The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) announced today its Weekly Top 20 rankings in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting. Last week's rankings and the leagues in which the teams belong to are in parenthesis.
The CJHL Weekly Top 20 as of Monday, November 30th:
1. (1) Vernon Vipers (BCHL)
2. (2) Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
3. (4) Dauphin Kings (MJHL)
4. (3) Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL)
5. (6) Penticton Vees (BCHL)
6. (7) Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL)
7. (5) Georgetown Raiders (OJAHL)
8. (8) Oakville Blades (OJAHL)
9. (12) Cornwall Colts (CJHL)
10. (11) Woodstock Slammers (MJAHL)
11. (9) Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
12. (14) Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)
13. (15) Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL)
14. (NR) Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)
15. (16) Abitibi Eskimos (NOJHL)
16. (18) Fort William North Stars (SIJHL)
17. (10) Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
18. (13) Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
19. (19) Burlington Cougars (CCHL)
20. (20) Le College Francais de Longueuil (LHJAAAQ)
Honorable mention goes to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL), Westside Warriors (BCHL), Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL), Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL), and the Brockville Braves (CJHL).
The rankings are based upon a variety of factors which includes the league in which the teams belong to, their winning percentage, their win-loss record, total points accumulated, their goals-for versus goals-against ratio, amongst other factors.
The CJHL is an amalgamation of ten Junior A hockey leagues from across Canada.
CJHL ANNOUNCES THE TOP 20 WEEKLY RANKINGS
The “Who Is The Best” Blog – Adam Thompson # 28
Before I get started on this extremely biased and potentially controversy article, I’d like to take a moment to thank my parents for everything they have given me in life. Recently I was able to obtain a scholarship to Yale University and it wouldn’t have been possible to do such a thing without their constant help, support and guidance throughout my hockey career and life. Yale is a very prestigious University and therefore it doesn’t come cheap. I am lucky enough to have parents that worked extremely hard in their lives earning a living and instilling good morals and ethics upon my brothers and I. I consider this scholarship a great family achievement and I am happy to share it with them. On that note, I’d also like to thank our coaches, especially Willy, for helping me through the whole process.
Anyhow, our game tonight was unfortunately canceled due to power outages; as I’m sure my fellow blogger Garret Noonan will tell you. Therefore, I have been given a good opportunity to take some time and write another blog article. Thus, the “Who Is The Best” blog is about to be created. For most of these categories, I’m sure I will stir up conflict and arguments, but that’s half the fun. I’m still looking for an equal challenger in NHL10…
THE BEST PING PONG PLAYER –And the acknowledgment goes to… Cole Ikkala. Ikky has managed to climb to the top of the Vernon Vipers “BCS Poll/rankings” for his exceptional ping-pong skills. The top 8 or so players on the team every now and then switch spots, but I think its clear to say that Cole is the best player. Connor and Kellen Jones are close seconds and thirds even though at the moment I retain the 2nd spot on the list and the top contender for the belt. Kak (Bryce Kakoske), Mike (Collins) and Stevie (Weinstein) are also commendable with the paddle.
THE BEST PASSER- This one might be up for great debate, but I’d have to give this award to Stevie Weinstein. If you ever watch Stevie, his head is always up when he is carrying the puck, looking for that good headman pass. I’ve seen some pretty sick passes from Stevie that are almost always tape-to-tape and usually have a lot of zip on them due to his massive Pectoral muscles.
THE BEST SAUCE PASSER- Bryce Kakoske. I think everyone will agree that Kak throws some pretty filthy sauce. Usually Caesar. One of the funniest quotes of the year came from Kak as he threw a lopsided, yucky sauce pass and exclaimed, “That was plum sauce... And I hate plum sauce”.
THE BEST NHL10 GAMER – We haven’t gotten the chance to have a big full team NHL tournament, however I have won the last two 5 man tournaments and maintained the title. My neck hurts a lot these days because the crown is so heavy… Honorable mention goes to Garret Noonan because he held the crown before me.
