipers, who downed the Kingston Voyageurs 6-3 in the earlier semi final.
One more thing to note, Grizzlies head coach Geoff Courtnall walked off without so much as a congratulations to Broncos coach Dean Brockman, something he did in the first game as well, proving that no matter how far a hockey career goes, sometimes people never grow up.
Humboldt vs Victoria
The defending Royal Bank Cup champions are looking to get back to the finals for a chance to repeat as Royal Bank Cup champs and become the first team to do so since the Vernon Lakers did the job in the 90 and 91 tournaments.
Victoria on the other hand is looking to avenge an opening game loss to the Broncos, a game in which they were scored on, short handed, with just 1.1 seconds left.
Both the Broncos and the Grizzlies finished the round robin with a 2-2 record but Humboldt, with their 2-1 win over the Grizz, earned the 2nd place position, which, as you all know, means next to nothing.
Victoria will have the home town crowd in attendence, but Humboldt may be 1 up on the Grizz. Humboldt has Royal Bank Cup semi final experience as this team is the defending champions, but to add, Humboldt will most likely have their top forward Matthe Kirzinger back, as well as all the players who sat out last nights game.
Humboldt captain Brady Wacker has a little more to play for now, as he would like to end his 2008-09 season with another ring to go along with the previous RBC title and his new wedding ring (congrats Brady, wish you all the best).
Victoria will come out strong, but the Broncos will weather the early storm and at the end, Humboldt will skate away with a 4-2 win.
Victoria on the other hand is looking to avenge an opening game loss to the Broncos, a game in which they were scored on, short handed, with just 1.1 seconds left.
Both the Broncos and the Grizzlies finished the round robin with a 2-2 record but Humboldt, with their 2-1 win over the Grizz, earned the 2nd place position, which, as you all know, means next to nothing.
Victoria will have the home town crowd in attendence, but Humboldt may be 1 up on the Grizz. Humboldt has Royal Bank Cup semi final experience as this team is the defending champions, but to add, Humboldt will most likely have their top forward Matthe Kirzinger back, as well as all the players who sat out last nights game.
Humboldt captain Brady Wacker has a little more to play for now, as he would like to end his 2008-09 season with another ring to go along with the previous RBC title and his new wedding ring (congrats Brady, wish you all the best).
Victoria will come out strong, but the Broncos will weather the early storm and at the end, Humboldt will skate away with a 4-2 win.
Kingston Vs. Vernon
The Kingston Voyageurs limped into the playoff portion of the Royal Bank Cup with the tournaments highest goals against, letting in a whopping 23 goals in just 4 games, while the Vernon Vipers trounced the competition, registering a tournament leading 24 goals in 4 games.
Of course those stats are pretty much meaningless now, as any of the 4 remaining teams can put together two stellar games and win the whole thing.
Vernon has the momentum going into this game as they defeated Kingston 8-5 just last night. Kingston will have the deadly revenge factor however, and that may be enough to unseat the top ranked Vipers and give the Central Champions a berth in the Royal Bank Cup final.
With that being said, my prediction is a 5-3 Vernon win.
Of course those stats are pretty much meaningless now, as any of the 4 remaining teams can put together two stellar games and win the whole thing.
Vernon has the momentum going into this game as they defeated Kingston 8-5 just last night. Kingston will have the deadly revenge factor however, and that may be enough to unseat the top ranked Vipers and give the Central Champions a berth in the Royal Bank Cup final.
With that being said, my prediction is a 5-3 Vernon win.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Broncos Fall 5-0, Advance to Playoffs
The defending Royal Bank Cup champion Humboldt Broncos dropped a 5-0 decision to the Eastern champion Summerside Western Capitals in a game that had zero meaning tournament wise, as no matter what, Humboldt was guaranteed 2nd place and a date with the host Victoria Grizzlies on Friday.
Humboldt head coach Dean Brockman, showing his coaching skills, decided to rest the teams top players in favour of the younger group of Broncos who had not seen any icetime up to this point in the tournament. A smart move on Brockman's part, avoiding the possibility of an injury to his best players and getting the youngsters some playing time and experience in a national championship tournament.
