Ghostriders go down to a more sensible 23 players

 The Ghostriders go down to a way more sensible 23 players from the ridiculous 25 man roster.

Hockey Canada’s new roster rule this year is to allow all teams to carry 25 players all season. I believe their reasoning is because of all the Outlaw hockey leagues showing up lately, and now literally hundreds of players will not be available to the Outlaws. Anyway...

With Hockey Canada’s new 25 man rule it meant that five players had to sit out each night. Somehow, on some other planet this made sense... Hockey Canada's motto is, get this ...

After the trade Coach Ty Valin will be able to get  Ben Skarsen and Fernie’s Breaden Jack on the ice more often, and if needed, he still has room for two more 20’s. 

Callin the Shots

 The Kimberley Dynamiters were just awarded the right to host the first ever Junior A Championships April 18-21. The new Jr A Championship replaces the old Jr B Cyclone Taylor Cup.

The KIJHL getting the tournament twice in a row tells me a few things.

1/ BC Hockey is callin' the shots on the new Jr A league and all the KIJHL, PIJHL and VIJHL can do is watch.

2/ Kimberley was a good choice with their almost 2000 seat arena and expected attendance to probably average between 1000 and 1700. Not sure if anyone else could get those #... Plus it’s very close to Cranbrook and will draw the curious BCHL fans.

3/ An even better choice would have been to force Kimberley use the arena in Cranbrook. Really comfortable seats and room for 4000+. Anyone who wanted to go could just walk up and get in. But Cranbrook is now a city of “Outlaws”  with evil players referees and coaches that BC Hockey wants to get even with.

4/ This sends a message IMO. A simple look at attendance will tell you that probably at least half of the BCHL teams will never be able to offer the “Free to Play” option so will be joining the new Jr A league in the future. These are big market teams compared to most of the KIJHL PIJHL and VIJHL towns and they will be able to average  600 plus fans. What does that tell you.

5/ Also lots of chatter about former failed BCHL franchises in Quesnel and Williams Lake wanting back in the game and they won’t want back in to the super expensive BCHL... the BCHL wouldn’t want them anyway. Bet they could average 600+.

6/ The KIJHL once had the power to reject Q and WL  because of travel costs, but now with BC Hockey “Callin the Shots” the former Jr A teams will probably see a red welcome matt.

Lots of fun ahead as BC Hockey gradually releases the conditions of their new Jr A Tier 1 league. And as the most hated writer in the KI... we will be here to comment. 

 

Riders Win 3-2

 The Ghostriders (2-1) got their second win of the season Tuesday night with a 3-2 win over the visiting Creston Thunder Cats.  

Creston scored the only goal in the first period,  the Riders scored two in the second and in the third the teams traded goals.

Both teams had a PP goal and the shots ended up 37-33 Creston.

This was not a physical game and the power plays were Creston 1-3 and Fernie 1-2.

While protecting a 3-1 lead late in the third the Riders took a needless crosschecking penalty in Creston’s end and it almost cost them the game when the Cats big line scored to make it 3-2.

I think a lesson was learned.

 Creston took a penalty of their own a few minutes later and had to pull their goalie for a chance to even the game and they had a couple of Grade A chances but Aiden Kruhlak made the big stops when it mattered most. 

Anyway a win is a win... Captain Taylor Haggerty’s second goal was the game winner.

The Ghostriders are ready for the 23/24 season

The Fernie Ghostriders’ first home game is this Saturday September 23rd against the Osoyoos Coyotes. 

And there will be

The games this year are at the kid friendly time of 7:00... finally, they ditched the 7:30 start.

 The Coyotes have always been one of the top teams in the Bill Ohlhausen Division. Their Head Coach and GM is longtime KIJHL coach Ken Law and this is the only time Osoyoos will play in Fernie... unless both teams make the KI final.

 

This  summer BC Hockey reclassified the VIJHL, PIJHL and the KIJHL as Junior A. With the change fans will notice a couple of things. 

1/ Teams can now have 6 twenty year old’s, up from 5 last season. This is long overdue, the stubborn KIJHL stuck with 4 for years (cause we’re a development league) then went to 5 now 6. All the other leagues have had from 6 to 8  for eons.

 2/ Another change is when you get coincidental penalties, now the teams will play 4 on 4 and both penalties will be shown on the clock. 