THE BEST WRIST SHOT- Cory Kane. Kaner has probably the hardest wrist shot that I have ever seen for this age group at least. Most Vipers fans will probably recall Hunter Bishop as having the hardest and most accurate wrister, which is probably true. However, Kaner is the first player I have ever got the chance to skate with that has stuck a puck in the net 5s+ times in warm-ups before games. Makes for a good laugh watching Krauser or the goalies try and hit the puck out.
THE BEST (FASTEST) SKATER- I have to give this one to Jonathan Milhouse or Rob Short. Milly is silky smooth and when he wants to go, he goes. Milly has scored numerous goals this year where he has just flat out burned by defenseman and left them in his dust. On the flip side, Shorty probably has the most back door tap in goals in BCHL history simply because he skates so hard to the net and catches defenseman off guard. A skate off might be in order to get the decision, but until then I have to call it a tie.
THE BEST DRESSED PLAYER- And the honor that has no award goes to…. Patty McGillis. I knew Patty had to potential to be a model when on the first exhibition game of the season, he showed up with white dress shoes on. Boy did he hear it from us! To no ones surprise, he hasn’t worn them since. Nowadays he just wear some flashy crocodile skin dress shoes and a nicely trimmed beard. To say the least, he is always looking good, as most boys from Calgary do.
THE BEST HITTER- The Jones twins have been known to throw a lot of solid body checks, but overall I have to give this honor to your captain, Kevin Kraus. Krauser can throw a pretty mean hip check and believe it or not, they are very difficult to initiate. Regardless, it takes a lot of skill to line these hip checks up and time them right.
THE BEST AT BEING A GOOF (FUNNIEST PLAYER)- Braden Pimm is hands down the smelliest goof of the team. Large emphasis on smelly. Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend the fact that Pimmer 20 years old, however everyone loves the guy. He is almost always up to something but is one of the funniest guys I have ever met. I will always remember the first time I met Pimmer as he told a hilarious story about his adventures on the way back to training camp last year. I distinctively remember Chris Crowell proclaiming how big of a dummy he was and my first impressions did not disappoint.
THE BEST JOKES – Mike Collins is probably my leading candidate for the best humor. For a lot of reasons I can’t fully describe the sniper from Boston’s antics, however he does bring up a lot of funny lines in court and always has a quick, witty reply to personal attacks. Gotta love Mike’s Aunts as well and his accent. Hearing him and Noonan talk about paaarking their carrr always gets a good laugh.
THE BEST FIGHTER- Garret Noonan and Darren Robak have some good dusts in practice (as jokes) however, Krauser has had the best fight this year so I’ve got to give him the nod thus far.
That is basically about as much as I can think up in regards to the Best of the Bests. Hope I didn’t cause any problems. Until next time.
!GO VIPERS!
I would like to thank Garrett Noonan for writing on my blog while he and the team were on the road! He did an awesome job of letting us know what everyone was up to, and giving us an inside scoop of what the players do while they are traveling!
There is still no word on when the Powell River game will be rescheduled, it is going to be hard to find a date that will work for both team…not the easiest team to get to! I know the fans in Power River were looking forward to hosting the Vipers but you can’t control Mother Nature and Powell River can be an incredibly gorgeous place most of the time but there is no such thing as “a little” wind on the coast!!
Outside not playing that game the Vipers went 3-0 on the road…a total of 27 wins and only 1 loss this season! One word...UNBELIEVABLE! This is one on the most amazing teams I have ever seen hit the ice! The season is only going to get harder for the Vipers as well…not only are they the reining National Champions and currently rated number 1 in Canada, they have also won 20 games in a row!! The target on there backs keeps getting bigger and teams keep getting stronger and more focused to beat our team!!
With a team like this to watch I would hope Vernon would realize they have something very special in their own backyard and hockey fan or not everyone should come out to support this team…they are doing more then there part to get Vernon noticed!! In fact with 142 Junior A teams in Canada I can guarantee that all of them are talking about the Vipers!! In fact just in our league people are filling other arenas to get a look at the notorious Vernon Vipers when they are in their town!