The Summerside Western Capitals took advantage of a less experienced Humboldt squad, outshooting them 9-1 and outscoring them 4-0 in the first frame. Caps goals came from Mike MacIsaac, Chad Locke, Nathan Snowie and Brad Smith. The latter two coming just 20 seconds apart. Humboldt hit a few posts in the first period, much like they have done all throughout the period, as the Caps carried a 4-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period was much more even. Summerside once again had the lead on the shot clock, outshooting the Broncos 14-11 in period 2, but both goalies were up to the challenge as neither let a puck slip past them. Things did get a little chippy roughly midway through the period when Humboldt's Brendan Kotyk picked up a slashing penalty and Summerside's Spencer MacDonald received 2 minutes for tripping and 2 for roughing, but referee Jonathan Trudel got things back under his control and nothing more came of it. After two periods of play the score remained 4-0 in favour of Summerside.
Matt Hyrnkiw relieved Broncos netminder Andrew Bodnarchuk to start the 3rd period, giving Hyrnkiw his first and likely only action of the tournament. Hyrnkiw did a good job preventing the Caps from scoring until the man who started the scoring for Summerside ended it as MacIsaac scored his 2nd goal of the game and 3rd of the tournament at the 16:07 mark of the third. That was all she wrote, as the Summerside Western Capitals end their 2009 Royal Bank Cup run with a 5-0 win, but fail to qualify for the playoffs.
Summerside has 8 players graduating from Junior hockey, and best of luck to them in whatever they choose to do.
The next action for the Humboldt Broncos is Friday, May 8th at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time when they take on the host Victoria Grizzlies in the semi finals of the Royal Bank Cup. Vernon takes on Kingston in the other game at 3.
Humboldt head coach Dean Brockman, showing his coaching skills, decided to rest the teams top players in favour of the younger group of Broncos who had not seen any icetime up to this point in the tournament. A smart move on Brockman's part, avoiding the possibility of an injury to his best players and getting the youngsters some playing time and experience in a national championship tournament.
The Summerside Western Capitals took advantage of a less experienced Humboldt squad, outshooting them 9-1 and outscoring them 4-0 in the first frame. Caps goals came from Mike MacIsaac, Chad Locke, Nathan Snowie and Brad Smith. The latter two coming just 20 seconds apart. Humboldt hit a few posts in the first period, much like they have done all throughout the period, as the Caps carried a 4-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period was much more even. Summerside once again had the lead on the shot clock, outshooting the Broncos 14-11 in period 2, but both goalies were up to the challenge as neither let a puck slip past them. Things did get a little chippy roughly midway through the period when Humboldt's Brendan Kotyk picked up a slashing penalty and Summerside's Spencer MacDonald received 2 minutes for tripping and 2 for roughing, but referee Jonathan Trudel got things back under his control and nothing more came of it. After two periods of play the score remained 4-0 in favour of Summerside.
Matt Hyrnkiw relieved Broncos netminder Andrew Bodnarchuk to start the 3rd period, giving Hyrnkiw his first and likely only action of the tournament. Hyrnkiw did a good job preventing the Caps from scoring until the man who started the scoring for Summerside ended it as MacIsaac scored his 2nd goal of the game and 3rd of the tournament at the 16:07 mark of the third. That was all she wrote, as the Summerside Western Capitals end their 2009 Royal Bank Cup run with a 5-0 win, but fail to qualify for the playoffs.
Summerside has 8 players graduating from Junior hockey, and best of luck to them in whatever they choose to do.
The next action for the Humboldt Broncos is Friday, May 8th at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time when they take on the host Victoria Grizzlies in the semi finals of the Royal Bank Cup. Vernon takes on Kingston in the other game at 3.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Broncos Back in Win Column
After being embarrassed 7-1 at the hands of the USA laiden Vernon Vipers the Humboldt Broncos responded with a statement game, defeating the Ontario champion Kingston Voyageurs 5-2.
This game could have been much uglier had it not been for Vees goaltender Shawn Sirman. Sirman made a handful of big saves in the first period as the Broncos outshot Kingston 18-9, but after one period the game remained tied at 0. The Broncos were 0-2 on the powerplay in the first period, but thats not dueto not trying. The powerplay, which had been lackluster at best for the first two games, came alive but could not solve Sirman in period number 1.
Humboldt carried the play to begin the 2nd period but it was the Voyageurs who would strike first when Jarrett Burton slipped the puck past Broncos goaltender Andrew Bodnarchuk, who made his first start of the Royal Bank Cup. The lead did not last long however, as Humboldt's Taylor Piller, hero of game 6 of the ANAVET Cup, finally solved the Sirman puzzle to put the Broncos on the board and tie the game at 1. Kingston retook the lead at the 12:30 mark when Mike Farrell scored his 4th goal of the Royal Bank Cup to give the Central champs their 2nd lead of the game. That lead lasted all of 2 minutes and 5 seconds though as Broncos defenceman Dimitri Levin blasted his first goal of the Royal Bank Cup and first of the season to tie the game up at 2. Humboldt would take the lead just over 2 minutes later when the speedster Tory Allan scored on Sirman to give the Broncos their first lead of the game. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period as the defending champion Humboldt Broncos went into the lockeroom with a 3-2 lead.
