The Penticton Vees are on their way to the 2012 Royal Bank Cup, the national championship tournament for Junior A hockey in Canada. This year’s RBC is scheduled to be held in Humboldt, Saskatchewan from May 5 – 12.
The Vees earned the right to represent the British Columbia Hockey League and the Pacific region at the RBC by defeating the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League four games to one in their best of seven Doyle Cup series.
The BCHL-AJHL showdown wrapped up on Friday of last week at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Pentic-ton with the Vees winning game five 6-2 over the Bandits.
Joey Benik led the way for Penticton in the final game of the Doyle Cup, scoring three goals and adding two assists.
Goaltender Michael Garteig continued his stellar play in the Vees’ net since returning from injury, stopping 31 of 33 shots.
Penticton will be the last team to have its name engraved on the Doyle Cup as the four western Junior A leagues will play in the inaugural Western Canada Cup starting next year.
The Vees, who defeated the Merritt Centennials in round two of the BCHL playoffs, will be joined at the Royal Bank Cup by four other Junior A teams from across Canada.
In addition to the host Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, the other RBC participants include the Portage Terriers from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (representing the West), the Soo Thunderbirds from Sioux Ste. Marie, Ontario (Central) and the Woodstock Slammers from southern Ontario (East).
The Vees open the RBC championships with a game against the Thunderbirds on Saturday, May 5 at 3 p.m.
The BCHL has won more national championships (11 of 28) than any other Canadian Junior Hockey League.
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Nanaimo to host first Western Can-ada Cup
The city of Nanaimo and the Nanaimo Clip-pers’ hockey club have been chosen to host the inaugural Western Canada Cup, scheduled to run from April 26 – May 5, 2013.
The Western Canada Cup will replace the Doyle and Anavet Cups which previously determined the two western representatives to the RBC tournament.
In addition to the host Clippers, the 2013 WCC will involve teams from the four western provinces. They will play a 10-game round-robin format followed by three playoff games.
The 2013 RBC is slated for Summerland, Prince Edward Island.
Chilliwack site of 2012-13 BCHL Showcase
The British Columbia Hockey League has announced that the Chilliwack Chiefs will be the host franchise of the first-ever BCHL Showcase, happening Sept. 7-9 at Prospera Place in Chilliwack.
The Showcase will bring all 16 BCHL teams together for two games apiece. The results will count in the regular season standings.
“Showcase events such as this are staged by other leagues in North America and have proven to be hugely successful,” stated BCHL commissioner John Grisdale in a press release April 12.”
Grisdale went on to add, “The support we saw in Chilliwack this past season was phenomenal. Fan interest is a major reason we’re excited about the Chiefs hosting the Showcase, and we know they’ll do a first-rate job in promoting and executing a successful event.”
The Chiefs rejoined the BCHL for the 2011-12 season.
