BCEHL WEEKEND UPDATE - FEBRUARY 3-7
For Immediate Release
February 1, 2023
Saanichton, B.C. - The U15 showcase is set to take place this weekend in Richmond. Let’s take a look around the BCEHL and see what’s happening!
Female U18 AAA
In their first league action since the Winter Classic, the fourth-place Northern Capitals (9-16-3-0) visit the fifth-place Greater Vancouver Comets (3-23-2-0) for two games at Scotia Barn. A pair of goals from Capitals’ forward Neen Suapa helped the Capitals earn a 3-1 victory over the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers in the event’s opening matchup. Abby Bryant and Sage Nohr each recorded a goal in game two, which ended in a 2-2 tie. A pair of goals from Ruby Thornton and a three-point game from Rowan Brooke Hu (1g-2a) guided the Comets to a 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Island Seals on January 21st. Thornton has recorded three goals in her last four games, and has eight in total on the season, which is tied for second on the Comets with Kirsten Lai and Grace Cooper.
The third-place Thompson-Okanagan Lakers (10-11-1-2) travel to the Island to face-off against the second-place Vancouver Island Seals (14-9-2-1). The teams met on two occasions at the U18 Female showcase in early January, where the Lakers claimed two victories in a pair of tightly contested matchups. In game one, Hannah Robertson’s two assists helped Thompson-Okanagan to a 3-2 victory, while it took overtime to decide the winner of game two, where Alexandra Recsky’s game-winning goal sealed a 4-3 victory for the Lakers. Over the Seals’ last three games, forward Tahlia Fisher has recorded four goals, moving her season total to 11, trailing only Grace Gonyer (21) in goals among Seals' skaters.
Saturday’s Female U18 Games
Northern Capitals @ Greater Vancouver Comets – 3:30 p.m. – Scotia Barn
Thompson-Okanagan Lakers @ Vancouver Island Seals – 6:15 p.m. – Oceanside Place Arena
Sunday’s Female U18 Games
Northern Capitals @ Greater Vancouver Comets – 10:30 a.m. – Scotia Barn
Thompson-Okanagan Lakers @ Vancouver Island Seals – 11:15 a.m. – Fuller Lake Arena
Watch All Female U18 Games Live Here
U18 AAA
The seventh-place Cariboo Cougars (11-14-1-0) host the fourth-place Vancouver NE Chiefs (14-9-3-2) for a pair of games in Prince George. Cariboo has won three of their past four games, which included a 4-2 victory against the Okanagan Rockets on January 29th. Cougars’ forward Joshua Sale collected three points (1g-2a) in last weekend’s series against Okanagan, which moved his point total to a team-leading 31 (12g-19a). The Chiefs earned a victory and a tie in two games against the Thompson Blazers at the U18 showcase. Over the two meetings, Aiden Bayliffe and Josh Kelly each recorded three assists.
The league-leading Greater Vancouver Canadians (21-3-4-1) and the sixth-place Valley West Giants (14-11-0-2) take the ice in Richmond on Saturday, and in Langley on Tuesday. Valley West and Greater Vancouver most recently met on January 21st, where Matthew Hikida’s overtime winner sealed a 6-5 victory for the Canadians. The Canadians’ have earned two victories and three ties in their last five games. Greater Vancouver's league-leading offense continues to impress, as they averaged five goals per game over that span. This matchup will feature five of the league’s top 10 scorers as Valley West’s Miles Burgin (23g-27a) and Nishaan Parmar (18g-29a) sit first and third in U18 scoring, while Greater Vancouver’s Jamie Hikida (21g-25a), ranks fourth, Massimo Fazio (19g-23a) is tied for eighth and Jordan Luk (6g-34a) sits in a tie for 10th.