The Humboldt Broncos got their first powerplay since the 1st period at 6:55 of the third when Kingston superstar Mike Farrell was sent off for 2 minutes or less for interference. It happened to be less as the Broncos powerplay, which was firing on all cylinders in the 1st period went to work and scored for the first time this RBC tournament off the stick of game 1 hero Scott Schroeder. The Broncos would add an empty netter to take the game 5-2 and combined with a Summerside Western Capitals loss (6-3 to the host Victoria Grizzlies) the Broncos qualified for the playoff portion of the tournament.
The Broncos will take on the previously mentioned Summerside Western Capitals, who, at the end of their game against the Grizzlies, got a bit dirty as 3 were sent off for penalties. Daniel Whelan for roughing, Will Johnston for slashing and Mike MacIsaac with 2 minutes for a hit to the head and a 10 minute misconduct.
Hopefully Summerside smartens up and comes to play tomorrow at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time against the Broncos, as opposed to playing dirty...
This game could have been much uglier had it not been for Vees goaltender Shawn Sirman. Sirman made a handful of big saves in the first period as the Broncos outshot Kingston 18-9, but after one period the game remained tied at 0. The Broncos were 0-2 on the powerplay in the first period, but thats not dueto not trying. The powerplay, which had been lackluster at best for the first two games, came alive but could not solve Sirman in period number 1.
Humboldt carried the play to begin the 2nd period but it was the Voyageurs who would strike first when Jarrett Burton slipped the puck past Broncos goaltender Andrew Bodnarchuk, who made his first start of the Royal Bank Cup. The lead did not last long however, as Humboldt's Taylor Piller, hero of game 6 of the ANAVET Cup, finally solved the Sirman puzzle to put the Broncos on the board and tie the game at 1. Kingston retook the lead at the 12:30 mark when Mike Farrell scored his 4th goal of the Royal Bank Cup to give the Central champs their 2nd lead of the game. That lead lasted all of 2 minutes and 5 seconds though as Broncos defenceman Dimitri Levin blasted his first goal of the Royal Bank Cup and first of the season to tie the game up at 2. Humboldt would take the lead just over 2 minutes later when the speedster Tory Allan scored on Sirman to give the Broncos their first lead of the game. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period as the defending champion Humboldt Broncos went into the lockeroom with a 3-2 lead.
The Humboldt Broncos got their first powerplay since the 1st period at 6:55 of the third when Kingston superstar Mike Farrell was sent off for 2 minutes or less for interference. It happened to be less as the Broncos powerplay, which was firing on all cylinders in the 1st period went to work and scored for the first time this RBC tournament off the stick of game 1 hero Scott Schroeder. The Broncos would add an empty netter to take the game 5-2 and combined with a Summerside Western Capitals loss (6-3 to the host Victoria Grizzlies) the Broncos qualified for the playoff portion of the tournament.
The Broncos will take on the previously mentioned Summerside Western Capitals, who, at the end of their game against the Grizzlies, got a bit dirty as 3 were sent off for penalties. Daniel Whelan for roughing, Will Johnston for slashing and Mike MacIsaac with 2 minutes for a hit to the head and a 10 minute misconduct.
Hopefully Summerside smartens up and comes to play tomorrow at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time against the Broncos, as opposed to playing dirty...
Monday, May 4, 2009
Seeing Double
If your seeing double when you watch the Humboldt Broncos take on the Vernon Vipers tonight do not worry. Your not ill. What your actually seeing is a set of twins for each team. Humboldt has the devilish Schroeder boys Scott and Steven while Vernon counters with their highlight brothers Connor and Kellen Jones.
The Schroeder boys finished the regular season as the top scoring forwards on the Broncos roster with Scott tallying 27 goals and 39 assists while Steven was right behind him with 27 goals and 30 assists.
Vernon was Jonesing all season long with Connor leading the team in scoring with 19 goals and 41 assists while his brother Kellen finished third in team scoring with 15 goals and 37 assists.
To finish, I wish the play by play announcers of both teams the best of luck tonight, you'll need it!
