BC Hockey's annual don’t play in an outlaw league or we’ll blackball you bulletin

Hockey Canada, its member Branches, Major Junior and registered Junior Hockey Leagues in Canada are concerned with the proliferation of leagues that operate outside the auspices of Hockey Canada.

Hockey Canada offers the best development programs worldwide. It has invested significant resources in the development of officials, coaches, administrators and players countrywide. We have a committed strategy toward a cohesive long term athlete development model.
These non-member organizations do not support the development of these programs. Further, they operate in a vacuum, with no consideration to the impact of their programs on minor, junior, senior, adult recreational hockey, female hockey, officiating development, coaching development or administrator development in Canada. These non-member leagues instead choose to utilize the resources already developed by Hockey Canada and its member Branches. The teams who make up these "leagues" operate in this fashion because they do not agree with the existing overall vision of Hockey Canada. They profess to have a better program yet often operate without a constitution, by- laws, create their own rule book and may not provide adequate insurance for their participants. Further, they offer the lure of "Rep" or "Junior" level competition when this is clearly not the case.

Hockey Canada, its member Branches, Major Junior Leagues as well as registered Junior Hockey Leagues wish to be exceedingly clear with our response to these programs.

Definition:
Hockey Canada and its member Branches view all leagues that operate outside the auspices/sanctioning of Hockey Canada programs to be classified as non-member leagues. This currently does not include summer hockey leagues/teams, adult recreational hockey leagues/teams, high school hockey, and/or hockey schools.
Sanctions

1. 1)  Any individual who participates (knowingly or otherwise) in non-member programs after September 30 of the season in question ("the Cut-Off Date") will lose all membership privileges with Hockey Canada for the remainder of that season, and may only reapply for membership with Hockey Canada after the end of that season. "Participation" in an non-member program will be considered to have occurred if the individual takes part in one game (including an exhibition, tournament, league or playoff game) after the Cut-Off Date.
   If a participant makes the choice to participate in these non-member programs, they must understand the ramifications of that choice and that the sanctions described in this paragraph will remain in effect even if the league or team folds, or the individual is released, suspended or fired.
2. 2)  Hockey Canada and its member Branches across the country will make every effort to ensure that local minor hockey and female hockey associations in areas where non-member leagues exist are not supporting these leagues in any manner whatsoever. For greater certainty, "supporting" includes, but is not limited to, assisting an non-member league directly or indirectly through

advertisement, promotion, ticket sales, volunteer activities, assigning Officials, sharing resources or enabling such a league to participate in Hockey Canada sanctioned activities. We will withhold tournament sanctions and will preclude such associations from benefitting from any Hockey Canada/Branch/CHL sanctioned event by whatever means necessary, including the withdrawal of any such event from any community within the geographic boundaries of that association if need be to stress this point.
This policy is aimed at those leagues that choose to operate outside the hockey structure established by Hockey Canada, its member Branches and the Canadian Hockey League.

Home & home cats conspiring on roller blades hockey cards free slashing PIM mortified lawyers stats ya whatever

Rider Notes

Fernie has a home and home with Creston this weekend,  in Creston Friday then on Saturday the Cats are here for the Rider's home opener, the first game on Fernie ice in months.

Creston, like Fernie had carding problems last Friday and played in Kimberley with 13 skaters and lost 4-3 in overtime. But a point in Kimberley on the road while shorthanded is like a win... 

The problem is hockey Alberta, they want to keep their players in AB... and BC is conspiring with them and have told all BC Jr B teams they can’t hold recruiting camps in Alberta. It is beyond me why BC Hockey would try to hobble their own... but whatever.

In Spokane the Riders won 5-4 in double OT, with 14 skaters, because of our friends in the aforementioned Alberta Hockey group...it was roller blade star Jordan Kromm who scored the winning goal on real skates. 

Meanwhile the next night Creston won 5-1 in Spokane. Former Ghostrider Coach Craig Mohr was on the bench along with the Cat’s new Coach  Nick Redding, a former Brave who is the son of Spokane’s former Head Coach Gary Redding,  he was boss for the last five or so years. 

The Riders played with  16 skaters in Beaver Valley and lost 7-2 Wagner “We just didn’t play well” 

Greg Susinski scored both goals, Greg is playing defence this year after switching back and forth from D to F last season. He’s tall with a long reach, I like that in a D.

After the first two games Kyle Ford was leading the team in scoring with 1 shorthanded goal and 3 assists. Kyle is 18 and from Calgary. 

Both Jordan Kromm and Greg Susinski have each scored 2 goals.

