Just three teams remain in the hunt for gold at the world Jr A Challenge in Summerside, PEI.
Beau Bennett scored this morning against Russia
The defending champions from the USA are through to the gold medal game after hopping out to a commanding 4-0 lead on the way to a 6-3 victory over the Russians earlier today.
Beau Bennett had a goal in the third period for the American side.
Sean Bonar stretches to make a stop for Canada West
In an all Canadian match-up this afternoon (3PM PST), East will be pitted against West with a trip to the gold medal game on the line. Canada East has been perfect since the puck dropped in exhibition, while Canada West is rounding into form having outscored their opponents 13-6 in back-to-back wins over Sweden and Belarus.
Joey LaLeggia (4 assists) and Beau Bennett (3 goals, 1 assist) each have 4 points and sit in the top 10 in tournament scoring, while Sean Bonar is tied for the tournament lead with a pair of wins. Bonar has a save percentage of .897 and a goals against average of 2.68.
***UPDATE***
Team Canada West plastered Team Canada East 9-1… Ugly. So it will be the match-up featuring all three Vees in the gold medal game as Beau Bennett and Team USA will face Joey LaLeggia, Sean Bonar and Team Canada West.
VEES vs. LANGLEY
For the third time in two seasons, the Langley Chiefs will see the Penticton Vees without their best players. Last season the Chiefs beat a Vees club that was missing Brodie Reid, Curtis McKenzie and Denver Manderson in in their only meeting of the season, while this season’s home-and-home today and tomorrow will be missing Vees puck stopper Sean Bonar, D-man Joey LaLeggia, and super-rook Beau Bennett. Also, out for the Vees is Bruins draft pick Ben Sexton who suffered an upper body injury in Alberni on October 25th.
The last time the Vees played the Chiefs outside of the WJAC, was back in 2007 when the team got in an accident on the way to the rink, delayed the start of the game and then promptly shellacked the home side in one of their most thorough efforts of that championship season.
A player to watch tonight for the Chiefs is rookie defender Tim Daly. The 18-year-old 17-year-old is one of just five BCHL players on the NHL Watch List (a list of draft eligible prospects that NHL Central Scouting throws together every Fall). Also, Daly has just committed to St. Cloud State of the WCHA (NCAA), where Fred Harbinson served as assistant coach before arriving the Okanagan.
Jake Johnson has been especially productive for the Vees since arriving from the Sioux City Muskateers of the USHL. The 20-year-old from Minnesota has 9 points in 8 games with the Vees and will be looking to extend his point streak to 8 games tonight.
Langley has been lurking in the weeds in the Coastal Conference, quietly putting together a tidy winning percentage of .650 with teams like Powell River and Surrey getting all the limelight and attention. The Chiefs have a sparkling 6-2-1-0 record at their new rink - The Langley Events Centre, while the Vees are the BCHL’s best on home ice having gone 8-0-0-1 at the SOEC.
Here’s a sneak-peek at Langley’s barn courtesy of broadcaster/blogger/funny-man Evan Hammond of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Pre-game broadcast starts at 6:45 with Al Formo and myself on EZ Rock in the South Okanagan and Similkameen, MyEZRock.com, the BCHL.ca Audio Scoreboard, and the BCHL Pay-Per-View.
Amid the usual conversation at the KVS Pub regarding the week that was, the upcoming match-ups, and the storylines of the week in the BCHL was something that seemed to strike a nerve with the Vees Head Coach and GM.
On the heels of their recently released 2010 Watch List, Fred Harbinson was awfully vocal about his displeasure with NHL Central Scouting and their lack of exposure for the BCHL. Fred seemed particularly disappointed with Isaac MacLeod’s absence from the list, and I suppose you can see his point. If a 6′5 17-year-old defender who skates well isn’t a prospect, what is!?