The Schroeder boys finished the regular season as the top scoring forwards on the Broncos roster with Scott tallying 27 goals and 39 assists while Steven was right behind him with 27 goals and 30 assists.
Vernon was Jonesing all season long with Connor leading the team in scoring with 19 goals and 41 assists while his brother Kellen finished third in team scoring with 15 goals and 37 assists.
To finish, I wish the play by play announcers of both teams the best of luck tonight, you'll need it!
Heavyweight Tilt at the Bear Tonight
Its a battle of the top two teams in the Royal Bank Cup tonight as the Pacific champion Vernon Vipers take on the defending Royal Bank Cup and reigning Western conference champion Humboldt Broncos in both teams second game of the tournament. Humboldt is coming off of a 2-1 opening day victory over the host Victoria Grizzlies whil Vernon enters the game fresh off a 4-2 win over the Summerside Western Capitals.
Humboldt was missing their top forward in Matthew Kirzinger in their first game of the tournament with a day to day injury and is hopeful for tonights game. The Broncos come into this game on a high after Scott Schroeder scored a shorthanded goal with just 1.1 left on the clock to break the hearts of the Victoria Grizzlies in the opening game. Mathieu LaRochelle is expected to start tonight for the Broncos after he stopped 33 of 34 shots in Humboldt's first game many of them hilight reel saves.
Vernon had the exact opposite happen in their game as they opened the scoring when the ice was still wet when Braden Pimm scored with 13 seconds gone in the first period in their first game. The Vipers let a 4-0 lead slip away in their opening game but still held on for a 4-2 win over Summerside. Andrew Hammond will get the start for the Vipers after he stopped 19 of 21 shots in the Vipers first game, but expect him to get see much more rubber in this game.
Humboldt was missing their top forward in Matthew Kirzinger in their first game of the tournament with a day to day injury and is hopeful for tonights game. The Broncos come into this game on a high after Scott Schroeder scored a shorthanded goal with just 1.1 left on the clock to break the hearts of the Victoria Grizzlies in the opening game. Mathieu LaRochelle is expected to start tonight for the Broncos after he stopped 33 of 34 shots in Humboldt's first game many of them hilight reel saves.
Vernon had the exact opposite happen in their game as they opened the scoring when the ice was still wet when Braden Pimm scored with 13 seconds gone in the first period in their first game. The Vipers let a 4-0 lead slip away in their opening game but still held on for a 4-2 win over Summerside. Andrew Hammond will get the start for the Vipers after he stopped 19 of 21 shots in the Vipers first game, but expect him to get see much more rubber in this game.
Caps vs Voyageurs
Mike Farrell scored a hattrick and both Kevin Christmas and Mitchell Latchford had 3 assists as the central champion Kingsto Voyageurs evened their RBC record ar 1-1 with a 7-5 win over the Eastern champion Summerside Western Capitals.
Capitals forward Mike MacIsaac had 1 goal and 2 assists in the loss, which drops the Capitals to 0-2 in the 2009 Royal Bank Cup, good enough for dead last.
The Capitals carried the play in the first period, outshooting Kingston 19-6 and causing the Voyageurs to begin a parade to the penalty box. Kingston's PK rose the the occasion however, killing off 4 straight and 5 of 5 penalties in the first period resulting in a 0-0 score after 1 period of play.
Summerside once again carried the play to begin the 2nd period but it was the Voyageurs who would open the scoring when Jarrett Burton beat Capitals goalie Alex Dupuis to give Kingston a 1-0 lead at 7:58 of the second frame. Under 30 seconds later Summerside's powerplay went back to work when Kingston's Mike Farrell was sent off for slashing at 8:24. The Cap's powerplay Capital-ized on their 6th powerplay of the game when Josh McKinnon scored to tie the game and swing the momentum back to the Eastern champion's corner. The tie lasted just over 5 minutes when the Voyageurs once again took the lead when Farrell made up for his slashing penalty by putting the puck past Dupuis to make it a 2-1 game. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period as the Kingston Voyageurs went into the 2nd intermission leading 2-1. Mike MacIsaac took a roughing penalty with 2 seconds left in the second period.
