KIJHL changes playoff format for next season

Junior B league going back to best-of-7 series over all 4 rounds of the post-season

The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is returning to the tried-and-true formula of four best-of-seven rounds in this year’s playoffs.

The KIJHL held its annual general meeting at Sun Peaks Resort (north of Kamloops) on the weekend. It was held in conjunction with the BC Hockey AGM as well as a joint meeting of all three Junior-B leagues in B.C. (KIJHL, Pacific International and Vancouver Island).

KIJHL president Bill Ohlhausen, who is back for a 16th straight year as president in 2017-18, said the league tried to go with a best-of-5 format for the conference and league finals last season.

“We had already reduced the schedule down to 47 games so there was a sense from most that we should go back to seven-game rounds throughout the playoffs,” said Okanagan Falls resident Ohlhausen, who has served on the league’s executive since 1995.

Last year, the league eliminated interlocking play between the two conferences (Okanagan-Shuswap and Kootenay) on a two-year trial basis.

It remains a contentious issue, though the format will continue at least through 2017-18.

“It will be revisited at our semi-annual meetings (Jan. 13 in Kelowna),” said Ohlhausen, noting the annual KIJHL Prospects Showcase will also be played the same day at the Rutland Arena.

Ohlhausen is entering the second of his latest two-year term as president.

Andrew Carr was named vice-president of the Neil Murdoch Division, while Jim Harrington of Osoyoos (Okanagan Division), Larry Martell (Doug Birks Division) and Cathy Merkel (Eddie Mountain Division) will return.

Ohlhausen said all 20 teams are returning to the league — including Summerland, Osoyoos, Princeton, Kelowna and North Okanagan in the Okanagan Division. The top four teams in each of the four five-team divisions makes the playoffs.

A number of teams from northern B.C. are interested in joining the KIJHL, but Ohlhausen said it’s difficult with the current demographics of the league.

“There’s a good chance something will be done to accommodate those (northern) markets in the next year or two,” he said.

The meeting between the three B.C. leagues resulted in B.C. opting to no longer take part in the season-ending Keystone Cup Western Canadian championship.

Ohlhausen said there were a number of key factors, not the least of which was the travel and accommodation costs. He said it costs around $50,000 to travel out of the province — and even more than that last year when it was held in Arborg, Man.

Instead, the B.C. leagues will now finish their season with the Cyclone Taylor Cup provincial championship, which is being hosted by Richmond this year.

“It’s a bit of a different structure with the Cyclone Taylor with the host league paying for a lot of the travel and accommodation costs,” said Ohlhausen. “The (B.C.) leagues are looking at ways to enhance the Cyclone Taylor event, or even create a newer model going forward.”