Fernie locals will get to see speedy  Niki Sombrowski on the ice this weekend. Because he was in an Alberta hockey academy last season his card has been agonizingly slow to get through the process, ditto for  Chase Fioretti, Sebastian Iannuzzi, Brody Bauer and Cole Gibson who also missed games because of hockey cards... they still collect those things? 

 Shaun Pierce missed last weekend with an injury  too. So Fernie had7 players out for various reasons...where have I heard that before. The seventh is below. 

Eric Welford was given a gross misconduct in Kimberley for knocking off another player's helmet in a fight or something, but Welford has since had that changed....  he still missed two RS games but gross misconducts are cumulative so getting it rescinded is somewhat of a bonus, the refs should give him a get out of jail free card good for five free slashing penalties or something for that indiscretion ...the Riders desperately needed that D last weekend .

Fernie ice makers say the new plant is way more consistent and will provide a steady ice temperature and a little harder ice in the rink. I hope this means no more puddles between periods. If I want puddles... I won’t let my dogs out before I go to bed.

Jr B Notebook

In an interview in a Nelson News Paper in-term President Larry Martel says the Jr B teams in the province have hired a lawyer to try and get an injunction against BC Hockey after BCHockey forced Jr B to wear full cages. Yeah that’s right a lawyer.  So how did we get to this point you didn’t ask?

Jr B shot themselves in the foot last summer when the three presidents (VIJHL,PIJHL and KIJHL) and the BC Hockey witches from the west got together and conjured up a face mask spell that somehow got the three president’s to (arguably) overstep their authority and vote on bringing in full face masks . The vote was 2-0, I'm told KIJHL president Bill Ohlhausen (who has a conscience) abstained from the vote knowing that it was his league Governors who should have been the ones to decide that issue. He probably should'a just voted no... anyway most of the governors from the KI and the other leagues were mortified when they found out what happened and thus we've got lawyers on the payroll- I mean involved... 

In other news

The KIJHL has a new look website, it’s pretty and kinda flashy and fans will like it, but for the media and play by play guys who need simple game and stats pages so we can research on one screen, it’s an annoyance.
Give us a button to see the game sheets and stats  in the old format please. 

The Eddie Mountain Breakdance

Fernie 2 @ Beaver Valley 7

In Beaver Valley the Hawks Brad Ross and Angus Amadio each had 2 G and 1A and Noah Decottignies had the win in net. The shots were 41-20 BV
Gregg Susinski scored both Fernie goals. 


Columbia Valley 3 @ Grand Forks 2 

In Grand Forks the Rockies took the lead in the first period and never let up and even outshot the home team  46-33 as well.

Ty Grant had the win in net and Jesse Carr, Ryan Skytt and Hunter Beckett scored the goals. 

Kimberley 6 @ Golden 2

In Golden Brock Palmer had 1 G and 3A and POG Chase Gedny had 1 G and 2A as the Nitros blast the Rockets for their second win on the year. Brett Anderson had the win in net.

Rocket Jacob Dewar scored both GR goals.

Creston 5 @ Spokane 1

In Spokane five different T Cats scored and Sam Burford had the win in net. Tyler Witzke and former Brave Andrew Clark each had a G and and A
Creston Twitter said their new Head Coach Nick Redding was on the bench tonight along with Craig Mohr.

The Eddie Mountain Breakdown Sept 7th.

Fernie 5 @ Spokane 4 2nd OT

In Spokane- Fernie roars back from a 3-0 deficit in the second by scoring three goals then one in the third to tie then win in the second OT 5-4 ... with only 14 skaters because of carding issues.

 Jordan Kromm’s second goal and 3rd point of the game in the 2nd OT was the game winner.
Kyle Ford, Brendan Nemes and Ethan Jang with the game tying goal in the third scored the other goals. 

Zak Larson was in net for Fernie and Ben Waslaski for the Braves. Shots 45-42 Spokane
SB Aaron Morris and Bear Hughes each had 1G 1A

Creston 3 @ Kimberley 4  OT

In Kimberley Chase Gedney’s second goal of the game in OT was the winner .
Luke Recchi (2G) tied the game late in the third and Brock Palmer had 4 assists. Adam Anderson had the W in net.

Creston’s Tyler Witzke had a goal and 2 A and Sam Burford was in net. 
Shots 37-27 KD 
Creston had 13 skaters due to carding issues and Craig Mohr was in as coach until they sign a new HC

Sicamous 2 @ Golden 3 OT
In Golden Janson Pashniak scored the OT winner with 58 seconds left.
Ryan Baker had the win in net and Jacob Dewar had 1G 1A
The shots were  47-36 SE Brett Akins was in net for the Eagles. 