Get out to a game and make some noise for this incredible team! The Vipers will host the Prince George Spruce Kings Thursday night and then host the Westside Warriors on Friday night!!
See you at the game!
Sniper
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) announced today its Weekly Top 20 rankings in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting. Last week’s rankings and the leagues in which the teams belong to are in parenthesis. 3. (3) Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL)
4. (6) Dauphin Kings (MJHL)
5. (6) Georgetown Raiders (OJAHL)
6. (5) Penticton Vees (BCHL)
7. (8) Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL)
8. (7) Oakville Blades (OJAHL)
9. (9) Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
10. (10) Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
11. (13) Woodstock Slammers (MJAHL)
12. (12) Cornwall Colts (CJHL)
13. (11) Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
14. (16) Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)
15. (NR) Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL)
16. (17) Abitibi Eskimos (NOJHL)
17. (14) Newmarket Hurricanes (CCHL
18. (18) Fort William North Stars (SIJHL)
19. (15) Burlington Cougars (CCHL)
20. (20) Le College Francais de Longueuil (LHJAAAQ)
Honorable mention goes to the Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL), Westside Warriors (BCHL), Canmore Eagles (AJHL), Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL) and Truro Bearcats (MJAHL).
The rankings are based upon a variety of factors which includes the league in which the teams belong to, their winning percentage, their win-loss record, total points accumulated, their goals-for versus goals-against ratio, amongst other factors.
The CJHL is an amalgamation of ten Junior A hockey leagues from across Canada. More information on the CJHL can be found by clicking on the league website. www.cjhlhockey.com
Game Days Blogging
The last couple of days I haven’t been able to blog much because to be honest on game days there isn’t much to blog about. On Friday night we played the 11th ranked Surrey Eagles, and the number one team in the coastal conference. Surrey plays on an Olympic sized rink, so it was really fun as a defenseman to jump in the play and have that much room to make plays. The game was a high paced game, with both teams having great scoring chances early. Finally we cashed in on a shorthanded effort by Rob Short and we really didn’t look back after that. We ended up winning the game 6-1. As the score got bigger Surrey got a little more frustrated as a semi brawl ensued in the third period. Although not being on the ice for it, the ref claimed I started it all and I had to serve 2 minutes for roughing. Graeme Gordon played very well in between the pipes for us, he made big saves all night. Although the score did not show, Surrey was a very good hockey team, and anytime we play them we will have our hands full. On Saturday night we got the opportunity to go into the brand new Langley Events Centre and take on the Langley Chiefs. The chiefs came out and tried to get us off our game early. Although having a sloppy first period, we bounced back and won our second game of the road trip 6-2. Langley is a very good team as well, they really frustrated us at times, and stuck too there game plan of finishing there checks and playing tough. The new rink in Langley was really something special. Before the game they played the CBC game of the night on the new big screen at the rink, and it was great. I am not sure if it all done yet, but it was a treat to play there. Today we take on the Burnaby Express, before we get back on the bus and head back for Vernon. I would like to thank you all for reading my blogs, I am sorry for not updating the past few days, as I said earlier there isn’t much we do on gameday’s.
