vees:blog

Scouts, aspiring BCHLers, coaches, alumni, and Vees brass are all on hand this weekend at the SOEC and Community Rink in Penticton for Spring Camp 2009.

160 players are vying for a ticket to main camp in August.

Here’s a taste of some of the sounds of spring camp.

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The Penticton Vees 4-day spring camp commences today in the Peach City.

8 teams of 20 players ranging in birth years of ‘90 (19-year-olds next season) to ‘95 (14-year-olds next season) will be in attendance trying to earn a ticket to Vees main training camp come August. Each team will play twice Friday and Saturday before a single game on Sunday to close out the tournament formatted event.

2009 Vees Devon Krogh, Curtis McKenzie, Ryan Johansen, Garrett Milan, Denver Manderson and Derik Johnson are all involved in the camp, working behind the bench during game play, giving tours of the dressing room, and assisting in fitness testing… among other duties.

Today camp participants check in, tour the facility (SOEC), and go through a fitness test. Ice times start at 8AM (Friday through Sunday) and last ice time runs from 4:45 to 5:50 (except Sunday when the last ice time - which is also the championship game of the 8-team tournament - starts at 12:30 and ends at 1:35).

The event brings in 160 quality players from all over North America, with a chance to measure themselves against other BCHL hopefuls. 20 of 160 have come from the USA to attend while the remaining 140 players are Canadians.

Stay tuned to the Vees Blog for more over the weekend…

4 Games, that’s all it took for the Vernon Vipers to dispatch of the AJHL Champion Grande Prairie Storm. In a series that started in the old Civic Centre in Vernon the Vipers played a physical, and defensively responsible series allowing just 6 goals in the four game sweep.

16-year-old Pentictonite Sahir Gill had a sensational Doyle Cup racking up 6 points playing with the infamous Jones Twins of Fruitvale, BC. The Vipers top line totaled 20 points in the 4-game series.

Former Vees tough-guy Eli Grossmann closed out his Junior career with a baffling set of decisions late in Game 2… have a look if you don’t know what I’m talking about. Eli apologized to the officials and I have spoken with him since the event. The 20-year-old is embarrassed and remorseful regarding the incident. Odds are this isn’t the last we hear about this black eye on Junior A Hockey.

With the Victory, the Vipers advance to the RBC Cup in Victoria, which will feature two BCHL entries. Host Victoria and the aforementioned Vipers are in to the 5 team national championship.

In the Prairies (ANAVET CUP) - Portage and Humbolt are in the midst of a best of seven for the ‘West’ entry to the tournament. Former Vees netminder Bryan Mountain has the Portage of the Prairie Terriers up 3 game to 1 with game 5 in Humboldt tonight.

In Ontario 4 teams are still vying for the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the right to represent the ‘Central’ region. Fort William has the top record in the round robin thus far.

Out East 4 teams (from Quebec, PEI, New Brunswick and Ontario) are battling for the Fred Page Cup (yes, the same name as the BCHL’s Championship Trophy). With Dieppe, ON and Summerside, PEI getting early round robin victories.

Meanwhile the Victoria Grizzlies haven’t played hockey since March 31, but will be hit the ice on May 2nd to kick off the RBC Cup Round Robin.

NHL’s Central Scouting has released their final rankings for the 2009 draft.

The 17-year-old ‘Golden (BC) Boy’ is ranked 89th among North American skaters, up from 158th in the mid-term rankings.

Other BCHLers ranked include Curtis Gedig of Cowichan Valley (115th), Cory Kane of the Vernon Vipers (117th), Spencer Bennett of the Surrey Eagles (142nd), Kyle Bigos - also of the BCHL Champion Vipers - (169th) and Prince George Spruce King Wes McLeod (200th).

Here are my conversations with C-Mac himself and Vees Head Coach & GM Fred Harbinson via phone line.

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The field of 26 playoff teams in Alberta and BC has been whittled down to 2.

The Vernon Vipers and Grande Prairie Storm are set to do battle for the right to advance to the RBC Cup in Victoria.

The Storm have been idle since April 5th when they swept the Spruce Grove Saints in the Enerflex Cup (AJHL Final), while the Vipers dispatched of the Powell River Kings last night in Game 6 of the Fred Page Cup in Vernon.

There are a few interesting storylines set up for the Doyle Cup, here’s a peek at the details…

COACH VANDEKAMP

Mike Vandekamp’s return to Vernon should be fun to watch. The Grande Prairie Coach and Director of Hockey Operations has an extensive BCHL coaching career in Merritt, Vernon and Powell River. Vandekamp has been named BCHL coach of the year twice including in ‘01/’02, his first year as the head coach of the Vipers.

Vandekamp Coached Vernon for four seasons (’01/’02 to ‘04-’05) taking the Vipers to the final in all but one of those years, and leading the snakes to a Fred Page Cup Championship in ‘02/’03. The Vipers eventually were eliminated by the Camrose Kodiaks (sound familiar Vees fans?) in the Doyle Cup.

SERIES STARTS AT CIVIC CENTRE

The Vipers will open the first leg of the series in the Vernon Civic Centre, not the Westbild Centre which is booked for a forestry show. It’s a case of bad timing for the Vipers who will now be maxed out at just over 2000 fans per game rather than the 3000+ that fit the Wesbild Centre. Should the Vipers have closed out the BCHL Final sooner, the series could have been started early allowing games to be played at the bigger, better barn.

FAMILY TIES

Vernon Vipers Forward Braden Pimm will face his cousin Bernie (Director of Scouting for the Grande Prairie Storm) who used also to be an assistant coach of the Vipers in ‘05/’06. The Pimms are a from Fort St. John, BC where Mike Vandekamp played his Junior (Huskies) and Senior (Flyers) Hockey, and started his coaching career (coincidentally F.S.J. is where this broadcaster called his first junior hockey on the radio).

GROSSMANN RETURNS

For the third season in a row, Elias Grossmann will face the Vernon Vipers in the playoffs. In each of the past 2 seasons Eli suited up against the snakes as a member of the Vees, but will do so as a member of the Storm this year. Grossmann was acquired by Grande Prairie from the Vees at the Junior ‘A’ trade deadline in January, and was reunited with Mike Vandekamp, who coached him in Prince George with the WHL’s Cougars in ‘06-’07.

HISTORICALLY

The Vipers and Storm have never played before in their history, but Alberta has won the Doyle Cup 6 times this decade, after BC won the Cup 8 times in the 90’s.

Here’s the complete schedule for the 2009 Doyle Cup.

The AJHL and BCHL Finals are set!

ENERFLEX CUP

Spruce Grove vs. Grande Prairie

This best of 7 for the AJHL Championship pits the top two teams from the Northern Division. The Storm have bolted out to a 2 game lead thanks to 4 goals on the man advantage, and Spruce Grove (who lost just 7 games in the regular season) is now behind the 8-ball.

Former Vees tough-guy Elias Grossmann has played 11 of the Storm’s 17 playoff games but has yet to suit up in the league finals due to injury.

Games 3 and 4 run on Saturday and Sunday from Grande Prairie.

AJHL piece on the contrasting styles of play

Boxscores

FRED PAGE CUP

Powell River Kings vs. Vernon Vipers

The Kings and Vipers have put together fantastic seasons to this point and are coming off series victories over very talented clubs (Victoria and Salmon Arm). The Vipers are a physically imposing, deep, and defensively minded club. Meanwhile, the Kings have a lethal power play, six 20-year-old forwards, and an uncanny knack of lighting the lamp.

Travel will be a pain in the butt should this series go six or seven games, as the trip between the Okanagan and the Sunshine Coast is a full day affair sporting 2 ferry rides and often some Greater Vancouver gridlock.

Much like the contrasting styles on display in Alberta, these teams have achieved success through different methods. Here’s the BCHL’s preview

Games 1 and 2 are Friday and Saturday in Powell River. (I’ll take Vernon in 7).

Fred Page Cup Schedule