In Abbotsford, the fifth-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (15-12-1-0) and the third-place Okanagan Rockets (19-4-2-1) meet for a weekend series. This will be their first meeting since November 5th and 6th in Kelowna. The first matchup saw the Rockets secure a 5-2 victory, helped by a three-point performance form Erik Pastro (1g-2a). Tyler Blatz's three assists and a pair of goals from Tyler Pretty helped the Thunderbirds respond in the second meeting, who came away with a 5-3 win. Rockets’ forward Brayden Schwaerzle will look to continue the success he saw last weekend, as he found the back of the net three times in two games against the Cougars. Fraser Valley’s offense has been a strength lately, as they’ve scored a total of 36 goals over their last five games. Thunderbirds’ forward Cale Colwell earned eight points (4g-4a) during those five contests.
Friday's U18 Game
Vancouver NE Chiefs @ Cariboo Cougars – 11:30 a.m. – Kin Centre
Saturday’s U18 Games
Vancouver NE Chiefs @ Cariboo Cougars – 9:00 a.m. – Kin Centre
Valley West Giants @ Greater Vancouver Canadians – 2:30 p.m. – Richmond Olympic Oval
North Island Silvertips @ Thompson Blazers – 6:30 p.m. – Sandman Centre
Okanagan Rockets @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 7:15 p.m. – Matsqui Recreation Centre
Sunday’s U18 Games
Okanagan Rockets @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 9:45 a.m. – Abbotsford Recreation Centre
North Island Silvertips @ Thompson Blazers – 9:45 a.m. – McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre
Tuesday’s U18 Game
Greater Vancouver Canadians @ Valley West Giants – 7:00 p.m. – Langley Events Centre
U17 AAA
As part of a busy weekend for both teams, the seventh-place South Island Royals (16-14-0-0) and sixth-place Vancouver NW Hawks (15-9-2-2) take the ice in a Friday afternoon meeting in North Vancouver. After splitting a two game series against the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, the Royals enter the weekend winners of six of their last seven games. Riley Rich-Holden’s 12 points during his last seven games (4g-8a) brings his point total to 37 (14g-23a), trailing only Carter Zeeben’s 40 points (21g-19a) among Royals’ skaters. Hawks’ forward Max Kelly helped his team to a 4-3 victory against the Cariboo Cougars in his team’s most recent action. Kelly totaled four points (2g-2a) which included the game-winning goal in overtime in that matchup. Following Friday’s game, the Hawks will travel to the Island to take on the North Island Silvertips, while the Royals face off against the Greater Vancouver Canadians.
The fifth-place Canadians (17-12-1-1) have received strong goaltending this season from the tandem of Jack Taylor and Marcus Taylor, who have combined to allow 2.90 goals per game this season, which is the second lowest in the U17 league. With points in four of his last five games, Canadians’ forward Maxfeld Shin ranks second in team scoring with 35 points (13g-22a) and is tied for 10th in league scoring.
Wrapping up the weekend, the eighth-place Vancouver NE Chiefs (10-15-3-2) face the first-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (23-5-1-1) in Abbotsford on Monday. Backed by a potent offense, Fraser Valley has earned victories in 11 of their last 12 games, where they’ve scored five or more goals on nine occasions over that span. Paired with a strong goaltending tandem, the Thunderbirds’ duo of Nathan Niedermeiser and Jake Torget have allowed a league-low 62 goals on the year. The duo has combined for seven shutouts on the season, which also ranks first among all U17 teams. The Chiefs earned a victory and a tie in two games against the Thompson Blazers last weekend. Brayden Yee contributed three points (2g-1a) in Sunday’s victory that included nine goals for the Chiefs.
