Welcome to the Feb. 1, 2018 edition of BCHL Today, a (near) daily look at what91裸聊视频檚 going on around the league and the junior A world.
I was at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack Tuesday afternoon to talk to Nathan MacMaster and Steve Bull.
These two men are involved in outreach for the Together We Can Addiction Recovery and Education Society. Both are former high-level hockey players who battled severe addiction issues. At one point, Bull was losing his fight big-time and found himself on the street.
They were in Chilliwack to deliver a presentation to the Chilliwack Chiefs. They did the same later than night in Merritt before traveling on to West Kelowna and Salmon Arm Wednesday. They are due to finish their BCHL tour today in Penticton.
But there91裸聊视频檚 one thing that didn91裸聊视频檛 make it into the piece and I wish there91裸聊视频檇 been space to use it. At the tail end of the interview I asked Bull if the landscape had changed since he played in the early 198091裸聊视频檚. I was wondering if the stigmas around mental health and addiction had faded and if there were more supports available to players, and I expected him to say that the hockey world had moved in the right direction.
I was wrong.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檒l be honest, as far as I junior hockey goes I don91裸聊视频檛 (think things are improving),91裸聊视频� Bull said. 91裸聊视频淚 have friends and sons who are now in junior hockey, and it91裸聊视频檚 being spoken about, but at the end of the day, if somebody has a problem it91裸聊视频檚 still up to the family to deal with it.
91裸聊视频淭he leagues don91裸聊视频檛 have programs in place and they91裸聊视频檒l still deal with it the same way. They91裸聊视频檒l trade that player as opposed to giving him help.91裸聊视频�
Hopefully, this outreach tour is the first step in a larger plan for the BCHL.
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So you want to be a BCHL head coach?
Powell River91裸聊视频檚 interim head coach, Brock Sawyer, ran the bench for the first time last night in Wenatchee in a 5-2 loss to the Wild and it didn91裸聊视频檛 go well.
Sawyer91裸聊视频檚 Kings got out-shot 11-2 in the first period and trailed 1-0 on an AJ Vanderbeck snipe. It was the first of two for the Colorado native. Wenatchee native Matt Dorsey also scored a pair with Daniel Chladek picking up a single.
Jonny Evans and Andy Stevens replied for the Kings, who were out-shot 42-27 and have now lost four straight games.
Hang in there Brock. There will be brighter days.
A side note on Sawyer. Until this morning I had never heard of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), but Powell River91裸聊视频檚 bench boss is an alum. According to the interwebs it91裸聊视频檚 a 10 team circuit with teams based in the southeastern United States. Sawyer spent parts of two seasons with the Fayetteville FireAntz, which is both a great and a horrible name.
Fire Ants = great and unique. FireAntz = no good. Didn91裸聊视频檛 we leave that extreme stuff back in the 199091裸聊视频檚? Maybe Fayetteville agreed because they91裸聊视频檙e now known as the Marksmen.
Sawyer played his final 26 pro games with the Huntsville Havoc in 2013-14.
It91裸聊视频檚 going to be a side project over the next month to see how many BCHL grads are active in this league.
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After earning three of a possible four points in Wenatchee last weekend, the Merritt Centennials were feeling good heading into a Wednesday nighter at Kal Tire Place in Vernon.
Then the Vipers happened.
Jimmy Lambert, Josh Latta, Jesse Lansdell and Brett Stapley scored for the Snakes, who skated to a convincing win over the Cents.
Jackson Munro scored the lone Merritt goal on a power play, with just 2:15 remaining in the game.
It wasn91裸聊视频檛 all good news for Vernon Wednesday as they learned that star centre Josh Prokop will be lost for the season. Prokop suffered a badly dislocated shoulder with less than four seconds remaining in last Sunday91裸聊视频檚 game in Trail.
91裸聊视频淗e91裸聊视频檚 going to need surgery so he will be out for six months,91裸聊视频� Vipers head coach Mark Ferner told Kevin Mitchell of the Vernon Morning Star. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 a huge loss. He91裸聊视频檚 a very good player. 2018 hasn91裸聊视频檛 been good to us.91裸聊视频�
Prokop had been enjoying a very productive season, with 21 goals and 37 points in 48 games. He is one of 10 draft eligible junior A players from across Canada who91裸聊视频檝e been rated by the National Hockey League91裸聊视频檚 Central Scouting Bureau and played in the Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game earlier this month.
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Jamie Collins scored the game-winning goal with just 1:17 to play as his Nanaimo Clippers topped the Victoria Grizzlies 4-3 Wednesday night.
The Clips out-shot the Grizz 39-29 at the Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo with Parker Colley, Brady Lynn and Lucas Vanroboys also lighting the lamp. Jamie Rome had a pair for Victoria with T.J. Friedmann picking up a single to give him five goals in last four games.
Where once Victoria and Powell River seemed destined to duke it out for top spot in the Island division, Nanaimo is making it a three-team race. The Clippers are within one point of Powell River and within three of Victoria.
Sadly, that was the last head-to-head they91裸聊视频檒l have against either team this season. But if you91裸聊视频檙e betting on a team with a weak schedule, four of Nanaimo91裸聊视频檚 final eight games are against the Cowichan Capitals (9-31-5-2) and Alberni Valley Bulldogs (14-26-4-4).
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I wanted to finish off today shining the spotlight on Chilliwack91裸聊视频檚 Anthony Vincent.
For Chiefs rivals in the Mainland division, his name is actually Anthony $#&^@*% Vincent! He plays an agitating style that gets under the skin of opponents. I don91裸聊视频檛 know if he91裸聊视频檇 care for the comparison, but when I watch him play I want to add a No. 1 to his No. 4 and call him Alex Burrows, who remains one of my favourite all-time Vancouver Canucks.
The reason I mention Vincent today is because of one shift from last weekend91裸聊视频檚 5-1 home-ice loss to Prince George.
Chiefs radio colour man Jacob Bestebroer describes it as follows91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淒uring a Prince George power play in the second period, he was out at the start of the kill playing the left forward position. Early in the man advantage, one of the Kings defenseman let go a hard shot from the blueline that Vincent threw himself in front of. You could tell it hurt him and he lost his stick in the process. Three more times in the next thirty seconds he put himself in front of Kings91裸聊视频� shots. Each shot was harder than the last. When the Chiefs finally got the puck out of their zone and he managed to get his aching body to the Chiefs bench, every player congratulated him for his effort in one way or another.91裸聊视频�
The closer camera angle in the video highlights don91裸聊视频檛 do it justice, but start watching at 3:27 and that91裸聊视频檚 Vincent putting himself in the line of fire. It was inspiring to watch from my perch up top and I almost wanted to jump on the ice and kill the rest of that penalty myself, for Vinny!
He also scored Chilliwack91裸聊视频檚 only goal in the game, which you can see at the 1:40 mark.
If there91裸聊视频檚 one player on the Chilliwack roster whose compete level you can never question, it91裸聊视频檚 Vincent91裸聊视频檚.
The NCAA91裸聊视频檚 Holy Cross Crusaders will be getting a valuable player next season.
Eric Welsh is the sports editor at the Chilliwack Progress and has been covering junior A hockey in B.C. and Alberta since 2003.
Email eric.welsh@theprogress.com