Mike MacIsaac took a roughing penalty with 2 seconds left in the second period which allowed Kingston to add to their lead early on in the 3rd when Ben Power bulged the twine for his first goal of the Royal Bank Cup. The play then got a bit rough as Kingston's Justin Levac took a penalty for roughing after the whistle. The Capitals made it a 3-2 game off the stick of Brett Gallant at 7:17 but less than a minute later Kingston scored again when Dustin Walsh rocketed a shot past Dupuis to make it 4-2. 8 seconds later the Cap's Gallant was not so gallant as he was issued a checking to the head minor as well as a 10 minute misconduct. Summerside killed off Gallants 2 minute minor but could not do anything about Anthony Geldart, who put the biscuit in the basket to increase the Voyageur lead to 3. Tyler Hill did what he could to get Summerside back on the scoresheet and he succeeded, but unfortunately Hill plays for Kingston. Hill's 2 minute minor for hooking was abruptly ended when Mike MacIsaac scored the 3rd Capitals goal of the game to cut into the Voyageur lead, making it 5-3. Just 23 seconds later Farrell gave Kingston back its 3 goal lead when he scored his 2nd goal of the game to make it 6-3. Danny Whelan brought Summerside back to within 2 when he scored his 1st of the RBC but Farrell once again answered back for his team just 20 seconds later for his 3rd of the tournament and 3rd of the game to give Kingston a 7-4 lead. Nathan Snowie added a goal late for the Summerside Western Capitals but it was not enough as the Kingston Voyageurs won the game 7-5.
Shots on goal saw Summerside heavily outshoot Kingston with a 50-28 lead.
Players of the game were Ben Power for Kingston and Mike MacIsaac for Summerside. Summerside's next game is Wednesday, May 6th at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time against the host Victoria Grizzlies while Kingstonplays the early game on the 6th when they take on the defending champion Humboldt Broncos at 3:00pm Sask time.
Capitals forward Mike MacIsaac had 1 goal and 2 assists in the loss, which drops the Capitals to 0-2 in the 2009 Royal Bank Cup, good enough for dead last.
The Capitals carried the play in the first period, outshooting Kingston 19-6 and causing the Voyageurs to begin a parade to the penalty box. Kingston's PK rose the the occasion however, killing off 4 straight and 5 of 5 penalties in the first period resulting in a 0-0 score after 1 period of play.
Summerside once again carried the play to begin the 2nd period but it was the Voyageurs who would open the scoring when Jarrett Burton beat Capitals goalie Alex Dupuis to give Kingston a 1-0 lead at 7:58 of the second frame. Under 30 seconds later Summerside's powerplay went back to work when Kingston's Mike Farrell was sent off for slashing at 8:24. The Cap's powerplay Capital-ized on their 6th powerplay of the game when Josh McKinnon scored to tie the game and swing the momentum back to the Eastern champion's corner. The tie lasted just over 5 minutes when the Voyageurs once again took the lead when Farrell made up for his slashing penalty by putting the puck past Dupuis to make it a 2-1 game. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period as the Kingston Voyageurs went into the 2nd intermission leading 2-1. Mike MacIsaac took a roughing penalty with 2 seconds left in the second period.
Mike MacIsaac took a roughing penalty with 2 seconds left in the second period which allowed Kingston to add to their lead early on in the 3rd when Ben Power bulged the twine for his first goal of the Royal Bank Cup. The play then got a bit rough as Kingston's Justin Levac took a penalty for roughing after the whistle. The Capitals made it a 3-2 game off the stick of Brett Gallant at 7:17 but less than a minute later Kingston scored again when Dustin Walsh rocketed a shot past Dupuis to make it 4-2. 8 seconds later the Cap's Gallant was not so gallant as he was issued a checking to the head minor as well as a 10 minute misconduct. Summerside killed off Gallants 2 minute minor but could not do anything about Anthony Geldart, who put the biscuit in the basket to increase the Voyageur lead to 3. Tyler Hill did what he could to get Summerside back on the scoresheet and he succeeded, but unfortunately Hill plays for Kingston. Hill's 2 minute minor for hooking was abruptly ended when Mike MacIsaac scored the 3rd Capitals goal of the game to cut into the Voyageur lead, making it 5-3. Just 23 seconds later Farrell gave Kingston back its 3 goal lead when he scored his 2nd goal of the game to make it 6-3. Danny Whelan brought Summerside back to within 2 when he scored his 1st of the RBC but Farrell once again answered back for his team just 20 seconds later for his 3rd of the tournament and 3rd of the game to give Kingston a 7-4 lead. Nathan Snowie added a goal late for the Summerside Western Capitals but it was not enough as the Kingston Voyageurs won the game 7-5.
Shots on goal saw Summerside heavily outshoot Kingston with a 50-28 lead.