Friday’s U17 Game
South Island Royals @ Vancouver NW Hawks – 1:00 p.m. – Karen Magnussen Arena
Saturday’s U17 Games
Cariboo Cougars @ Thompson Blazers – 1:15 p.m. – Art Holding Memorial Arena
Vancouver NW Hawks @ North Island Silvertips – 3:05 p.m. – Fuller Lake Arena
South Island Royals @ Greater Vancouver Canadians – 6:00 p.m. – Planet Ice Coquitlam
Sunday’s U17 Games
Cariboo Cougars @ Thompson Blazers – 7:00 a.m. – McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre
Vancouver NW Hawks @ North Island Silvertips – 9:30 a.m. – Oceanside Place Arena
South Island Royals @ Greater Vancouver Canadians – 2:00 p.m. – Planet Ice Coquitlam
Monday’s U17 Game
Vancouver NE Chiefs @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 7:00 p.m. – Abbotsford Centre
U15 AAA
Starting things off at the U15 showcase, the fourth-place Greater Vancouver Canadians (13-6-2-1) take on the sixth-place Cariboo Cougars (10-8-4-0). The Canadians’ last took the ice on January 14th and 15th, where they earned a pair of 6-1 victories against the Thompson Blazers. Forwards Jayden Rodas and Sorash Ramlal both scored three times over those two games. The pair lead Greater Vancouver in goals as Rodas has 14 goals, while Ramlal has 12. The Cougars enter the showcase with a strong record over their past five games, as they’ve gone 3-1-1-0. Cougars’ forward Jaxon Larmand has totaled eight points (3g-5a) over his last five, bringing his point total to 37 points (22g-15a), trailing only Vancouver NE Chiefs’ Charlie Robinson’s 42 points (29g-13a) in league scoring.
On Saturday, the second-place Valley West Giants (14-5-3-0) take the ice against the fifth-place Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (11-6-1-1). A five-point weekend from Ronan Coopman (3g-2a) helped Valley West to a pair of victories on January 28th and 29th. Coopman’s 18 points (9g-9a) rank third in team scoring, behind Adam Lenarduzzi's 26 points (10g-16a) and Brock Saundry's 21 points (9g-12a). The Thunderbirds’ will look to keep their momentum going into the showcase, as they’ve picked up three consecutive victories. Both of Fraser Valley’s goaltenders have helped the team during their streak, as Graydon van der Zweep allowed three goals across a pair of starts, while Mason Clegg allowed only one goal in his lone appearance. On the season, the Thunderbirds’ boast the top goaltending tandem in the U15 league, as the two netminders have combined to allow 1.95 goals per game.
On Sunday, the third-place Okanagan Rockets (14-2-1-1) and the eighth-place North Island Silvertips (2-22-0-0) meet on the final day of the U15 showcase. Entering the weekend with wins in seven of their previous eight games, the Rockets will look to continue their momentum and make a move in the standings. Okanagan forward Raine Lepin scored twice in their victory over the Vancouver NE Chiefs on January 29th. Lepin is currently on a three-game point streak where he has collected four points (2g-2a). Silvertips’ forward Ethan Hill will look to build on his team leading 28 points (19g-9a). Hill’s 28 points rank fourth in league scoring, while his 19 goals rank third.
Friday’s U15 Games
All games played at Richmond Ice Centre
Cariboo Cougars vs. Greater Vancouver Canadians – 12:15 p.m.
Valley West Giants vs. Vancouver NW Hawks – 3:30 p.m.
Vancouver NE Chiefs @ Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 3:45 p.m.
Thompson Blazers vs. North Island Silvertips – 6:15 p.m.
Okanagan Rockets vs. Cariboo Cougars – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday's U15 Games
All games played at Richmond Ice Centre
Vancouver NW Hawks vs. North Island Silvertips – 8:00 a.m.
Thompson Blazers vs. Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 8:30 a.m.
Okanagan Rockets vs. Valley West Giants – 10:45 a.m.
Cariboo Cougars vs. Vancouver NE Chiefs – 11:15 a.m.
North Island Silvertips vs. Greater Vancouver Canadians – 4:15 p.m.
Thompson Blazers @ Vancouver NW Hawks – 4:45 p.m.
Valley West Giants vs. Fraser Valley Thunderbirds – 7:00 p.m.
Vancouver NE Chiefs vs. Okanagan Rockets – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday's U15 Games
All games played at Richmond Ice Centre
Cariboo Cougars vs. Greater Vancouver Canadians – 8:00 a.m.
North Island Silvertips vs. Okanagan Rockets – 9:30 a.m.
Fraser Valley Thunderbirds vs. Thompson Blazers – 10:45 a.m.
Vancouver NE Chiefs vs. Valley West Giants – 12:15 p.m.
Vancouver NW Hawks vs. Greater Vancouver Canadians – 2:45 p.m.
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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