Garrett Noonan
Day 3: Back on the Road
Today was a bit of a boring day for the team. Everyone was pretty upset about the power outage last night in Powell River but there was nothing anybody could do about it. The team woke up at around 6:30 to eat breakfast and get on the road. We packed our bags at the rink knowing there would not be a make up game today. We left the rink at around 7 because we had to make sure we caught the first ferry out of town at 9am. The bus to the ferry was pretty quiet as everybody caught up on some more sleep. Fortunately, we caught the ferry at 9. While all of the guys usually get off the bus that is in the cellar of the ferry. Today was different as most of the guys stayed on the bus and slept some more. Myself included. The ferry was pretty short as it took around 45 minutes. The long part of the trip to Langley was the ride on the in-between ferries. This took around an hour and a half. The team was a little more active on this bus ride as everyone started to talk and wake up a little bit. We got to the ferry and had to wait around 20 minutes for the ferry to come. Everyone talked for a little while then boarded the ferry, as we all went up and got lunch. The food on the ferry was pretty good. As I told you on my first blog of the week the rookies had a scavenger hunt and the loser would have consequences. The “prairie dogs” compiled of the Albertan and Saskatchewan rookies were the losers. So in front of a group of people on the ferry they had to introduce themselves to these random people and shadow box in front of all of them. The harder they worked the shorter they would be up there. Patrick Mcgillis gave 100% and wasn’t up there for too long. On the other hand, Darrin Robak the Red Deer, Albeta native didn’t give it his all and sat down immediately on his own to save the embarrassment. I’m sure he’ll be hearing about that little stunt in court on Monday. After that we got back on the bus and drove through Vancouver and into Langley. As we arrived at two we checked into the hotel and went and settled in. While watching some Wild “N” Out and playing a few pranks on our roommates for a few hours, we got back on the bus and went and dined at East Side Mario’s for dinner. After that a bunch of the guys went to watch a movie at the theater a few minutes down the road. I personally would have liked to go and watch the Westside vs. Langley game but was not able to because it started at 8:30 due to a banquet at there rink. Adam, Cole and I stayed in and watched Adams’s beloved Calgary Flames lose in big fashion to the Chicago Blackhawks. Cole and myself’s fantasy hockey team had a huge night so that brought a grin to our faces, as we regained first place from the coaches team. After that we shut the lights off and got some rest for tomorrow's big matchup vs. the Surrey Eagles.
Garrett Noonan; Day 2: The Power Outage
Blogging on the Coastal Road Trip with Garrett Noonan
Hi, my name is Garrett Noonan this is my first year with the Vernon Vipers. I am From Norfolk, Massachusetts about thirty minutes outside of Boston. I have really enjoyed my time in Vernon thus far. Over the next few days on the teams five day, four game coastal road trip, you will be hearing from myself as well as my two roommates Adam Thompson and Cole Ikkala. Also I would like to congratulate my awesome defensive partner Adam Thompson as he recently committed to the prestigious Yale University about 3 hours outside of Boston in New Haven, Connecticut. Although, I would like to take some credit for his commitment to Yale, I was informed that he was offered there before we were partners. Believe it or not.
Kakoske & George Visit With Students
Vipers Back To Number 1 Spot
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) announced today its Weekly Top 20 rankings in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting. Last week’s rankings and the leagues in which the teams belong to are in parenthesis.
The CJHL Weekly Top 20 as of Monday, November 16th:
1. (2) Vernon Vipers (BCHL)
2. (1) Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
3. (4) Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL)
4. (6) Georgetown Raiders (OJAHL)
5. (3) Penticton Vees (BCHL)
6. (5) Dauphin Kings (MJHL)
7. (10) Oakville Blades (OJAHL)
8. (7) Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL)
9. (8) Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
10. (11) Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
11. (9) Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
12. (16) Cornwall Colts (CJHL)
13. (15) Woodstock Slammers (MJAHL)
14. (12) Newmarket Hurricanes (CCHL)
15. (17) Burlington Cougars (CCHL)
16. (14) Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)
17. (19) Abitibi Eskimos (NOJHL)
18. (18) Fort William North Stars (SIJHL)
19. (NR) Bonnyville Pontiacs (AJHL)
20. (20) Le College Francais de Longueuil (LHJAAAQ)
Honorable mention goes to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL), Westside Warriors (BCHL), Kindersley Klippers (SJHL), Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL), and the Brockville Braves (CJHL).
The rankings are based upon a variety of factors which includes the league in which the teams belong to, their winning percentage, their win-loss record, total points accumulated, their goals-for versus goals-against ratio, amongst other factors.
