BCEHL WEEKEND UPDATE - JANUARY 6-9
For Immediate Release
January 4, 2023
Saanichton, B.C. - The Female U18 showcase highlights this week's BCEHL action, which kicks off this Friday at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Let's see what else this weekend has in store around the BCEHL!
Female U18 AAA
The Female U18 league has an action-packed weekend in store as the Richmond Olympic Oval will host the league’s second showcase of the season.
Starting things off on Friday, the league-leading Fraser Valley Rush (17-0-0-0) take on the fourth-place Northern Capitals (6-11-2-0). The Capitals have been trending in the right direction as of late, earning two victories and one tie over their last six games. Goaltending has been a strength of the Capitals’ over that stretch, allowing two goals or less in five of the six games, highlighted by a 25-save shutout by Payton Planetta in a 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Island Seals on October 30th. The Rush rolled into the holiday break with a pair of victories in their most recent action. In two games against the Seals on December 10th-11th, Anna McKee earned four points (3g-1a) to improve her season point total to 21 (13g-8a). McKee is in the midst of a five-game point streak, where the Rush forward has totaled eight points (4g-4a).
The second-place Vancouver Island Seals (12-6-2-0) and the third-place Thompson-Okanagan Lakers (8-9-0-1) will meet twice during the showcase, with the first game taking place on Friday. The Seals and Lakers have met on four occasions this season, with the Seals claiming victories in each contest. The Lakers come into the weekend looking for a different result, as they’ve earned wins in three of their last four games. Over the three victories, Lakers’ forward Emma Deleurme led the way in scoring with six points (2g-4a), while Alexandra Recsky (2g-3a) and Jaylen Moraice-Budalich (3g-1a) were strong contributors as well. In Vancouver Island’s four wins against Thompson-Okanagan, Cate Doerksen led the way on the scoresheet with 10 points (3g-7a).
The fifth-place Greater Vancouver Comets (1-17-2-0) will open their weekend against the Capitals on Friday evening. In their most recent action, the Comets met the Lakers in a competitive three game series. All three games were decided by one goal, and Greater Vancouver secured a 4-3 victory in the second matchup. Forward Rowan Hu recorded three points (2g-1a) in the victory. Hu’s 11 points on the season rank second on the team, and is tied for the team lead in goals (6) with Grace Cooper and Kirsten Lai.
Friday’s Female U18 Games
All games played at Richmond Olympic Oval
Northern Capitals vs. Fraser Valley Rush – 10:00 a.m.
Vancouver Island Seals vs. Thompson-Okanagan Lakers – 3:15 p.m.
Greater Vancouver Comets vs. Northern Capitals – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday’s Female U18 Games
All games played at Richmond Olympic Oval
Fraser Valley Rush vs. Thompson-Okanagan Lakers – 7:45 a.m.
Greater Vancouver Comets vs. Vancouver Island Seals – 10:30 a.m.
Northern Capitals vs. Thompson-Okanagan Lakers – 1:45 p.m.
Vancouver Island Seals vs. Fraser Valley Rush – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Female U18 Games
All games played at Richmond Olympic Oval
Northern Capitals vs. Greater Vancouver Comets – 8:00 a.m.
Thompson-Okanagan Lakers vs. Vancouver Island Seals – 10:45 a.m.
Fraser Valley Rush vs. Greater Vancouver Comets – 3:30 p.m.
Watch All Female U18 Games Live Here
U18 AAA
After a successful showcase in North Vancouver and Port Moody prior to the holiday break, the U18 league returns to a normal schedule to kick off 2023.
The seventh-place Cariboo Cougars (5-12-1-0) and the eighth-place Thompson Blazers (4-17-0-1) meet for a weekend series. The Kamloops Memorial Arena will host the two squads who have played on two previous occasions this season. The Cougars’ will look to continue their success against the Blazers this season as they earned a pair of victories on October 15th-16th in Prince George. A hat trick from Mason Loewen helped Cariboo to a victory in the first game, while a 31-save shutout from Erik Powers aided the Cougars to a 5-0 win in game two. The Blazers split a two-game series with the Valley West Giants at the showcase. Lucas Schmid had a successful weekend, as the Blazers forward recorded five points (4g-1a) in two games.
