Weekend NCAA highlights include a 4-point (2G-2A) weekend for Ohio State forward Zac Dalpe that earned him a CCHA player of the week nod, Mercyhurst forward Cody Collins doubling his goal total on the year with a pair of bingos, three points for Austin Smith of the Colgate Raiders, and the first NCAA action for Bryan Mountain (he played 9:22, didn’t factor into the decision, and didn’t face a shot).
Here are former rivals Hunter Bishop and Zac Dalpe and Hunter Bishop (Vernon) talking about a big 4-point Buckeye weekend
Brennan Barker D (SR, Alabama-Huntsville) - 10GP 0-3-3 10PIM
Anthony Borelli G (FR, Brown) - Has Not Played
Steve Cameron F (JR, Mercyhurst) - 12GP 7-3-10 6PIM
Cody Collins F (SR, Mercyhurst) - 12GP 4-2-6 0PIM
Deron Cousens D (JR, Michigan Tech) - 10GP 1-1-2 6PIM
Zac Dalpe F (SO, Ohio State) - 11GP 5-6-11 0PIM
Alex Evin G (SO, Colgate) - 5GP (1-1-2) 3.45 .883
Brett Hextall F (SO, North Dakota) - 9GP 2-0-2 28PIM
Tanner House F (JR, Maine) - 6GP 2-1-3 4PIM
Zack Josepher D (FR, Michigan State) - 11GP 2-2-4 12PIM
Devon Krogh D (FR, Ohio State) - 9GP 0-2-2 2PIM
Eric Kroshus F (SO, Harvard) - 2GP 1-0-1 0PIM
Justin Krueger D (SR, Cornell) - 5GP 0-0-0 4PIM
Brian Lebler F (SR, Michigan) - 9GP 1-3-4 10PIM
Alex MacLeod F (SO, Michigan Tech) - 9GP 2-2-4 12PIM
Bryant Molle D (JR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 10GP 0-1-1 6PIM
Curtis McKenzie F (FR, Miami-Ohio) - 12GP 4-5-9 26PIM
Cory Milan G (JR, Union) - 8GP (3-2-3) 2.63 .903
TJ Miller D (SR, Northern Michigan) - 8GP 0-1-1 6PIM
Bryan Mountain G (FR, Northeastern) - 1GP (0-0-0) 0.00 1.000
Trevor Nill F (SO, Michigan State) - 6GP 0-0-0 8PIM
Kaare Odegard D (FR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 8GP 0-2-2 2PIM
Travis Ouellette F (FR, Ferris State) - 11GP 5-2-7 4PIM
Cory Schneider F (SO, Ohio State)- 10GP 1-2-3 0PIM
After suffering just their 3rd regulation loss of the season, the Penticton Vees won’t have any issues identifying why they ended up losing 5-4 last night in Penticton. On the flip-side of the coin, the blue, black and white know exactly where they’ll need to be better if they want a road win tonight.
1) A Slow Start: The Vees had just 3 shots in the first period last night and while they did have possession in the Westside end, they did not make an emphasis of putting the puck on net in the first period. When the Vees were getting pucks to the net later in the game, they were great. In the final 40 minutes they out-shot the 34 to 18 and looked like a hungrier hockey team than they did in the first.
2) The Goaltending Battle: No doubt that Kevin Jebson was the better ‘tender last night at the SOEC. Sean Bonar’s 2009/2010 season has been dazzling, but he’d be the first to tell you last night he wasn’t sharp. Sean’s status as the Vees #1 and a candidate for Top Goalie in the BCHL haven’t changed since last night’s game, and I expect Fred Harbinson to go right back with ‘Bones’ tonight. If the Bonar can out-duel Jebson, it’s tough to see the Vees losing this game.
3) Top Line Battle: As good as the Vees top line was at time last night they were outscored 4-1 at even strength. Shutdown Bailey’s line and the Vees are in good shape. They couldn’t do it last night at home with last change. Can they do it tonight with Darren Yopyk getting to match lines?
HOLKA ON (ST.) CLOUD 9
19-year-old forward Joey Holka has committed to St. Cloud State for the 2011/2012 season. File this under ‘win-win-win situtation’ Joey gets a scholly to a fantastic NCAA hockey program in a state that lives and breathes hockey (Minnesota), the Vees get to keep Joey for next season where he’ll be a monster in the BCHL as a 20-year-old power forward, and St. Cloud State gets a player they now will be ready for the WCHA when he arrives (they also know the coach fairly well).
Heading into training camp I had no idea what Joey’s role would be withe the club. After a fantastic off-season in Phoenix he’s without question the most improved Vees player from last season. Congrats to Joey.
LOCAL LOGAN
The man who smiles when he fights has been given a letter by the Vees. Pentictonite Logan Johnston was named ‘A’lternate Captain of the Vees on Wednesday immediately after Adam Zamec’s departure.
Logan is a character guy who has always been tough and defended team-mates, but is now an integral part of the team’s success. A PK specialist, shutdown forward, and a bone-rattling power forward; Logan has also added an offensive touch this season (7-9-16).
Johnston (the 2nd) is a great choice for an alternate captain, and a player the city of Penticton should be very proud of.
Vees Head Coach and General Manager Fred Harbinson has traded Adam Zamec to the Wellington Dukes of the CCHL (Central Canadian Hockey League) for future considerations.
The second year, 20-year-old forward had a goal and two assists in 11 games this season after a late start due to off season surgery. Named an alternate captain last year, Zamec’s best year of junior was in ‘07/’08 when he scored 17 goals for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL after being traded from Kitchener.
TRUPP TERIFFIC
Evan Trupp has been named a WCHA Player of the Week after recording three goals in two weekend games.
SMITH NAMED TOP RAIDER
Austin Smith was named the Colgate Raiders Male Athlete of the Week after a three goal weekend. Smith was a member of the ‘07/’08 BCHL Champions, and is the only Dallas born hockey player to be drafted by the Stars.
Highlights from the weekend that was include a massive explosion of goals from Vees Alumni. Steve Cameron (Mercyhurst) , Travis Ouellette (Ferris State), and Evan Trupp (North Dakota) all had three goal weekends, while Austin Smith (Colgate) led the way with four points. Notching the first goals of their NCAA careers were former line-mates Eric Kroshus (Harvard) and Cory Schneider (Ohio State) from the 2008 Fred Page Champion Vees.
Vees Alums combined for 16 goals this weekend! Not too shabby.
Cory Schneider who is shown here jockeying for position with former member of the Vees TJ Miller.
Brennan Barker D (SR, Alabama-Huntsville) - 8GP 0-3-3 8PIM
Anthony Borelli G (FR, Brown) - Has Not Played
Steve Cameron F (JR, Mercyhurst) - 10GP 7-3-10 6PIM
Cody Collins F (SR, Mercyhurst) - 10GP 2-2-4 0PIM
Deron Cousens D (JR, Michigan Tech) - 8GP 1-1-2 6PIM
Zac Dalpe F (SO, Ohio State) - 9GP 3-4-7 0PIM
Alex Evin G (SO, Colgate) - 5GP (1-1-2) 3.45 .883
Brett Hextall F (SO, North Dakota) - 7GP 2-0-2 18PIM
Tanner House F (JR, Maine) - 4GP 2-1-3 2PIM
Zack Josepher D (FR, Michigan State) - 8GP 2-2-4 10PIM
Devon Krogh D (FR, Ohio State) - 7GP 0-2-2 2PIM
Eric Kroshus F (SO, Harvard) - 1 Goal - Stats unavailable?!
Justin Krueger D (SR, Cornell) - 3GP 0-0-0 4PIM
Brian Lebler F (SR, Michigan) - 8GP 1-3-4 10PIM
Alex MacLeod F (SO, Michigan Tech) - 7GP 2-2-4 10PIM
Bryant Molle D (JR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 8GP 0-1-1 4PIM
Curtis McKenzie F (FR, Miami-Ohio) - 10GP 3-5-8 24PIM
Cory Milan G (JR, Union) - 8GP (3-2-3) 2.63 .903
TJ Miller D (SR, Northern Michigan) - 6GP 0-1-1 4PIM
Trevor Nill F (SO, Michigan State) - 6GP 0-0-0 8PIM
Bryan Mountain G (FR, Northeastern) - Has Not Played
Kaare Odegard D (FR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 7GP 0-2-2 2PIM
Travis Ouellette F (FR, Ferris State) - 9GP 5-1-6 4PIM
Despite being just 4 points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand, the Williams Lake Timberwolves have fired Head Coach Dave Dupas. Working with what is essentially a Junior ‘B’ all-star team from last season (just 4 players are NOT rookies), Dupas had his club playing beyond expectations of many… Clearly not that of his ownership though.
In my opinion this team is out skilled, and wasn’t out worked… That’s not the fault of the coach.
VEES THIS WEEK
Join us tonight on Boston Pizza Vees This Week for feedback from the Vees three medalists from the WJAC in PEI. Also we’ll hear from Dave Sales from the league office Bruce Judd of Penticton Minor Hockey(better audio quality), catch up with some alumni who set accomplished some firsts in the NCAA, check in with the Interior Conferenece Power Rankings, hear highlights of the weekend home-and-home against Langley, and much more Vees yammering.
Join us from 6:05 to 7:00 on EZ Rock AM 800 or MyEZRock.com.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Vees and Vipers are back into the top three in the weekly CJHL National Rankings. Spruce Grove (AJHL) is #1, the Vipers #2, and the Vees are #3 as Dauphin and Kingston are dropped. Coastal leading Surrey Eagles are in at #9 and also garnering attention from the BCHL are Alberni Valley Bulldogs who beat Surrey in OT on Saturday.
Sean Bonar was named tournament MVP after standing on his head in the gold medal game, making 34 saves on 34 shots. Bonar - who is committed to Princeton - was also named Canada West player of the game for the second time in the tournament.
Coming home to the Okanagan with gold is Beau Bennett, the leading rookie scorer of the BCHL this season. Beau was the only non-USHL player on the American roster and compiled 3 goals and 4 points in 5 games played (not to mention a pair of posts in Sunday’s gold medal game). Having visited Denver and Colorado earlier in the season, Beau seems to have narrowed his decision on an NCAA club down to two.
Joey LaLeggia was his productive self as the tournament contributing 4 assists over 5 games from Canada West’s blue-line. The 17-year-old Burnaby product is committed to New Hampshire, and was the Captain of the Vancouver Major Midget Giants last year.
The trio will return home with medals around their necks (and perhaps bags under their eyes) after a long day of travel from the Maritimes later this afternoon (there is a 4-hour time change). Coach Harbinson has stated he wants to meet with each of them before deciding their status for Wednesday’s game.
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.
Weekend NCAA highlights include Cory Schneider posting his first two-point NCAA game for Ohio State, Maine captain Tanner House notching a pair in his first weekend back from injury, Steve Cameron and Cody Collins leading Mercyhurst to a pair of wins, and a monster 3-point game from Alex MacLeod for Michigan Tech.
Tanner House crashes the net for the Maine Black Bears
Brennan Barker D (SR, Alabama-Huntsville) - 6GP 0-2-2 6PIM
Anthony Borelli G (FR, Brown) - Season Not Underway
Steve Cameron F (JR, Mercyhurst) - 6GP 3-1-4 2PIM
Cody Collins F (SR, Mercyhurst) - 6GP 1-1-2 0PIM
Deron Cousens D (JR, Michigan Tech) - 4GP 1-1-2 6PIM
Zac Dalpe F (SO, Ohio State) - 5GP 1-3-4 0PIM
Alex Evin G (SO, Colgate) - 3GP (1-1-1) 2.64 .911
Brett Hextall F (SO, North Dakota) - 6GP 2-0-2 18PIM
Tanner House F (JR, Maine) - 2GP 2-0-2 2PIM
Zack Josepher D (FR, Michigan State) - 6GP 2-2-4 2PIM
Devon Krogh D (FR, Ohio State) - 4GP 0-1-1 0PIM
Eric Kroshus F (SO, Harvard) - Season Not Underway
Justin Krueger D (SR, Cornell) - Season Not Underway
Brian Lebler F (SR, Michigan) - 4GP 1-1-2 6PIM
Alex MacLeod F (SO, Michigan Tech) - 4GP 1-2-3 2PIM
Bryant Molle D (JR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 4GP 0-1-1 2PIM
Curtis McKenzie F (FR, Miami-Ohio) - 6GP 2-3-5 12PIM
Cory Milan G (JR, Union) - 5GP (3-1-1) 2.29 .920
TJ Miller D (SR, Northern Michigan) - 4GP 0-0-0 2PIM
Trevor Nill F (SO, Michigan State) - 5GP 0-0-0 8PIM
Bryan Mountain G (FR, Northeastern) - NO STARTS
Kaare Odegard D (FR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 3GP 0-1-1 2PIM
Travis Ouellette F (FR, Ferris State) - 5GP 2-0-2 2PIM
Made in Penticton but residing in Duncan, the Vees will see the world’s largest hockey stick tonight
* The Vees wrap up their 2-game season series with the Cowichan Valley Capitals today in Duncan. Penticton pumped Cowichan 6-1 on October the 7th as captain Denver Manderson record 3 assists.
* In NCAA action this weekend Curtis McKenzie’s hot start with the top ranked Miami Redhawks will see the freshman forward face two former teammates at Michigan State. Zack Joesepher and Trevor Nill currently play for the Spartans and both played with Curtis during the 2008 BCHL Championship season. Here’s a preview of the Division I clash.
* It appears the Clippers and Grizzlies have swung a deal. Hammer tells us the deal sees D - Jake Baker (91) go to Victoria for F - Teal Burns (92) and D - Todd Gebert (90). That’s the third team for Jake Baker and we are just at the quarter poll of the season.
* The Merritt Centennials have added a few bodies to their roster as F - Andrew MacMillan (90) is over his mono and Cameron Dagg is yanked up from Columbia Valley of the KIJHL (Jr. B). No idea why the Cents want another young goalie (they allready have two)… Nevermind one who is (1-7-0) in Jr. B.
* The Vipers have given D - Nils-Erik Soderlund (90) a full time roster spot… DieHardVipersFan has more.