Columbia Valley 5 @ Summerland 2

In Summerland Seth Summers had a goal and 2 A, Chase Hawkins had the GW  and the Rockies outshot the Steam  24-23
Ben Kelsch had the win in net and Jared Breitkreuz took the loss.

The Eddie Mountain games on opening night.

The KIJHL and Fernie Ghostriders open up the 2018/19 season tonight.

The KIJHL has a new look website check it out here


The Riders are in Spokane, both teams have new Head Coaches, Fernie has Jeff Wagner and Spokane and has Mike Bay, who actually coached the Braves a few years ago, he replaces longtime HC Gary Redding who left on his own for greener pastures.

Creston is in Kimberley, the Dynamiters HC and GM is Derek Stuart, he has proven himself to be IMO the best recruiter in the league and they won the championship last season so thinking they will be a pushover because they don’t  have team full of returning vets may be a mistake.

Creston lost assistant coach Jeff Wagner to Fernie after last season but it was early enough that they had lots of time to replace him, but they didn’t until mid August when they brought in Carter Duffin only to have him leave the team to go to Castlegar as a head coach and GM when Jesse Dorans left the team for undisclosed reasons... then Head Coach  Troy Tobin dropped a real bomb in the orchards when he left for the BCHL in Surrey last week. That was tough. Anyway Former Rider HC and GM Craig Mohr will be on Creston’s bench this weekend until the T-Cats sign a new HC. For the record Mohr has a new job outside of hockey and he may not even apply for the Creston job...
By all accounts Creston still has a good team and it will be an interesting battle for first place this season.

Rockies HC and GM Wade Dubielewicz (it’s been more than 20 years since he played here and I still have to look up the spelling f***) The Rockies have gradually gotten better and have several returning players. Dubielewicz and his boys who surprised the heavily favoured Creston T-Cats in the PO’s last year  could be due. They are in Summerland tonight

Golden opens up at home vs Sicamous with their new Head Coach and GM Jeremy Blumes who replaces Jason Stephens who I think was there 3 years . With three outright wins and one was because of an ineligible player the Rockets can only get better, but we said that the year before, anyway there is new blood behind the bench so there’s optimism in the KIJHL office and in Golden.

The Riders are in Spokane tonight , this is not a radio broadcast game but the Beaver Valley game on Saturday is and Wylie Henderson will have the call. Josh Hoffman was the guy last season, he has moved to Nova Scotia. Hoffman was a good very interested broadcaster, all the best in your new life Josh.

Captain Keelan Saworski
AC Brendan Nemes
AC Tristan Downe
AC Dylan Defosse

Ghostrider Leadership Group

Congratulations guys, it’s an honour to wear a letter!

From Coach and GM Jeff Wagner

The Fernie Ghostriders are excited to announce their leadership group for the 2018-2019 season.

Your Captain will be #14 Keelan Saworski, joining him wearing the “A”s are #9 Brendan Nemes, #5 Tristan Downe, and #24 Dylan Defosse

Keelan Saworski


Brendan Nemes


Tristan Downe


Dylan Defosse

Rider update Sept 4th

The Ghostriders tied the Rockies and Golden then finished up the exhibition season with a 4-3 win in Kimberley and a 6-3 win in Creston.

These were pre season games everyone, although wins are much better than losses... they were meaningless... until this weekend when the boys open up the regular season on road in Spokane Friday and in Beaver Valley on Saturday.  

Rider coach Jeff Wagner was not interested in saying who has signed yet and the practices and games have all been on the road so we don’t really know much about the team. 

We do know who the returning players are after the exhibition season.

Dylan Defosse, Tristan Downe, Derek Green, Jordan Kromm, Brendan Nemes, Shaun Pierce, Sam Rousseau, Keelan Saworski, Devyn Stewart, Greg Susinski, Owen Titus, Eric Welford and Zak Larson. Ethan Jang should be back this week, he was in Alberni’s camp.

There are 14 vets and several new players, of the new guys it looks like  Cole Gibson, Niki Sombrowski, and Kyle Klein are signed and Kory Zinck as well. 

Coach Wagner says that from the first game to game four the players made "good strides 5 on 5 ” (team play has improved)  special teams play will get worked on once the team gets back into the swing of things here in Fernie starting on the 10th when they have their first practice in the Memorial... in almost a year. 

Wagner says he has recruited a mix of toughness and speed to suit our smaller rink. 

Sort of the opposite of Kamloops a few years ago when they had olympic size home ice. Anyway, it should translate into a slight advantage for the Riders at home.

Went by the rink today and they have started making ice.

The Riders will have their final practice on the big ice in Cranbrook Thursday.

Ya I know this was lame, we may have something to actually report later this week.