In Delta, the sixth-place Giants (10-10-0-1) welcome the ninth-place North Island Silvertips (0-19-0-1) for a pair of games. Valley West have won three of their last five games, registering just shy of six goals per game as a team over that span. A pair of Giants’ forwards helped the cause as Nishaan Parmar registered nine points (5g-4a) over that span, while Miles Burgin contributed seven points (6g-1a). Both skaters are among the league leaders in U18 scoring. Parmar’s 36 points (13g-23a) rank third, while Burgin’s 32 points (16g-16a) is tied for sixth.
The league-leading Greater Vancouver Canadians (18-2-1-1) return to action as they take on the Vancouver NE Chiefs for a pair of games. The Canadians are in the midst of an impressive run as they’ve earned victories in 12 of their last 13 games. Greater Vancouver boasts three of the league’s top 10 scorers in Jordan Luk (4g-28a), Tyler Tse (16g-16a) and Jamie Hikida (15g-17a).
Saturday’s U18 Games
Cariboo Cougars @ Thompson Blazers – 2:15 p.m. – Kamloops Memorial Arena
Greater Vancouver Canadians @ Vancouver NE Chiefs – 3:30 p.m. – Scotia Barn
North Island Silvertips @ Valley West Giants – 5:30 p.m. – Planet Ice Delta
Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ Vancouver NW Hawks – 8:45 p.m. – Hollyburn Country Club
Sunday’s U18 Games
Cariboo Cougars @ Thompson Blazers – 10:00 a.m. – Art Holding Memorial Arena
North Island Silvertips @ Valley West Giants – 11:00 a.m. – Langley Events Centre
Vancouver NW Hawks @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 3:45 p.m. – Abbotsford Centre
Vancouver NE Chiefs @ Greater Vancouver Canadians – 6:00 p.m. – Planet Ice Coquitlam
U17 AAA
The top two teams in the U17 league clash in a home-and-home series as the first-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (16-4-1-1) and the second-place Valley West Giants (15-5-1-2) battle for positioning in the standings. The two teams have met on two previous occasions this season on October 29th and October 30th, with each team earning one victory. In the first meeting, the Giants were helped by AJ Abell’s two points (1g-1a) in a 2-1 victory. The Thunderbirds responded in game two as two-goal performances from Nico Venier, Noah Weinberger and Troy Horn guided them to a 8-2 victory. This matchup features five of the U17 league’s top 10 scorers as the Giants possess three skaters, Ryder Marks (13g-18a), Devon Mahil (18g-10a) and Avery Lowe (11g-16a), while the Thunderbirds boast two, Nico Venier (17g-16a) and Manwinder Sandhu (13g-20a).
In a meeting of two teams playing solid hockey as of late, the fifth-place Vancouver NW Hawks (13-6-1-2) travel to the Island to take on the seventh-place South Island Royals (10-12-0-0). The Hawks, winners of four straight games, have registered five goals in each game during their streak, with forward Jakob Tice putting up 10 points (5g-5a) over that time. The Royals, who have earned wins in four of their last five, have been helped by forward Carter Zeeben, who has picked up nine points (4g-5a) during that span.
The high-scoring Cariboo Cougars (14-4-1-2), who sit in third place in the league standings, take on the fourth-place Okanagan Rockets (14-7-2-0) in Kelowna. Averaging just shy of five goals per game as a team, the Cougars rank first in the U17 league in that category. A trio of skaters are scoring at a point-per-game pace in Cariboo's 21 games as Rylan Bissett has registered 24 points (16g-8a), Jack Tidsbury has collected 22 points (7g-15a) and Lucas Woodbeck has recorded 21 points (10g-11a).