Other topic broached include the team’s precautionary measures regarding the H1N1 flu epidemic (pandemic?!). Fred’s son Freddy (who lives in Wisconsin) is among the growing number of young athletes that have caught the Swine Flu.
Also, Fred walks us through the acquisition of Taylor Peters a big 17-year-old kid who played a full season with the Portland Winterhawks last year. The timing couldn’t be better as the Vees are facing short bench for the next two weeks with the World Jr. ‘A’ Challenge going on in PEI.
With the Burnaby Express in town featuring four former Vees, the home side missing four regulars, and the expected debut of newcomer Taylor Peters there are all sorts of reasons to be at the SOEC tomorrow.
Sean Bonar and Joey LaLeggia are off to PEI today with the rest of Team Canada West for the 2009 World Jr. A Challenge. Team Canada West has 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal in the three years that the competition has been in existance… no pressure guys.
Beau Bennett will leave on Wednesday to join Team USA who are the reigning gold medalists.
with Sean Bonar gone to PEI, Billy Faust returns to Penticton today to join the Vees for their next four games. The odd man out in the crease at training camp, Billy has been playing with the Nelson Leafs of the KIJHL, where he 5 wins, a shutout and a GAA of 2.14. Billy and Beau Bennett both played for the LA Jr. Kings (Midget) last year and have come to BC to further their hockey careers. Expect Billy to start at least one of the next four games for the Vees.
DRAFT HYPE
Central Scouting’s NHL watch list has been released and 5 BCHLer have made the preliminary list. While 5 player isn’t a whopping number for the whole league, the fact that the Vees have 3 of the 5 players is an incredible feat.
Beau Bennett has been graded a B prospect, while defenders Luke Curadi and Joey LaLeggia are rated C prospects. Other BCHLers mentioned include Westside Warriors forward Greyson Downing and Langley Chiefs defender Tim Daly.
Central Scoutings give players a grade in the ‘Watch List’, then will release a ‘Mid-Term Rankings’ in January before ‘Final Rankings’ are issued in April.
Speaking with numerous hockey people who know more than I do over the past week, Sean Bonar, and Isaac MacLeod are also garnering all sorts of attention from NHL scouts.
VEES THIS WEEK
We’re back on the air-waves on EZ Rock tonight as Boston Pizza Vees This Week is back after a ‘bye’ week. We’ll chat with Eddie Gregory of the Burnaby Express to preview Friday’s tilt at the SOEC, also new Interior Confernece Power Rankings, Weekend Highlights, a chat with Fred Harbinson after sweeping the Island, and other shenanigans.
CJHL NATIONAL RANKINGS & OTHER NON-SENSE
The Vees fell a spot to fifth in the CJHL National Rankings while Vernon remains at 3rd in the nation. The Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL) and Dauphin Kings (MJHL) who play in vastly weaker leagues than the BCHL are listed in the top four.
Again, I’ll mention the need for more transparancy in the process of ranking teams from coast to caost. If there is a formula, what is it!?? Is there a ouija board quotient?!
The Vees have signed USHL forward Jake Johnson (89) to join the club. Jake represents the Vees last import and 20-year-old spot on the roster, as each BCHL team can carry six 20’s and 8 imports.
Where Johnson fits into the Vees picture is yet to be seen. Johnson arrived in Penticton today and skated with the club in their pre-game ice-time.
ANOTHER COLLEGE COMMITMENT
Late cut from training camp F - Steve Iacobellis (93) - who captains the Vancouver Major Midget Giants - has accepted a scholarship to the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Iacobellis joins fellow 16-year-old Stephan Nicholishin as a future Maverick.
“We are very excited for Steven, he can now focus on playing the game knowing where he will be for the next six years of his career. I look forward to helping develop Steven over the next two seasons”
~ Vees Head Coach and GM Fred Harbinson
The Vees have 8 players committed to NCAA programs on their roster not including Iacobellis who is a safe bet to join this Vees club next season.