The CJHL is an amalgamation of ten Junior A hockey leagues from across Canada. More information on the CJHL can be found by clicking on the league website at www.cjhlhockey.com
A Response To Adam Thompson...
In response to Adam’s “Friendship” blog, we, as his billets, truly enjoy being part of his experience as a Vernon Viper and his life in Vernon.
This young man is an example of the quality people that Duncan, Mark and Jason have recruited to be on their team.
Life as a billet is entertaining as you watch them grow from boys to men and all the different adventures that come along with it.
As billets with no children of our own, it’s become one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives to help guide, support and mentor the young men that come thru our home every year.
Tamara & Mike
Hammond emerging in goal for Falcons
Written by By KEVIN GORDON Sentinel Assistant Sports Editor
Friday, 06 November 2009
Andrew Hammond is starting to emerge as a solution to Bowling Green's goaltending problems.
The Bowling Green freshman has a 2.61 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in his last three games.
Hammond has started the last three games and is expected to start tonight at Ferris State in the opener of a Central Collegiate Hockey Association series. The teams play tonight at 7:05 and Saturday at 5:05.
"He's looked very solid," BG coach Dennis Williams said. "He challenges the shooter and is square to the puck. He's making the saves he should make and he's making the tough saves that are difference-makers."
Hammond has a 3.46 goals-against and a .908 save percentage in five games, including four starts.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder stopped 37-of-41 shots in his debut at Minnesota-State Oct. 10. He wasn't sharp in his next two appearances against the U.S. Under-18 Team and in a relief stint against Providence, but he's been outstanding since.
BG was last in the CCHA last season with an .875 save percentage and junior Nick Eno is off to a tough start with a 4.94 goals-against and a .877 save mark.
Hammond's been busy, facing 37.6 shots every 60 minutes.
The Falcons are 0-5-1 overall, while Ferris is 5-3.
"I just hoped to get some starts," Hammond said. "It's taken a lot of hard work to get this far and it's going to take even more hard work the rest of the season. I want to take advantage of every start I get.
"I've been comfortable all along with the whole environment. I don't think there was much of an adjustment. Everything about coming here has been very positive."
Pimm named BCHL Player of the Week
Vernon Vipers forward Braden Pimm has been named the British Columbia Hockey League's Player of the Week for the week ending November 8th, the league announced Monday.
Pimm scored four goals and totalled seven points last week, helping to lead the Vipers to four consecutive road wins while improving the team's league-leading record to 21-1. On Friday, Pimm set up Mike Collins' third period power-play marker that proved to be the eventual winner in a 5-2 victory over Prince George.
The 19-year old then picked up First Star honours in back-to-back games to close out the weekend. On Saturday, Pimm scored once and assisted on goals by Collins and Jonathan Milhouse in a 7-1 win over the Quesnel Millionaires. On Sunday, he took charge with a hat trick in the second period of a 6-0 victory over the Williams Lake Timberwolves.
Pimm, who is committed to attend Northeastern University next season, currently sits second on his team and eight in the BCHL in scoring with 36 points in 22 games played. He is on pace to shatter his career high of 24 goals and 54 points set during the 2008/09 campaign.
The Vipers, who currently sit second in the Canadian Junior Hockey League rankings, return to the ice on Tuesday when they look to wrap up a perfect six-game road trip in Merritt.
Important Aspects of Hockey - Friendship (by Adam Thompson #28)
There are a lot of good things that come from hockey and the events surrounding the game and in the next couple of blogs I will talk about a few of those area’s. The first and possibly most valuable aspect that comes with hockey is friendship and the relationships you build with fellow teammates, coaches, owners and team representatives, billets and of course the fans. These relationships make lasting impressions and while sometimes they’re not always positive, I think it’s important to experience them first hand.