Saturday’s U17 Games
Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ Valley West Giants – 12:00 p.m. – Langley Events Centre
Greater Vancouver Canadians @ Thompson Blazers – 3:30 p.m. – Art Holding Memorial Arena
Vancouver NW Hawks @ South Island Royals – 4:20 p.m. – Kerry Park Recreation Centre
Okanagan Rockets @ Cariboo Cougars – 6:30 p.m. – Kin Centre
North Island Silvertips @ Vancouver NE Chiefs – 7:30 p.m. – Planet Ice Coquitlam
Sunday’s U17 Games
Vancouver NW Hawks @ South Island Royals – 8:30 a.m. – Juan de Fuca Arena
North Island Silvertips @ Vancouver NE Chiefs – 10:45 a.m. – Scotia Barn
Okanagan Rockets @ Cariboo Cougars – 11:00 a.m. – Kin Centre
Valley West Giants @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 1:00 p.m. – Abbotsford Centre
Greater Vancouver Canadians @ Thompson Blazers – 2:45 p.m. – McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre
U15 AAA
On the Island, the third-place Valley West Giants (10-3-3-0) meet the eighth-place North Island Silvertips (2-16-0-0) for a pair of games. The Giants return from the holiday break winners of three of their previous four games. Valley West was helped over that span by Adam Lenarduzzi, who collected six points (3g-3a) and Roman Singh, who posted a 19-save shutout in their 2-0 victory over the Vancouver NW Hawks on December 3rd. The duo of Ethan Hill and Westin Churchill have been consistent scorers for the Silvertips as of late. The pair have both recorded points in four of their last five games, and collected five points each during that span.
The fifth-place Cariboo Cougars (8-7-3-0) travel to the Mainland to meet the seventh-place Vancouver NW Hawks (7-10-0-0). The two teams previously met on October 1st and 2nd in Prince George, where both contests resulted in a 3-1 score in favor of the Hawks. Forward Jack Poole helped the Hawks secure victories in both games, as he registered five points (2g-3a) during the weekend series. In their most recent action, the Cougars’ earned a victory and a tie against the Greater Vancouver Canadians. Four players registered points in both games as Ryan Richter (2g-2a), Wyatt Callander (2g-1a), Jaxon Larmand (1g-2a) and Ty Maloney (1g-2a) had a hand in their success.
In a matchup of the top two teams in the U15 league, the second-place Canadians (11-5-2-0) take the ice against the league-leading Okanagan Rockets (11-1-1-1). Okanagan and Greater Vancouver met in two close contests earlier this season when the Rockets earned victories in both games that were decided by one goal. Rockets’ goaltender Finn McKiernan posted a shutout victory in his lone start against the Canadians. McKiernan’s three shutouts are tied for first among all U15 goaltenders, along with Fraser Valley’s Mason Clegg. The Canadians’ enter the weekend winners of five of their previous seven games, allowing only two goals in each of the five victories. Goaltenders Alan Peregrym (6) and Liam Leslie (5) are the lone tandem in the U15 league to have recorded at least five wins a piece.
Saturday's U15 Games
Okanagan Rockets @ Greater Vancouver Canadians – 11:45 a.m. – Richmond Ice Centre
Valley West Giants @ North Island Silvertips – 3:05 p.m. – Fuller Lake Arena
Cariboo Cougars @ Vancouver NW Hawks – 6:15 p.m. – Hollyburn Country Club
Sunday's U15 Games
Okanagan Rockets @ Greater Vancouver Canadians – 9:00 a.m. – Richmond Ice Centre
Valley West Giants @ North Island Silvertips – 11:15 p.m. – Fuller Lake Arena
Cariboo Cougars @ Vancouver NW Hawks – 12:00 p.m. – Harry Jerome Rec Centre
Fraser Valley Thunderbirds @ Vancouver NE Chiefs – 8:00 p.m. – Planet Ice Coquitlam
Monday's U15 Game
Vancouver NE Chiefs @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 7:00 p.m. – Abbotsford Centre
If you can’t make it out the games you can stream all BCEHL games live at: www.playfullscreen.com.
To stay up to date on everything going on in the BCEHL visit the website to view schedules, standings, stats, and scores: BCEHL.net, follow @BCEHL on Twitter, @BCEHL_AAA on Instagram, and join the conversation by using #BCEHLAAAHOCKEY.
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