I remember my time as a linesman and a score clock operator many moons ago just how much easier things were when they brought in the coincidental penalty rule. I thought it was a great thing. 

But now as a fan watchin from the stands, where I don’t have to do anything, I like the new old rules... and the potential mayhem.Hey let’s bring back the two line pass rule, that always caused controversy.  

So as you can see the league has adopted some junior A rules, just not the good ones like no full face masks. There will be a few more changes ahead but for now the future looks good for hockey in Fernie. 

Mike Anderson, Ethan MacDuff, Ty Valin

The Ghostriders Head Coach and General Manager is  Ty Valin, he is now in his third season. Former Ghostrider Mike Anderson is also back on the bench as an Assistant Coach. 

Most of last season's players have come back for the 23/24 season along with several AAA skaters. Add in Hunter Sperle who came over in a trade with Nelson and Luken Murray who came over from Princeton and I think Fernie has a decent team. They sure skate faster anyway.

In case you were wondering... Sperle was part of the notorious  “Nelson Brawl" last year and got 8 games.  You can relive that historic event here . And Murray had a respectable  267PIM in 62 KIJHL games... this kinda stuff just warms the heart. 

The team Captain is, Taylor Haggerty along with  Assistant Captains, Cole Fournier, Cole Fisher and Jack Lambert. Haggerty as the “C" will get his name on this list at the end of the season.

And Finally, Penticton City Council approved a $50,000 donation to the Outlaw BCHL for the right to host their All-Star Game. Read that here     

 Penticton realizes that the city will do $300,000 in business that weekend so the investment pays a nice dividend. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... The City of Fernie’s contribution is to raise the rates they charge the Riders despite the fact that the team gives the skiers something to do during their visits... I wonder how much money and hangovers the skiers bring to town.

Ghostrider Update Mid August- and a few other things

 Fernie Ghostrider update August 14th/23

1/ Rider Head Coach and GM Ty Valin has signed up to coach again this year, this will be his third season with the FGR. Valin’s team has improved each year so this season could be interesting. Coach Valin is still looking for an assistant coach, interested coaches can apply    here

2/  After a long contentious back and forth the league has finally sorted out their schedule. 

3/ Fernie Exhibition Games

4/ The Regular Season Starts September 23rd and ends with a home and home against Kimberley on February 16/17. Full Schedule Here

5/ The Ghostriders still have a few spots open for their Main Camp, more about that here 

6/ The Ghostriders Hockey School also has a few spots open and you can read all about that here 

7/ The Ghostriders are still short a few billets, If you are interested you can read all about that opportunity HERE

8/ A new rule, all KIJHL teams will be allowed 6 twenty year old players, that is up from 5 and is long overdue IMO. All the other leagues have 6 and some even have 8. Remember, there won’t be the usual amount of player cuts in January because of the larger roster rule so the extra 20 year old player will be a blessing. 

9/ Larger rosters...Hockey Canada says teams can carry 25 players this year, up from 23. I don’t like it, too many players will sit out every night. But the coaches like it to cover for for injuries.

10/ Conspiracy Theories ... there have been  “Outlaw Leagues” popping up like gophers in a wheat field last few years and Hockey Canada wants to poison them... I mean do something about them. So they decided to let all the teams use 25 players instead of 23. Now literally hundreds of players across the country won’t be available to those gophers.

11/ Will we have enough referees if the refs can’t do both unsanctioned and sanctioned games. Not everyone agrees on this but certainly there will not be enough referees for the KIJHL to go to a four man system. Trail Minor Hockey is very worried about it and thinks tournaments the KIJHL and minor hockey will suffer. Read that here

12/ KIJHL President Jeff Dubois is walking a tightrope with BC Hockey screeching we're gonna use the referees to get even with the BCHL  in one ear and his Executive Board howling hey we got the new Jr A label so don’t rock the BC Hockey boat in the other ear.

13/ Dubois in an interview that will you want to read if you are at all concerned about refereeing at all levels “I realize a bunch of those guys have made the decision to go to the BCHL and that’s 100 per cent fair.”

14/ BC Hockey (probably)  WHAT do you mean fair Jeff ?

15/ Um... “We’re expecting not to have any issues filling our games, and we support BC Hockey’s stance in terms of not being able to officiate both sanctioned and unsanctioned hockey,” Dubois added.

