Penticton Vees getting ready to host the Western Canada Cup
Vees open tournament Saturday against Battlefords North Stars
There isn’t expected to be any “easy outs” at the 2017 Western Canada Cup junior-A hockey championship that starts Saturday and continues to Sunday, May 7, at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The host Penticton Vees, coming off their emotional Game 7 overtime win over the Chilliwack Chiefs in the B.C. Hockey League final on Tuesday, take on the Saskatchewan league champs Battlefords North Stars in their first round-robin tilt Saturday at 7 p.m.
“It looks like it may be the strongest field ever for the WCC,” said Vees president, GM and head coach Fred Harbinson.
Presented by Sun Life Financial, it’s the fifth year the WCC has been held, and the first time a host team went in as a league champion. The Vees appeared at the five-team competition in 2015, beating the Portage Terriers in Fort McMurray, Alta., in the title game.
Chilliwack plays in the tourney opener at 2 p.m. against the Alberta league champions Brooks Bandits, who come in as the No. 1 ranked team in the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
Portage, the three-time Manitoba champs, are the other team in the competition.
Harbinson said the staff has already done a lot of video work on Battlefords, who went undefeated (12-0) in the playoffs to punch their ticket to the WCC.
“They look like a real good team,” said Harbinson. “They’ve got a big defence corps, they play physical and they’ve got lots of skill up front.”
The North Stars swept the Flin Flon Bombers, beating them 6-5 on the road in the decisive Game 4 of the SJHL final for their first Canalta Cup championship in 17 years.
The North Stars — No. 5 in the CJHL rankings — dominated the regular season as well, posting 48 wins in 58 games, finishing with 97 points — 14 points better than their closest rival.
The Vees, of course, had a much bumpier post-season ride, needing seven games to win all three of their series.
In the BCHL regular season, the Vees fashioned a 41-13-3-1 record to win an unprecedented sixth straight Interior Division pennant and finish third overall in the league. They were No. 17 in the final CJHL rankings.
Captain Nicholas Jones led the Vees in the playoffs with 10 goals and 27 points in 21 games. Here is a look at the other three teams: CHILLIWACK CHIEFS: The Chiefs had to play one more round than Penticton in the BCHL playoffs, beating Langley in six games, regular-season champs Wenatchee in four and Victoria in six. They were led by fourth-year forward Jordan Kawaguchi, who ran away and hid with the playoff scoring crown with 18 goals and 43 points in 23 games.
In the regular season, the Chiefs finished second in the Mainland Division and second overall with a 41-11-6 mark for 88 points.
The Chiefs, No. 13 in the CJHL rankings, are hosting the 2018 RBC Cup national championship.
PORTAGE TERRIERS: The 2015 WCC finalists and RBC Cup champs won their third straight Turnbull Cup, but the difference this time is that it came as a surprise.
The fifth seed before the playoffs, the Terriers stunned the league-leading Steinbach Pistons (No. 4 CJHL ranking). Portage beat the OCN Blizzard in the final in six games, taking Game 6 at home 1-0.
Portage, which has captured the MJHL championship in seven of the last 10 seasons, was not in the final CJHL rankings.
BROOKS BANDITS: The Bandits amassed a 51-5-4 record for 106 points to justify their No. 1 ranking.
The Bandits lost just once in 13 post-season contests, sweeping the Whitecourt Wolverines in the final to win their second straight Gas Drive Cup title.
Last year the Bandits reached the RBC Cup national championship before losing in the semifinal to eventual champions West Kelowna Warriors.
The Vees have a history with Brooks, as they beat the Bandits 4-1 in the Doyle Cup B.C.-Alberta final en route to winning the RBC Cup in 2011-12.
WCC FORMAT: Each team will play four round-robin games, with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs May 6-7.
On Saturday, May 6, the third-place team plays the fourth-place team at 2 p.m., with the loser eliminated from contention. In the 7 p.m. game, it will be first place versus second place with the winner of that game declared the WCC champion and the top West Region seed for the RBC Cup national championship May 13-21 in Cobourg, Ont.
The loser of that game plays the winner of the third versus fourth game on Sunday, May 7, at 4 p.m. for the second West Region berth to the RBC.