pjhl winter classic

Story by Steve Erickson

Hockey continues to grow in the area and in taking huge steps to move forward again has the Pacific Junior Hockey League again host the 2022 Winter Classic Showcase in Richmond at Minoru Arena.

The league continues to grow with the most recent addition being the Chilliwack Jets, albeit just prior to the Pandemic.

That alone was a struggle for the league, but under the guidance of newly elected league Commissioner Trevor Alto and league executive they perceived keeping the legacy of the league moving forward.  As with the past few years, the league will again hold the PJHL Winter Classic in Minoru from December 29th to January 1st, with the schedule listed below.

We received the following notice from the league, so mark the dates on your calendar and make plans to attend. 

PJHL Commissioner Trevor Alto mentioned “We are excited to have this opportunity to highlight not only our league but our community as well by offering fans multiple entertainment options,” 

He continued “From live hockey to activities and spaces for kids and families, partnerships with local businesses to showcase the best offerings from across the Fraser Valley.”

The event, which runs December 29 through January 1, 2023 at  Minoru Arena in Richmond, will be available live on HockeyTV. 

With scouts expected in attendance, these players are able to showcase their talents in front of Junior A, CIS and College Scouts from across North America.

“We had a good majority of players from last season pursue post-educational hockey or graduate to a Junior A level commitment. This is outstanding,” said Alto. “It is my hope that the PJHL continues to provide opportunities to assist as many players as possible to make successful transitions to post-secondary hockey, or higher junior hockey opportunities including at the Junior A, USports, ACHA and NCAA levels and more successful transitions from hockey to the world of work and life. Events such as these provide players with a unique opportunity to showcase their amazing talents.”

The PJHL Winter Classic Showcase, which is part of the regular-season schedule, features 13 games with each of the league’s 13 teams playing two games.

Ticketing information will be provided at a later date.

*Please note scheduled times may change.

Date,Time,Home,Away

Thursday, Dec 29th 10:00 a.m.  Surrey Knights vs Delta Ice Hawks

Thursday, Dec 29th 1:00 p.m. Langley Trappers vs Aldergrove Kodiaks

Thursday, Dec 29th 4:00 p.m. Ridge Meadows Flames vs Abbotsford Pilots

Thursday, Dec 29th 7:00 p.m. Mission City Outlaws vs North Vancouver Wolf Pack

Friday, Dec 30th 10:00 a.m. Grandview Steelers vs Port Moody Panthers

Friday, Dec 30th 1:00 p.m. Abbotsford Pilots vs Langley Trappers

Friday, Dec 30th 4:00 p.m. White Rock Whalers vs Mission City Outlaws

Friday, Dec 30th 7:00 p.m. Richmond Sockeyes vs Surrey Knights

Saturday, Dec 31st 10:00 a.m. North Vancouver Wolf Pack vs White Rock Whalers

Saturday, Dec 31st 1:00 p.m. Chilliwack Jets vs Grandview Steelers

Sunday, Jan 1st 1:00 p.m. Port Moody Panthers vs Ridge Meadows Flames

Sunday, Jan 1st 4:00 p.m.Aldergrove Kodiaks vs Chilliwack Jets

Sunday, Jan 1st 7:00 p.m. Delta Ice Hawks vs Richmond Sockeyes

Story by Steve Erickson

To no real surprise North Vancouver’s Connor Bedard (17 yrs.) is expected to be the overall No. 1 in the 2023 NHL Draft. 

Currently he along with the Regina Pats on a five-game B.C. road trip that all start with a visit to the Langley Events Centre facing off against the Vancouver Giants.

The remainder of the the games are against the Victoria Royals (Saturday), the Kelowna Rockets (Tuesday) are sold out games.

We are hearing that the match-up against the Kamloops Blazers has a few single tickets with standing room available for the Nov. 30 meeting. 

They (Regina) visit Prince George on Dec. 2 game with a few tickets remaining and to the  shock of the WHL no one can ever remember when a visiting player or team has managed to have this kind of effect on attendance for any club.

Giants owner Ron Toigo mentioned “It’s a nice story. He’s a local kid and he’s handling it all so well, which is a credit to him and to his family and the people he has around him and I wish him all the success in the world in the other four buildings in BC.

He was the Pats first overall pick in the WHL bantam draft April 22 which indicated in a report in 2020 that GM John Paddock mentioned that they were planning to select Bedard.