Players of the game were Ben Power for Kingston and Mike MacIsaac for Summerside. Summerside's next game is Wednesday, May 6th at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time against the host Victoria Grizzlies while Kingstonplays the early game on the 6th when they take on the defending champion Humboldt Broncos at 3:00pm Sask time.
Apologies
I apologize for the lack of posts yesterday, my internet went down and therefore I could not access the internet to write any reports or anything.
If any Grizzlies, Vipers, Capitals or Voaygeurs fans read this, can you please leave a comment letting me know what radio station carries your games so I can listen to the game and do a write up on it. Just comment by giving me the link to the radio website so I can listen live, thanks!
Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience.
If any Grizzlies, Vipers, Capitals or Voaygeurs fans read this, can you please leave a comment letting me know what radio station carries your games so I can listen to the game and do a write up on it. Just comment by giving me the link to the radio website so I can listen live, thanks!
Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Broncos vs Grizzlies
Game one of the 2009 Royal Bank Cup saw the host Victoria Grizzlies taking on the defending RBC champion Humboldt Broncos at the Bear Mountain Arena. The Grizzlies were looking to pull the carpet out from beneath the Broncos while Humboldt was looking to run its Royal Bank Cup tournament winning streak to 4 dating back to last year's tournament.
Victoria carried the play for the first half of the opening frame, outshooting the Broncos 7-3 before Humboldt went to the powerplay when the Grizzlies Jeff Forsythe was sent off for kneeing at 12:29. Just over a minute later Wade Epp took a hooking penalty to give the Broncos a 2 man advantage for 58 seconds. Humboldt could not capitalize on the 5 on 3 however as Grizzlies goalie Anthony Grieco was outstanding, stopping every shot he faced. Victoria killed off the penalties but Humboldt had the momentum which lead to a 3rd consecutive Grizzlies penalty when Dustin Mowrey was called for charging at 17:19 of the first frame. That Broncos powerplay lasted all of 39 seconds however, as big Leo Lacourciere was sent off for hooking. Apart from some nice saves at either end the first period ended deadlocked at zeros.
Both teams came out looking to set the tone for the 2nd period leading to Lacourciere taking his 2nd penalty in a row, this time for roughing. Humboldt's penalty kill succeeded in killing off the 3rd Victoria powerplay with the aid of Broncos netminder Mathieu LaRochelle, who made some great saves. Just over 5 minutes into the period Grizzlies player Justin Courtnall, son of former NHLer Geoff Courtnall, was assessed a 2 minute minor for checking to the head and a 10 minute misconduct. Once again the Broncos powerplay came onto the ice and once again Humboldt took a penalty less then a minute into the man advantage thereby ending the powerplay and giving the fans some 4 on 4 hockey to watch. After the Broncos killed off the shortened Victoria man advantage the play went back to the end to end action leading to numerous grand saves by both LaRochelle and Grieco. The Broncos got into penalty trouble just over midway through the 2nd period however, as both Kyle Cowan and Scott Schroeder were sent off at 13:31 of the second period. The Grizzlies powerplay went to work on the full 2 minute 5 on 3 advantage and at the 15:07 mark of the period Grizzlies captain Brian Nugent put the home team ahead when he outwaited LaRochelle and went top shelf to make it a 1-0 game in favour of the Grizzlies. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period, as the hometown Victoria Grizzlies went into the 2nd intermission with a 1-0 lead over the defending Royal Bank Cup champion Humboldt Broncos. Shots after two periods of play had the Grizzlies leading 25-24.