VEES VS. COWICHAN VALLEY CAPITALS
- The Cowichan Valley Capitals arrive in the Okanagan today as one of the youngest teams in the BCHL. The Caps are carrying just three 20-year-old, and have 4 players who are 16 or 17 years of age.
- The Caps are averaging a league worst 2.9 goals per game played, and have no players with over 3 goals. The Vees by contrast have seven.
- The Vees have now killed off 11 straight penalties dating back to their loss in Merritt last Tuesday.
- Lost amid his torrid scoring pace is Denver Manderson’s 11 game point streak. The Vees captain has recorded at least a point in each game of the season. Quietly, rookie forward Alex Szczechura has recorded point in each of his last 7 games.
- Adam Zamec will make his season debut tonight for the Vees. The alternate captain has been out recovering from off-season injury, but has been skating with the club for a few weeks now. Zamec will play with Hayden Trupp and Stephan Nicholishin on the 4th line.
- Puck drop is 7:05 from the South Okanagan Events Centre. Catch the broadcast of the game at 6:45 with Chad Campbell (who is pinch hitting for Al Formo) and myself on EZ Rock, at BCHL.ca or at myezrock.com
HC/GM Fred Harbinson and I kick around some news items regarding the team and the league, as training camp starts in exactly a week.
On Johansen
His 08/09 regular season numbers don’t jump at you off the screen, but don’t understate the offensive tools Ryan has. Johansen was 3rd in playoff scoring for the Vees and was worlds better in March than he was in the Fall in his first months of Junior. Crafty. Big. Skilled. He may be on TV one day.
Roger Tepper. Edge Photography. edgephoto@telus.net
I envision Ryan in a top 6 role in Portland this season and an NHL team to announce his name come the NHL Entry Draft in late June. [On a side note the Entry Draft was slated to take place in Phoenix, but could be relocated due to the Coyotes bankruptcy chaos.] Best of luck to the kid!
Ohio State = Dalpe + Schneider + Krogh + Szczechura = Vees
Enough Math.
Here’s big brother Paul
More Mayhem in Merritt
Shawn and Brian have been following Merritt’s off-season with much more detail that I have, but if what Fred says in our interview below, is true, Merritt is entering a world of pain.
The Cents were nearly bought by more stable ownership months ago, before the deal fell through just weeks ago. Now the team may be without a Head Coach & GM, and is most certainly in a precarious financial situation.
You have to feel for the fans, players and people of Merritt as they’ve had a real rough 2+ years with rumours of sales, relocation and management changes. Never mind the 82 loses in the past 2 season. This will be an interesting situation to follow in the next few weeks.
If coaching doesn’t work out for Vees Head Coach and GM Fred Harbinson a career as a head-hunter or importer would seem like a natural fit. Not that the bench boss of the Vees should be thinking about a career change, but in this productive off-season, he has proven he excels in the field of recruiting and bringing talent from all over North America to the Okanagan.
Along with the previously discussed Beau Bennett, Ben Sexton, Luke Curadi (among others), Harbinson has also added Jeff Johnson - a maritime product who played US Prep School Hockey last year at Holderness Academy and was mentioned on the early season Draft Watch list last winter.
In an off season of USHL defections, the Penticton Vees have won the Beau Bennett Sweepstakes.
Pursued by the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL and the Tri-City Storm of the USHL the coveted forward will make Penticton his home this Fall.
One of the top Midget Players in the States last year Beau racked up 105 points in 75 all purpose games with the Jr. Kings en route to a Pacific Regional Championship and a trip to the National Championships in Pittsburgh.
Bennett lead the Kings in scoring and is listed as a top prospect for the 2010 Entry Draft and will be a focal point for scouts following Junior in Western Canada.
He may hail from the Beach Boy state, but the California kid is more that comfy on ice.
Spencer ducks out on a commitment to the University of Alaska Anchorage with the decision. No word if any Sutters influenced his choice.