For those in the lower mainland who saw him play remembering that he finished with 84 points which include 43 goals in 36 games while playing with the West Vancouver Academy Warriors. 

It was Hockey Canada who granted him exceptional player status in 2020 which allowed him to play full-time in major junior hockey as a 15-year old.

He was the first ever player to be given this status in the WHL and only the seventh overall player following the footsteps of Connor McDavid, Aaron Ekbald and John Tavares.

You can imagine how thrilled the Giants are considering that after nine home games the Giants’ have only averaged 3,017, but after his visit they might reach around 4,800. 

As of press time the game is sold-out and has been for a while and given the media press event Thursday the talk was about him alone.

The LEC hold 5,276, but for the Giants to reach that has been a struggle of late knowing that the last time they announced a sellout was Game 5 of the 2019 WHL championship series against the Prince Albert Raiders with a sell-out crowd of 5,033.

It’ll be a fun game for everyone attending and no doubt the Giants want to come out with a W.

Paddock’s Resume at a glance:

• 2015 and 2017 WHL Coach of the Year
• 2017 WHL Executive of the Year
• Head coach and GM of Winnipeg Jets (1991-95)
• Head coach Ottawa Senators (2007-08)
• Played 87 NHL games, including 1980 Stanley Cup Final with Philadelphia
• 462 games in the AHL, amassing 282 points and 1,235 penalty minutes
• Five-time American Hockey League Calder Cup champion (three as a coach, two as a player)
• Drafted by Washington in 1974 NHL Draft
• Played his junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Story by Steve Erickson

Sport revolves around what I call the “unsung heroes” in the game as well as the ones that I continue to promote – THE OFFICIALS.

Like them or not it’s a simple concept, you can’t live with them and you can’t play any sport without them.

Locally the Vancouver Giants hosted a Timbits Jamboree today (November 20th) at the Langley Events Centre with several Giant’s players on the ice with them.

For some of the players this might have just been a time to reflect and truly understand what the game is about and how it is or should be played at a young age.

As a now retired former referee, I look forward to being able to promote and help grow the game for the future of a game that has been not only fun for me, but also at times a rewarding career. I was contacted by Sara with the Vancouver Giants who mentioned she or the Vancouver Giants were hosting a Timbits Jamboree with the first game starting at 8 am.

My first thought was what a terrible time to have an event start, not just for the kids, but also the parents, but knowing kids as I do, they really don’t care about the time as long as they can get on the ice and play.

Well in looking for a group of young officials or new officials who only want to learn how to referee and maybe have a career with it, like others in the area the call was simple.

I reached out to Brandy who is with Richmond Jet’s Minor Hockey and was eager to jump at the chance to help out, which I sincerely appreciate her assistance. She was up early at the crack of dawn driving the officials out in -4 weather at 6:30 driving out to the Langley Events Centre, while many were still snuggled up in bed.

She managed to get a group of 13 young officials who were 12 and 13 years old and from  all indications they had a blast and also hearing that everyone was so friendly to the group of young officials.

In conversation with Brandy or who some call the “HOCKEYMOMAGER” the officials all stayed around all day and enjoy a day of fun and a day of excitement.

Brandy took all the photos that are used and from the look on the faces of everyone, it looked like it was a blast.

Thanks to the Vancouver Giants for hosting the Timbits Jamboree and on behalf of the young official thanks for letting them being a part in this event.

It’s interesting that the young officials came from Richmond and for those who don’t know, you should know that both Trevor Hanson and Kelly Sutherland come from Richmond BC.

Trevor Hanson was born and raised in Richmond and started skating at the age of 4 with Richmond Minor Hockey Association.  He would play his entire minor hockey career with them.  He played Junior hockey with the Grandview Steelers (PIJHL), North Delta Flyers (PIJHL) and the South Surrey Eagles (BCHL).

Kelly Sutherland is also from Richmond and has officiated in the NHL (at press time), 1,389 regular season games, as well as 216 playoff games including 9 Cup Finals.

He has also officiated in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and also the 2014 Sochi Olympics.  Not bad for officials from Richmond BC.

Who’s next???  Thank Brandy for helping out!!

Story by Steve Erickson

One loss by the Meadow Ridge Moose dropped the defending league champions two places in the standings. 

The Moose were upset 2-1 by the Island Surge Saturday night at the Langley Sportsplex in one of six games in the SCWHL in Week Six of the regular season. 

Facing off against a team which had lost seven of its first eight games of the season, the Moose led 1-0 after one period on a goal by Emily Duchak. 

The Victoria-based Surge erased the deficit with a pair of goals by Jenna Wasylik in the second period. Island goalie Sydney Akai-Platt frustrated the Moose in the final period to preserve the win. 

Meadow Ridge outshot the Surge 16-3 in the third period, and 36- 22 overall. 

The Moose fell to 4-2-1 (win-loss-tie) with the loss, and were overtaken by the South Fraser TNT and the North Shore Rebels, two teams which both won twice in Week Six over opposition from Vancouver Island. 

North Shore began their week with a 9-1 win over the Surge Thursday night at the Moody Park Arena in New Westminster. Cassidy Bell, the SCWHL 

Outstanding Player last season, netted four goals for North Shore with Shannon Morris-Reade adding three goals. Danika Carter and Nicole Howlett scored once each for the Rebels. Logan Hamilton scored the lone Surge tally. 

North Shore then defeated the Cowichan Titans 8-0 Friday afternoon at Ice Sports North Shore. Bell led the defending provincial champions with two goals and an assist. 

Avery Hutton, Jess Sibley, Marina Pecchia, Ashley Lougheed, Elisa Pharoan and Emily Froese tallied once each for North Shore, while Cassidy Hendricks made 12 saves to earn the shutout. South Coast Women’s Hockey League www.southcoastwomenshockey.ca 

The two wins lifted the Rebels into third place with a 4-2-2 record, one point ahead of the fourth place Moose. 

The TNT began their weekend at Ice Sports North Shore on Friday afternoon, blanking the Surge 4-0. Katrina Hawkins, Carlyn Shimizu, Tiffany Chiu and Jackie Sollis were the goalscorers for the TNT, with Melinda Choy earning a 16-save shutout. 

Saturday night at Planet Ice Coquitlam, the TNT hammered the Titans 16-0, scoring 11 times in the third period. South Fraser is now in second place at 5-1-2. Taralynn Suzuki had a season-high seven-point game, scoring twice. 

Also netting two goals each were Chiu, Michelle Mony, Hawkins, Sharon Ross, Claire Wong and Shea Weighill. Shimizu and Natalie May scored once each. 

Jenn Price made 17 saves for the shutout. 

The final game of the weekend was on Sunday afternoon at Planet Ice – Delta, where the Fraser Valley Jets blanked Cowichan 8-0. Katrina Ratner was the top scorer for the Jets with three goals and an assist. 

Jenna Proulx scored twice, with singles coming from Natasha Steblin, Chelsea Wilson and Lindsay DiPietro. Stacey Wilson picked up her first shutout of the season. 

The Jets improved to 3-2-1 on the season, and moved past the 3-3-1 Richmond Devils into fifth place. 

The SCWHL, the only competitive women’s hockey league in British Columbia, is a member of – and sanctioned by – BC Hockey and Hockey Canada. 

The nine-team league is classified as Senior Female AA and has two teams on Vancouver Island, one in Kamloops and six in Metro Vancouver.

Contact: Rick Kupchuk 604-996-5023 rkupchuk61@gmail.com

Story by Steve Erickson

The Fraser Valley Jets took three of a possible four points in Week Six, getting back to the .500 mark on the South Coast Women’s Hockey League season.

The Jets played to a 3-3 tie with the South Fraser TNT in their first of two games played Saturday night at Planet Ice – Coquitlam.  Lindsay DiPietro opened the scoring in the first minute of play, giving the Jets an early 1-0 lead. Less than four minutes into the game.  Alisha Choy netted a pair of goals 28 seconds apart to vault the TNT into a 2-1 lead after one period of play. Choy leads the SCWHL in goals scored with seven. Chelsea Wilson tied the game for the Jets in the second period, but again South Fraser responded quickly. Just 24 seconds after Wilson’s third goal of the season, Tiffany Chiu restored the TNT lead.  Jackie Lang scored the lone goal of the final frame, allowing the Jets to tie the game and earn a single point. Fraser Valley outshot the TNT 37-25.

South Fraser finished Week Six in third place in the SCWHL standings with a 3-1-2 (win-loss-tie) record. 