Humboldt came out for the 3rd period looking to capitalize on the man advantage as Grizzlies big blueliner Lee Baldwin ws sent off for tripping with a minute remaining in the previous period. Try as they might the usually electric Broncos powerplay could not solve the wall known as Anthony Grieco as the Grizzlies killed off the 5th Broncos powerplay of the game. Humboldt would not go away though as under a minute after Baldwins penalty ended the Broncos tied the game when the youngster Spencer Braaten jammed the puck past Grieco to knot the game at 1. Nick Keller picked up the assist on Braaten's first of the tournament. This seemed to rattle the hometown Grizzlies somewhat as Teal Burns, the youngest player on either team, was sent off for hooking at the 4:07 mark of the 3rd period. Midway through the penalty the Grizzlies took another penalty as Grizzlies coach Geoff Courtnall (1465 penalty minutes in the NHL) was assessed a 2 minute bench minor which was served by Dustin Mowrey giving the Broncos their 3rd two man advantage of the game which Steven Schroeder promptly ended when he was called for a tripping penalty. After Schroeder was released from the sinbin the game returned to its high paced end to end action with both goalies once again standing tall in net. Grizzlies captain Brian Nugent put his team in serious trouble when he was sent off at the 16:59 mark of the third period, but as always Grieco and the Grizzlie penalty kill stood strong, killing off the 8th Broncos man advantage of the game. With 55 seconds remaining in the game it looked as if the Broncos took the lead but referee Nathan Wieler waved the goal off saying it had gone in off of a high stick. With just 31 seconds remaining in the 3rd period former Battlefords Star Nick Kalnicki was issued a 2 minute minor for tripping, making it seem as if the Broncos and the Grizzlies would be heading into overtime, assuming Victoria did not score on their final man advantage of regulation. That was not the case however, as the "Cardiac Kids" as Broncos play by play man Darryl Skender calls them decided to end the game then and there, when Scott Schroeder stole the puck from a Victoria player and went in, shorthanded, on a breakaway to beat Grieco and give the Broncos their first lead of the game with only 1.1 seconds remaining.
After a very exciting game the Humboldt Broncos win, defeating the host Victoria Grizzlies by a score of 2-1. Players of the game were the goalies, Mathieu LaRochelle for Humboldt and Anthony Grieco for Victoria.
The next action for Victoria is tomorrow at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time as they take on the Kingston Voyageurs. Humboldt's next game is Monday, May 4th at 8:00pm Sask time when they take on the Pacific representative Vernon Vipers in what should be a highly skilled game.
Victoria carried the play for the first half of the opening frame, outshooting the Broncos 7-3 before Humboldt went to the powerplay when the Grizzlies Jeff Forsythe was sent off for kneeing at 12:29. Just over a minute later Wade Epp took a hooking penalty to give the Broncos a 2 man advantage for 58 seconds. Humboldt could not capitalize on the 5 on 3 however as Grizzlies goalie Anthony Grieco was outstanding, stopping every shot he faced. Victoria killed off the penalties but Humboldt had the momentum which lead to a 3rd consecutive Grizzlies penalty when Dustin Mowrey was called for charging at 17:19 of the first frame. That Broncos powerplay lasted all of 39 seconds however, as big Leo Lacourciere was sent off for hooking. Apart from some nice saves at either end the first period ended deadlocked at zeros.
Both teams came out looking to set the tone for the 2nd period leading to Lacourciere taking his 2nd penalty in a row, this time for roughing. Humboldt's penalty kill succeeded in killing off the 3rd Victoria powerplay with the aid of Broncos netminder Mathieu LaRochelle, who made some great saves. Just over 5 minutes into the period Grizzlies player Justin Courtnall, son of former NHLer Geoff Courtnall, was assessed a 2 minute minor for checking to the head and a 10 minute misconduct. Once again the Broncos powerplay came onto the ice and once again Humboldt took a penalty less then a minute into the man advantage thereby ending the powerplay and giving the fans some 4 on 4 hockey to watch. After the Broncos killed off the shortened Victoria man advantage the play went back to the end to end action leading to numerous grand saves by both LaRochelle and Grieco. The Broncos got into penalty trouble just over midway through the 2nd period however, as both Kyle Cowan and Scott Schroeder were sent off at 13:31 of the second period. The Grizzlies powerplay went to work on the full 2 minute 5 on 3 advantage and at the 15:07 mark of the period Grizzlies captain Brian Nugent put the home team ahead when he outwaited LaRochelle and went top shelf to make it a 1-0 game in favour of the Grizzlies. That was all the scoring in the 2nd period, as the hometown Victoria Grizzlies went into the 2nd intermission with a 1-0 lead over the defending Royal Bank Cup champion Humboldt Broncos. Shots after two periods of play had the Grizzlies leading 25-24.