* The Prince George Spruce Kings have brought back former Penticton Bronco Ed Dempsey for two more years at the helm. He’s responded by making some roster tweaks including bringing in Pentictonite and former Vees net-minder Evan Smith. Some nice TV coverage here on Ron Gallo’s Blog.
* The Merritt Centennials have rounded out their coaching staff with assistants Luke Pierce and Richard Molenaar.
The new assistants join Head Coach and GM Joey Bouchard (above) in the quest to snap their two year run without playoff action.
* The Trail Smoke Eaters have settled on a goal-tending tandem that backed up Kevin Jebson in Westside last season. Garrett Beckwith and Devon Murtagh have re-united in the Kootenays to stop pucks, but the question remains who will back up Jebson be the starter. The Smokies have also added Darnell Dyck up front in exchange for 20-year-old goalie Paul Barclay who was shipped to Surrey. My homeboy ‘Mullsy’ is all over it at the Smokies Blog.
* The Vees will play an extensive seven game pre-season schedule (five of which are on the road). Starting with a three game round robin in Trail with the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits, the Coastal Conference defending champs from Powell River, and of course the host Smokies. Last season a similar pre-season event was played in Dawson Creek, BC with the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL) Prince George Spruce Kings and the Burnaby Express taking part.
Bigos was as improved as any player in the BCHL last season and was named the MVP and Top D-man at the RBC (he is shown above teasing his bleached-blonde Mohawk). Bigos is off to Merrimack this season and will leave a big hole on the Vernon blueline that will also lose Cam Brodie, Cody Ikkala and Mike Leidl due to their ‘88 birth years.
Head Coach Mark Ferner was also less than enthusiastic about Gill’s goodbye when speaking with the Vernon Morning Star:
“I feel like we treat our players pretty good here. Here’s a young player, 16-years-old, playing on the top line, the top powerplay unit, and he goes and makes a lateral move to another league… He had offers from big (NCAA) schools and he had NHL teams looking at him. There will be lots of teams who will question Sahir for making this decision.”
To me it’s not a lateral move at all. Yes, the BCHL and USHL are both NCAA eligible junior leagues, but c’mon the USHL had seven players drafted at the June NHL Entry Draft BEFORE Kyle Bigos was the first BCHLer nabbed, and the USHL grossed seventeen players picked as compared to five players selected from the BCHL. Add the US Developmental Program to a concentrated 13 team league this year, over 180 commitments to college programs and it’s obvious the level of play in the USHL is simply higher.
Sahir wanted to play at a higher level. End of story. This isn’t about getting a commitment (he already has his pick of schools), this is about development and a bigger challenge for the talented ‘92 forward - who was far and away the top 16 year old in the BCHL last season.
What do the Boston Bruins and the Penticton Vees have in common?
Aside from stops in Andy Moog and Chuck Kobasew’s hockey careers, and having two of the best looking hockey jerseys on earth, both the Vees and the Bruins have Ben Sexton in common.
Last season Sexton recorded 35 points in 38 games, amassing over half of his point on the man-advantage. Of note, Sexton grew up watching Vees Alumni Zac Dalpe and even received a phone call from the current Ohio State Buckeye to discus Zac’s time in the Okanagan.
Ben is the son of Randy Sexton the recently anointed GM (the interim tag was dropped) of the Florida Panthers, and former Ottawa Senators executive.
After just three goals in his sixteen-year-old season, C-Mac made huge strides this year as he earned a scholarship out of training camp, earned a silver medal at the World Jr. ‘A’ Challenge with Team Canada West, played in the CJHL Prospects game in P.E.I., was named a BCHL All-Star, and earned an alternate captaincy in the Fall, after which he was named the Captain of the club when Denver Manderson went down to season ending injury at the end of January. The Golden, BC product also lead all 1991 born BCHL players in point production.
Here’s Vees Head Coach and GM Fred Harbinson on Curtis being drafted:
