Ice hawks host cyclone taylor cup championship - april 7th - 11th - 27 February 2022

 It may have taken a few years, but the Cyclone Taylor Cup Championship will hit the ice April 7th-10th at the Ladner Leisure Centre.

The championship was put “on hold” only due to COVID -19 that virtually put various events on hold around the world in 2019 which was immediately following the Rugby 7’s in Vancouver March 19th-20th.

From an event that was allowed to be played with a full crowd and after a two year absence the Delta Ice Hawks will be allowed to play in front of a capacity attendance.

The event was made possible with the full support of the sporting community that use the Leisure Centre after a meeting which Mayor George Harvie met will “spring” users to sort out ice and dry floor times.

With everyone on the same page the Ice Hawks were allowed to proceed and after months of work by the City, the Ice Hawks, BC Hockey as well as the PJHL dates were finalized.

The Championship plays host to four teams, one from the| KJHL, one from the VIJHL, the league champion from the PJHL and finally the Delta Ice Hawks.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delta Ice Hawks were selected to host the 2021 Cyclone Taylor Cup. Once the event was cancelled, the team immediately indicated their interest in hosting the event in the future. 

If Delta was the PJHL champion, the team representing them would be the team they played in the final championship series and if Delta fails as league champs then they will go in as the host team.

The teams will compete in six round-robin games, which will be followed by Bronze and Gold Medal games on Sunday April 11th.

Eduard Epshtein, Owner and President of the Delta Ice Hawks mentioned “The Ice Hawks are honoured to be hosting this season’s Cyclone Taylor Cup and to welcome the teams and families from around the province to Delta. We are looking forward to making the provincial tournament a memory to last a lifetime for players and fans, while showcasing the great facilities, accommodations, and businesses that Delta has to offer.”

The City of Delta is proud to play host to this provincial hockey championship and offers a vast variety of shops, restaurants along with the small town feel.

This will be only the fifth time that the Delta Ice Hawks have competed for the Cyclone Taylor Cup, and is only the first time in their twenty year history that they play host to the event, but last won the championship only once, in the 2011.

City of Delta Mayor George V. Harvie mentioned “We are extremely pleased to see the Delta Ice Hawks selected to host the 2022 Cyclone Taylor Cup at the Ladner Leisure Centre and this is a great opportunity to showcase the Ice Hawks, our local hockey community, and this vibrant city and we look forward to welcoming visitors, players, coaches, and officials to Delta – I’ll be cheering for the Ice Hawks from the stands!”

After consultation with BC Hockey and the three leagues involved in the tournament, the 2022 Cyclone Taylor Cup was again awarded to the Ice Hawks.

League Commissioner Trevor Alto mentioned .“Hockey everywhere was affected by the pandemic and two seasons put on hold for the Ice Hawks and this alone was disappointing for everyone, but mostly for the Ice Hawks. 

He continued “This postponement failed to deter the Ice Hawks organization or their desire and overall commitment to host this tournament. They were unwavering in their willingness to pick up where they left off and to host a first-class event in our new environment.”

Schedule and ticket packages will be on sale soon. For more information, please visit: https://www.pjhl.net/cyclone-taylor-cup

The Ice Hawks are currently looking for anyone who might wish to be a sponsor for this event and if you are able to become a sponsor, please contact the Delta Ice Hawks orEduard Epstein at 604 806 0104

Locally the Vancouver Giants played host to the Victoria Royals on Family Day that saw over 3,000 fans at the Langley Events Centre who were looking for the G-men to pull out a win.  This was the 8th meeting in 10 season games that saw the Royals sail away with a 3-0 shutout managing a 35 save performance from Royal’s “tender” Tyler Palmer, his 2nd this shutout this season.   The game’s opening period early in the opening period the teams played on even keel with both teams having time in each other’s zone and starting goalkeepers Jesper Vikman of the Giants and Tyler Palmer of the Royals both being sharp in a scoreless game.    The Royal’s first chance to open the scoring came while on the PP with Justin Lies serving a boarding minor at 12:38 forcing Vikman to come up with a couple of key saves that saw the Royal’s outshoot the Giants 12-10.   Vancouver managed to get their first PP of the game while Royals Matthew Hudon was serving a hooking minor at 2:55 that saw Tyler Palmer come up with key saves keeping the game scoreless.   Giant’s Fabian Lysell was assessed a slashing minor allowing the Royal’s to open the scoring that saw Bailey Peach give the Royals a 1-0 lead at 6:36 while Royal’s Captain Tarun Fizer and Gagnon Laroque grabbed assists.  As if one wasn’t enough they added their second at 9:29 that saw Caleb Willms send one over the shoulder of Vikman as assists went t o Riley Gagnon and Keanu Derungs.  Two plus one adds up to three and that’s what the Royal’s managed a short 1:04 later that saw Riley Gagnon score while assists went to Keanu Derungs and Caleb Willms with each team trading 20 shots.  The Royal’s continued to play the perfect road game in the third with a solid defensive managing to clog the middle taking any attack away from the Giants   Victoria continued to get chances in the Giants zone to expand their lead forcing Jesper Vikman to come up huge to keep them in the game over their BC division rivals causing a huge problem for the Giants offense frustration in the afternoon matinee.   The Royals late PP at 15:57 added to their lead of the final period leading 3-0 over Vancouver managing to get some excellent chances against Jesper Vikman who was forced to turn them aside.  Vikman was pulled with 1:40 remaining in hopes of getting at least one on the board breaking the SO but the Royals “D” proved too much for the G-men that saw the Royals defeat Vancouver for the 8 time in 10 game’s.  The final score on “Family Day” saw Victoria improve to 14-30-4-1 with 33 points staying within 7 of the Giants who fell to 19-25-2-0 with 40 points sitting in 7th place, while Victoria moved into an 8th place tie with the Tricity Americans for the final playoff spot.   Shots through 60 minutes were 35-27 for Vancouver, but this wasn’t enough to gain ground on the Royals Tyler Palmer who got his 2nd shutout of the season.   Vancouver hits the ice Friday night facing the same Victoria Royals at the LEC at 7:35 pm with a ferry ride the following day at Save On Foods set for 7:01 pm.  The win also saw Royals Keanu Derungs’ play in his 100th career WHL game, all have been in a Royal’s uniform.  

While we are looking forward to moving forward, for the Vancouver Giants it’s like Christmas came better late than never, even after their successful “Teddy Bear Toss” earlier in December.  As things once again begin to open up, let’s remember that it’s not just for hockey but rather all sports as they welcome their fans back to games.  While the long wait is over let’s remember that there are still some regulations that are in place, such as wearing the mask and showing proof of vaccination with ID.  In light of this we received the following from the Vancouver Giants media department and want to share their info.   Enjoy the read:  The Vancouver Giants in conjunction with the Western Hockey League are pleased to announce the dates for six rescheduled games for the Vancouver Giants during the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.   The following games have been rescheduled from their original dates:   April 8th – Vancouver Giants vs. Portland Winterhawks (From Jan. 9) April 9th – Vancouver Giants at Kelowna Rockets (From Jan. 7) April 10th – Vancouver Giants at Kelowna Rockets (From Feb. 9) April 13th – Vancouver Giants vs. Seattle Thunderbirds (From Feb. 6) April 15th – Vancouver Giants vs. Kelowna Rockets (From Jan. 22) April 16th – Vancouver Giants at Kamloops Blazers (From Jan. 8) The Vancouver Giants return to action this weekend with a pair of games against divisional foes. Tomorrow night at the LEC the G-Men look to secure their third straight victory when they host their Island rivals, the Victoria Royals at 7:30 PM  . Then on Saturday the Giants will hit the road for a 7:00 PM showdown in Kamloops against the Blazers.  

No different from the Beatles song called “The Long and Winding Road” from the 70ties album Let It Be could have been written years ahead of time thinking about today’s COVID-19 world where we have been locked up far too long.  In an earlier announcement by PHO, Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix who are offering more glitter than gold when it comes to getting back to normal.  It’s been something that everyone in the Province has been waiting for as it opens up the road to playing amateur sports as well as tournaments throughout the Province.  In light of the announcement the following press release is listed below so enjoy the read and above all stay safe – we don’t want to go back to yesteryear!!!  Canucks Sports & Entertainment (CSE) released the following statement today regarding the elimination of capacity limits for large indoor events, announced by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix.   “Today’s news was made possible thanks to everyone’s efforts and commitment in recent weeks and months as we all navigated the latest challenges of the pandemic,” said Michael Doyle, President, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, Business Operations. “But it’s now an exciting time to look forward again. The announcement today is great news as we head into our next Canucks home game on Saturday, and for our teams and fans in Vancouver and Abbotsford for the rest of the season.”    “The health and safety of our fans, employees, players and community continues to be a top priority as we safely open our doors to full capacity again,” added Doyle. “We will continue to follow provincial health orders at our games and live events at Rogers Arena and Abbotsford Centre as we welcome fans back to full arenas.”    Ticket information:   Fans can purchase single game Vancouver Canucks tickets online via tickets.canucks.com/singlegame.   For more information on Vancouver Canucks tickets, including single game tickets, groups and Season Ticket Memberships, please visit tickets.canucks.com.    For Abbotsford Canucks tickets, visit tickets.abbotsfordcanucks.ca. For Vancouver Warriors tickets, visit tickets.vancouverwarriors.com. 

It may have taken longer than she expected but staying true to your dreams and focus can lead to having your dreams indeed come true, regardless of what some might think.  Talent is a god given talent and one such person who has excelled in this area is Former Canadian Women’s Olympic hockey player Danielle Goyette.   Making history as the world turns to gender equality finally opened the door allowing her to make hockey history being named as the the first woman to be an assistant for an ECHL team when she joined the Newfoundland Growers; the Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate, for its home game against Reading in the 9-2 win.  Goyette, a Hockey Hall of Famer, is in her first season as director of player development for the Maple Leafs and worked with a staff including assistant Nathan McIver, video coach Ryan Stacey and goaltending coach Marek Benda. Newfoundland.  Goyette was hired by the Maple Leafs on May 17 after coaching the women’s hockey team at the University of Calgary for 13 seasons, guiding the Dinos to the CIS championship in 2011-12.  Goyette was a forward who along with others helped Canada win Gold at the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics and 2006 Turin Olympics, and eight titles at the IIHF Women’s World Championship. She was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 and named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2018.  The Leafs hired Danielle (53) on May 17th after she left the University of Calgary for 13 years taking the Dinos to the CIS championship in the 2011-12 campaign.   While playing for Team Canada she was a forward when they competed at the games in 2002 in Salt Lake City winning Gold over the US and completed the double of back to back Gold medal game in the 2006 Turin games in Italy.     Her bio also includes eight (8) IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017 and received the 2018 Order of Hockey in Canada.     When she was hired by the Leafs she (Goyette) mentioned “It’s a dream come true and when we talk about playing hockey as a girl, you want to play NHL amd now everything is changing, and I feel lucky that I’m able to open some doors.”   It’s not just about us, but it’s about female sport as well. Having women in sport, having roles that make a difference in the NHL, for me, it’s pretty amazing to be in that position. I think we will keep pushing each other, that is what we have done our whole career.”   This follows on the steps of the hiring of her teammate Haley Wickenheiser got the promotion to senior director of player development who are together again this time.   Danielle Goyette also holds the position of player development for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.   I have grown a lot, as a person and as a coach and have had the chance to work with so many wonderful people. And on the other hand, what an honor to have a chance to work for one of the best sports organizations in the world.”   She served as an assistant coach with Canada’s national team which won the gold at the 2014 Olympics and it included Wickenheiser in the ranks as well both are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.  She calls Saint-Nazaire home in the off-season and a while back she was the head coach of the Calgary Dinos following her playing career in 2007 and interesting enough Wickenheiser played under Goyette with the Dinos from 2010 to 2015.   Having a Daughter set the stepping stones in place in Delta, I for one is pleased that changes are heading in the right direction.