Humboldt came out for the 3rd period looking to capitalize on the man advantage as Grizzlies big blueliner Lee Baldwin ws sent off for tripping with a minute remaining in the previous period. Try as they might the usually electric Broncos powerplay could not solve the wall known as Anthony Grieco as the Grizzlies killed off the 5th Broncos powerplay of the game. Humboldt would not go away though as under a minute after Baldwins penalty ended the Broncos tied the game when the youngster Spencer Braaten jammed the puck past Grieco to knot the game at 1. Nick Keller picked up the assist on Braaten's first of the tournament. This seemed to rattle the hometown Grizzlies somewhat as Teal Burns, the youngest player on either team, was sent off for hooking at the 4:07 mark of the 3rd period. Midway through the penalty the Grizzlies took another penalty as Grizzlies coach Geoff Courtnall (1465 penalty minutes in the NHL) was assessed a 2 minute bench minor which was served by Dustin Mowrey giving the Broncos their 3rd two man advantage of the game which Steven Schroeder promptly ended when he was called for a tripping penalty. After Schroeder was released from the sinbin the game returned to its high paced end to end action with both goalies once again standing tall in net. Grizzlies captain Brian Nugent put his team in serious trouble when he was sent off at the 16:59 mark of the third period, but as always Grieco and the Grizzlie penalty kill stood strong, killing off the 8th Broncos man advantage of the game. With 55 seconds remaining in the game it looked as if the Broncos took the lead but referee Nathan Wieler waved the goal off saying it had gone in off of a high stick. With just 31 seconds remaining in the 3rd period former Battlefords Star Nick Kalnicki was issued a 2 minute minor for tripping, making it seem as if the Broncos and the Grizzlies would be heading into overtime, assuming Victoria did not score on their final man advantage of regulation. That was not the case however, as the "Cardiac Kids" as Broncos play by play man Darryl Skender calls them decided to end the game then and there, when Scott Schroeder stole the puck from a Victoria player and went in, shorthanded, on a breakaway to beat Grieco and give the Broncos their first lead of the game with only 1.1 seconds remaining.
After a very exciting game the Humboldt Broncos win, defeating the host Victoria Grizzlies by a score of 2-1. Players of the game were the goalies, Mathieu LaRochelle for Humboldt and Anthony Grieco for Victoria.
The next action for Victoria is tomorrow at 8:00pm Saskatchewan time as they take on the Kingston Voyageurs. Humboldt's next game is Monday, May 4th at 8:00pm Sask time when they take on the Pacific representative Vernon Vipers in what should be a highly skilled game.
RBC Game 1: Humboldt Broncos (West) vs Victoria Grizzlies (Host)
Victoria Grizzlies: Victoria has something to prove after they finished atop the BCHL regular season standings, two points up on the Vernon Vipers only to be eliminated from league playoffs in the semi finals. The Grizzlies come into this game after not playing a game for 32 straight days after they were unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs by the Powell River Kings. The time off should have allowed them to heal all the bumps and bruises, but will it also cause them to become rusty? Only time will tell for that. Expect to see Jon Milhouse, Derek Lee and Trever Hertz get tons of ice time, as well as Evan Pighin. Anthony Grieco will get the start tonight in net. If the Grizz want to be successful against the Humboldt Broncos tonight, they need to be physical but disciplined.
Humboldt Broncos: The Humboldt Broncos are back to defend their Royal Bank Cup title. The three time defending SJHL champion Broncos are fresh off an outstanding comeback to win the ANAVET Cup over the MJHL's Portage Terriers, winning the series 4-3 after trailing 3-1. "The Little General" Brady Wacker will be a force on the blueline tonight as will Tanner Vandesype. Look for the Broncos to use their speed and playmaking ability to draw penalties. If this happens, it will be a long night for the Grizzlies, as Humboldt's powerplay is lethal on bad nights, let alone when they are rolling. Chances are Mathieu LaRochelle will get the start in between the pipes for the defending RBC champs but if not, then thats not a problem as Bodnarchuk is more than capable of winning games at will.
My Prediction: Humboldt defeats the hometown Grizzlies 5-2 on the strength of 3 PP goals. (Gutsy prediction!)
Humboldt Broncos: The Humboldt Broncos are back to defend their Royal Bank Cup title. The three time defending SJHL champion Broncos are fresh off an outstanding comeback to win the ANAVET Cup over the MJHL's Portage Terriers, winning the series 4-3 after trailing 3-1. "The Little General" Brady Wacker will be a force on the blueline tonight as will Tanner Vandesype. Look for the Broncos to use their speed and playmaking ability to draw penalties. If this happens, it will be a long night for the Grizzlies, as Humboldt's powerplay is lethal on bad nights, let alone when they are rolling. Chances are Mathieu LaRochelle will get the start in between the pipes for the defending RBC champs but if not, then thats not a problem as Bodnarchuk is more than capable of winning games at will.
My Prediction: Humboldt defeats the hometown Grizzlies 5-2 on the strength of 3 PP goals. (Gutsy prediction!)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Royal Bank Cup 09 Team Comparison
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
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
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