When it comes to making friends, there is no easier way to meet people and build relationships than being stuck on a team full of twenty-four “beauties”. Sometimes personalities clash but you learn to accept things and come together as a team. I personally find it challenging to meet people and engage in conversations but being on a team makes it really easy. Almost all of my friends are ex hockey teammates and I have even been fortunate enough to play with some guys that have been drafted in the NHL. I personally believe the best thing about hockey is the friendships you make, the people you meet and the life lessons you gain from experiences in hockey. Obviously last year I was blessed with the opportunity to win a National Championship and had probably the best year of hockey in my life. I will always remember last year and the guys on the team from the Captain Chris Crowell down. I got to be apart of probably the “most lethal defense core” in junior hockey and played in front of two awesome goalies. Cody Ikkala and I had good chemistry as Defense partners as well, which is important in keeping the pucks out of our net. However, that is in the past. This new season has introduced me to a lot of new people and 19 games into the year, I have already made some good friendships. Garret Noonan and I have developed a strong D partner bond, a bond that is strong enough that he now just acknowledges me as “partner”. The team really has a lot of good personalities and a good makeup of everything needed to be successful. I think a large part of that is due to our awesome coaches Jason Williamson and Mark Ferner.
Now I am not trying to just suck up to the coaches. They really are awesome mentors that instill the right attitudes for winning and instruct us to be better as hockey players, but also as individuals in life outside of hockey. Ferns makes the hockey rink a fun place to be and it makes everyone want to be at the rink, ready to practice hard and play harder in the games. Ferns may be plummeting down the team ping-pong rankings, but the fact that he’ll enjoy a game of ping-pong in front of the whole team in the room is truly something special. Willy is usually doing to dirty work behind the scenes, but I have gotten the opportunity to witness them as a doubles tandem and been surprised to say the least. In hockey its important that your coaches are respected by the players because then working hard doesn’t really feel like working hard, its more of just a way to go about things on a regular basis. I distinctly remember the first time I met Willy and Ferns when they recruited me two years ago and was impressed right of the bat. It was an easy decision to come to Vernon just because of the coaches, let alone the great city, great fans and the great arena.
Dr. Duncan Wray truly is one of the greatest guys I have personally ever met in my whole life. He makes it a treat to be on the Vipers and is a very kind, approachable man. I also remember meeting Duncan for the first time when I came for my fly down as we ate at Boston Pizza before the Vipers home game that Friday night. I remember laughing with my Dad at the amount of diet Coke he drank, but more seriously, he told us that one of his greatest enjoyments in hockey was watching us young men gain scholarships and move on in life. Duncan has been known to take some awesome pictures with his ridiculously big camera and is always around contributing to the team in some way. This summer I met two players that had once previously played for Vernon and they both asked me if Duncan Wray was still around. It just goes to show how special he is, as he made lasting impressions on the two players, impressions great enough to be remembered years later. I can’t forget mentioning Heidi, Todd Miller, Don Klepp (Klepper), Rod Knopp, Lon Fraser and Hoon as well. They are all great people as well and make the team what it is, whether that’s marketing the Vipers, being the Voice of Vipers, running study halls to help out the guys in classes or just taking care of injuries and equipment.
Lastly, I am left to talk about our supportive fans and my loving, care giving Billets. Here in Vernon, we are lucky enough to have the best fans in the league. Last year really made a mark on me in regards to the fans, as the whole National Champion RBC Cup fever struck the city of Vernon. The town parade and the goodbye celebration in the arena after words was a spectacle that will always last in my memories. My other favorite fan moment amongst the many was playing in the Civic arena, which was sold out for warm-up in game 1 and 2 of the Doyle Cup. I remember getting chills the whole game as the fans were ridiculously loud, yelling at the opposing goalie or celebrating our two wins that led to a sweep and a birth to the National Championship. My billets are amongst the fans in every home game and occasionally the close away games against the rivals like Salmon Arm and Westside. The sacrifice they make to have me in their home and to support me in my hockey endeavors is really special. I can’t thank them enough for all the support, nourishment and the overall great hospitality they offer to me. A general thanks goes out to all the Billets as I myself, would probably find it very difficult to allow a stranger into my home for a full season.