Sunday afternoon at Planet Ice – Delta, the Jets topped the first-year Burnaby Mountain Capitals 7-1. 

Fraser Valley fired 54 shots on the Capitals’ net, while Jets netminder Stacey Wilson made 17 saves on 18 shots for the win. Wilson netted a hat trick for the Jets, raising her season total to six, one off the league lead. Lang, DiPietro, Shay Gronnemose and Chelsea Barron also scored for Fraser Valley, which at 2-2-1 is in sixth place in the nine-team league. Lauryn Lee netted the goal for seventh-place Burnaby Mountain, which lost their fifth consecutive game after a season-opening win over the Jets. 

South Coast Women’s Hockey League www.southcoastwomenshockey.ca 

The Capitals also played twice in Week Six, losing both contests. 

Their week began Thursday with a 3-1 loss to the North Shore Rebels at the Moody Park Arena in New Westminster. Despite getting outshot 45-13, the Capitals were tied with North Shore late in the game. 

The Rebels snapped a 1-1 tie with a game-winning goal from Emily Froese with 80 seconds to play. Jess Sibley added an insurance goal 26 seconds later. 

Nicole Howlett tallied the first Rebels goal, while Kayla White netted the Burnaby Mountain tally. North Shore, the defending provincial champions, are in fifth place with a 2-2-2 record. 

In the fourth game of Week Six on Saturday evening at the Richmond Ice Centre, the Richmond Devils found themselves in the lead four times yet had to settle for a 6-6 tie with the Meadow Ridge Moose. 

Emily Costales paced Richmond with three goals, with Lauren Miller adding a pair of scores and one assist. Ashley Specht completed the goal scoring for the home team, currently in fourth place at 3-3-1. 

Kirsten Langston, Emily Bajkov and Sydney Kreps scored twice each for the Moose, placing them in second place at 4-1-1.. 

Contact: Rick Kupchuk 

604-996-5023 

rkupchuk61@gmail.com

While the Canucks have been in a slump of late, each team goes through this and while we listen to the “so called” experts on radio ponder a solution it’s easy to speculate what’s wrong let alone why.

Everyone can conjure up solutions with some calling for Bruce to “step aside” despite being able to turn things around last season given their start.

Speculation was that the long and winding road to reaching an agreement between the Canucks Sports & Entertainment and Rogers Communications was coming to a stalemate.

Some thought it was like an issue that would be heading to O/T or worse yet ending up in the penalty box with no long term solution reached.

To the surprise of many who thought they might be moving to another part of the dial it was announced that a new long-time partnership continues to the 2032-33 hockey season.

Adding to this we are hearing that Rogers Communications will continue to hold the naming rights of Rogers Arena for the length of the contract. 

In light of signing the contract it extends the 24-year broadcast partnership agreement between the Canucks and Sportsnet to 2033.

As was hoped we are hearing that the Canucks Sports & Entertainment are fully committed to support youth hockey with Canucks for Kids Fund as well other promotional areas. 

Tony Staffieri, CEO, Rogers Communications mentioned “We are pleased to extend our partnership with Canucks Sports & Entertainment for another decade to bring hockey fans all the on-ice action, and to support the Canucks’ incredible work in the community.” 

He continued “We share the Canucks’ commitment to help youth in sports, and we’re honoured to invest in and work alongside this storied franchise.”

Francesco Aquilini, Chairman & Governor mentioned “We are extremely proud and excited that Rogers Arena will remain the home of the Vancouver Canucks and that Sportsnet will continue to be the broadcast home of the Canucks.”

He continued by saying “We are committed to keeping our fans connected to the team with quality content and in-depth coverage. Sharing our story both within the province and on the national stage is extremely important to the organization. This new deal is a foundational piece in our quest to continue to be the number one sports brand in British Columbia.”

 They also renewed regional broadcast rights with the Vancouver Canucks, Sportsnet who are national broadcast partner of the NHL and home to all 82 Canucks.

Know if everyone could leave the game to the pro’s many think it would be more fun to watch and listen to. is a long form text area designed for your content that you can fill up with as many words as your heart desires. You can write articles, long mission statements, company policies, executive profiles, company awards/distinctions, office locations, shareholder reports, whitepapers, media mentions and other pieces of content that don’t fit into a shorter, more succinct space.

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Story by Steve Erickson

Officiating runs in the family and while I enjoy it, we continue to listen and watch so many who run various sports all due to their negative comments.

Cheering is part of any and all sports but think how you would feel if it was your son or daughter who was being abused by these “so-called adults” who are only focused on winning.

Being a supportive parent is far different from being the negative parent who only wants to win at all costs and does more to turn young officials away from sport than wanting to grow sports.

Hockey Canada is holding the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge which is being played at the Langley Events Centre as well as Delta’s Sungod Arena.

Sportswave will be hosting a live sports program which can be seen on the media player on Sportswave.ca site beginning at 5 pm.

The program is set to promote sports in the Delta area and focus on athlete’s who have grown up in the Delta area as well as offer an insight into this event.

Along with this I have received the following from Hockey Canada regarding the officials selected to officiate which is a “stepping stone” for their career.

Enjoy the read

As Hockey Canada’s fall events return for the first time since 2019, the officials are ready to hit the ice.

Thirty-six officials – 17 referees and 19 linespersons – from across the country have been selected for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, World Junior A Challenge and Para Hockey Cup.

“Our fall events are a great opportunity for individuals participating in our Officiating Program of Excellence,” said Dan Hanoomansingh, manager of officiating with Hockey Canada. “These officials have worked hard to sharpen their skills since their last opportunity at one of our camps. We have been tracking their progression and they have earned their opportunity to officiate these exciting events.”

The Officiating Program of Excellence (OPOE) is the pathway through which Canadian officials are selected for top national and international tournaments. 

The objectives of the OPOE are to provide a clear developmental pathway for aspiring elite officials, provide developmentally appropriate coaching for elite officials, prepare officials for national and international competitions, and assist Hockey Canada in making evidence-based decisions for assignments.

For more information about the Hockey Canada Officiating Program, visit HockeyCanada.ca/Officials.

World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (Langley & Delta, B.C.)

Name (Hometown)MemberRoleNick Arcan (Thornton, Ont.)Ontario Hockey FederationLinespersonCédric Beaudet (Bécancour, Que.)Hockey QuebecRefereeMathieu Boudreau (Gatineau, Que.)Hockey QuebecRefereeSam Currie (Masstown, N.S.)Hockey Nova ScotiaRefereeTanner Doiron (Bedeque, P.E.I.)Hockey PEIRefereeMaxime Ferland (Ste-Catherine, Que.)Hockey QuebecLinespersonMitchell Gibbs (Coquitlam, B.C.)BC HockeyLinespersonAntoine Huot (Mirabel, Que.)Hockey QuebecLinespersonConnor McCracken (Chilliwack, B.C.)BC HockeyRefereeGarrett Merrill (Bedford, N.S.)Hockey Eastern OntarioLinespersonHarrison O’Pray (Moncton, N.B.)Hockey New BrunswickRefereeTristan Peacock (Ayr, Ont.)Ontario Hockey FederationLinespersonDavid-Daniel Pendleton (Dieppe, N.B.)Hockey New BrunswickLinespersonKyle Rodgers (Waterloo, Ont.)Ontario Hockey FederationLinespersonMatthew Scott (Toronto, Ont.)Ontario Hockey FederationRefereeTy Skene (Prince Albert, Sask.)Hockey SaskatchewanReferee

The officiating coaches for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge are Dan Hanoomansingh (Vancouver, B.C.) and Kirk Wood (Stratford, Ont.).

World Junior A Challenge (Cornwall, Ont.)

Name (Hometown)MemberRoleTaylor Burzminski (St. Albert, Alta.)Hockey AlbertaRefereeDominic Cadieux (Saint-Constant, Que.)Hockey QuebecRefereeDanny Emerson (Belleville, Ont.)Ontario Hockey FederationRefereeJérémy Faucher (Cowansville, Que.)Hockey QuebecLinespersonAndre Grougrou (Burlington, Ont.)Ontario Hockey FederationLinespersonAnthony Lapointe (Verdun, Que.)Hockey QuebecLinespersonNick Melanson (Moncton, N.B.)Hockey New BrunswickRefereeShawn Oliver (Ottawa, Ont.)Hockey Eastern OntarioLinespersonTim Plamondon (Kelowna, B.C.)BC HockeyLinespersonAlex Robichaud (Dieppe, N.B.)Hockey New Brunswick Referee