16/ Dubois says he is confident that while missing several quality officials, BC Hockey will provide what’s required for the various leagues in the province including the KIJHL.

17/ Oh shut up the works of you, the best way to develop good referees is let them ref as many games as they can. Clinics are one thing but the on ice work is where real development and learning what and when to call stuff actually happens... and you guys know it, well maybe not BC Hockey.  

12/ If you ever wondered what happened to minor hockey at the Bantam and Midget level here is a list of the U17 CSSHL (Academy) teams...A great development league but you better be ready to pay, and lots.

Yahoo were Jr A or something like it

Yahoo we’re Jr A or something like it

 Well the worst kept secret in all junior hockey happened this week when BC Hockey decided to reclassify all 45 BC Jr B teams as Junior A. 

But not real junior A, they are so mad at the BCHL for leaving Hockey Canada they made up a completely new American style tiering system just to get even. 

Modern Hockey I bet that makes em mad

So now Jr B will be called Jr A Tier 2 surprised they didn’t call it Division 2.

And next year, if your team qualifies, that’s a secret code for has enough money, they can  move to Junior A tier 1. 

No one knows what the qualifications will be, but for sure twenty or so teams won’t make it so there is a potential for Fernie fans to see something better than what we have, but if all 45 make it you will never see what is even close to a Jr A quality product. A long story on this is here 

When we find out what the qualifications are to be called  A1 we will tell you about them.

BC Hockey would also like to go to a 4 man referee system... but shoot themselves in the foot by banning the referees that they say they love so much from doing both sanctioned (us) and unsanctioned (BCHL) games. In Alberta they do both, but here they have a chance to pit one against the other so that’s what they are going to do.  BC Hockey stubbornly says they have enough referees, but Vegas probably has different odds.

And finally... the KIJHL was able to stop former Jr A teams from Quesnell and Williams Lake from joining their league a couple of years ago. But now with  BC Hockey in tantrum mode and making up new rules as they go, the KI may not be able to keep their footprint in tact, BC Hockey has way bigger feet.

Ghostrider News July 6/ 23

 Ghostrider Head Coach and GM Ty Valin has been busy lately signing players, arranging camps and a hockey school.

The Hockey School and Camp announcements were late coming out because they had to wait for the City to confirm the dates.

The Hockey School is from August 21st- 30th details are here and Main Camp is from September 1-3 details are here

The Ghostriders are in desperate need of Billet  families for next season, more information here

Could the Riders be classed as Junior A next season?

Well BC Hockey is so pissed off at the BCHL because they went outlaw and are not part of Hockey Canada anymore that they could allow the three Jr B leagues to call themselves Jr A. And we may have some sort of announcement next week...according to that gong show of only the truest of information- Twitter

If all those 40+ teams get JrA status they won’t really be junior A, everyone knows there simply aren’t  enough A players,  but they may be able to keep a few guys that ordinarily would move up to the SIJHL etc.

Also the various A leagues have decided to keep 25 players instead of 23. So literally dozens of junior A caliber players from the BCHL, AJHL, SJHL  etc won’t be available to us this year.

In other news, in Saskatchewan the SJHL will NOT be joining with the BCHL in their march to Pretoria or what ever it is. 

In that press release seen Here- the SJHL players voted 91% to pay more money for insurance so they would not have to wear full face shields. The KIJHL was never given that option.

The AJHL went to a full travel intense interlock schedule (you play all teams) and some franchises may not be able to keep going. Canmore says it will cost them another $65,000 this year- read that here 

Could it be that the AJHL just wants to cull the herd... several teams in the south are worried about money. 

The BCHL is going to shoot the same Buffalo with their free to play rule... all teams will have to be free to play in a few years, and they know full well that some of the Buff I mean teams won’t make it.

Keep that in mind if you are hoping Fernie will go Jr A. BC Hockey could have some expensive  surprises in-store for the unsuspecting governors... like maybe just allow 10 teams scattered throughout the Province. Get a good bus.

And finally, and not a moment too soon, have you noticed that several new leagues are popping up and they are all outlaw. One is the Junior Prospects league that is to be a feeder for the BCHL teams. Cranbrook is the latest to get a team . Hockey Canada is slowly losing their  grip on reality (and hockey) here in Canada... they may have to out some players read it here if you don’t remember