Hockey has been apart of my life since as long as I can remember. It isn’t hard to look back and remember all the great experiences I have enjoyed because of hockey and for that, I encourage everyone to start their kids up in hockey or another great team sport. Great relationships are built due to hockey. There really isn’t much better than living in Vernon, playing hockey for a Junior A dynasty and just overall living “the dream”.
WJAC - Canada West 7 - Belarus 3
Cam Reid scored the first hat trick by a Canada West player since 2007 and John Dunbar tied a WJAC record with four assists as the Canadians set up a semifinal date with Canada East (Friday, 7 p.m. AT) with a 7-3 win over Belarus on Thursday night.
The two Canadian teams have not met at the tournament since the 2007 gold medal game, won 4-1 by Canada East. The westerners also took the only other meeting, a 4-3 victory in the final game in 2006.
Both Canada West and Belarus came out firing in the opening period, and the end-to-end hockey produced five goals in a span of 6:05.
After Connor Jones has restored the Canada West lead at 12:42 he struck again 2:21 after that, deftly deflecting a shot from Cody Kunyk through the legs of Artynski. Belarus struck back quickly again, though, as Aliaksandr Famin shoveled a loose puck past Bonar after a scramble in the Canadian crease to again get the deficit back to just one.
Nursing a one-goal advantage heading into period two, the Canadians threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Belarus goal, with Reid’s second of the game 3:45 into the period chasing Artynski from the net.
The change didn’t seem to matter to Canada West, which outshot the Europeans 20-7 in the second period and went up 5-2 when Ben Gallacher’s seeing-eye point shot beat Dzmitry Volkau.
Siarhei Karolik got that one back for Belarus very late in the period, making it 5-3 after 40 minutes.
Canada West made sure there would be no drama in the third period, allowing just six Belarussian shots in the final period and rounding out the scoring on goals from Reid, who joined Kyle Turris and Casey Pierro-Zabotel as Canada West players with WJAC hat tricks, and Ryan Marshall.
The loss puts Belarus in the fifth-place game for the third time in four tournament appearances. It will face Sweden on Saturday night (7 p.m. AT).
The Vernon Vipers would like to thank the 1st Girl Guides for coming and look forward to seeing them at upcoming games.
CJHL Weekly Rankings
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) announced today its Weekly Top 20 rankings in conjunction with NHL Central Scouting. Last week’s rankings and the leagues in which the teams belong to are in parenthesis.
The CJHL Weekly Top 20 as of Monday, November 2nd:
1. (1) Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL) (see standings)
2. (2) Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) (see standings)
3. (4) Dauphin Kings (MJHL) (see standings)
4. (3) Vernon Vipers (BCHL) (see standings)
5. (5) Penticton Vees (BCHL)
6. (6) Georgetown Raiders (OJAHL)
7. (7) Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
8. (8) Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL)
9. (HM) Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)
10. (HM) Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
11. (NR) Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
12. (11) Oakville Blades (OJAHL)
13. (10) Newmarket Hurricanes (CCHL)
14. (HM) Wellington Dukes (CCHL)
15. (12) Woodstock Slammers (MJAHL)
16. (HM) Cornwall Colts (CJHL)
17. (NR) Winnipeg Saints (MJHL)
18. (14) Fort William North Stars (SIJHL)
19. (13) Abitibi Eskimos (NOJHL)
20. (NR) Le College Francais de Longueuil (LHJAAA)
Honorable mention goes to the Okotoks Oilers (AJHL), Flin Flon Bombers (MJHL), Burlington Cougars (CCHL), Trenton Golden Hawks (OJAHL) and Truro Bearcats (MJAHL).
The rankings are based upon a variety of factors which includes the league in which the teams belong to, their winning percentage, their win-loss record, total points accumulated, their goals-for versus goals-against ratio, amongst other factors.
The CJHL is an amalgamation of ten Junior A hockey leagues from across Canada. More information on the CJHL can be found by clicking on the league website. www.cjhlhockey.com
