Team BC sent 4 teams to compete in State Wars VI in Chicago from August 4-15, 2010.  This was the 2nd year that Canadian teams have been allowed to compete at State Wars.  Of the 4 BC teams that made the trek to Chi-town, the 1994 team was the sole team to medal - winning Silver in a nailbiting 4-3 loss to Illinois in the Final.

Other Team BC results:

• 1993 AAA - 5th place
• 1992 AAA - 5th place
• Senior AA - 9th place

Visit our ‘Photos’ page on the top menu to see Team BC photos from State Wars.

A total of 10 BC Teams have competed at State Wars the past 2 years:

• 2010:  Senior/1992/1993/1994
• 2009:   1992/1993/1994/1996/1997/1998

BC Inline Crowns 8 Provincial Champions

For immediate release:     August 9, 2010:   31 teams converged on Eagle Ridge Community Centre in Langford from July 2-4, for the BC Inline Hockey Provincial  Championships.  After the dust settled there were 8 Champions crowned:

Congratulations to the Champions in each division:

Atom (8&under):

1st – Eagleridge, Victoria

 Squirt AAA (12&under):

 1st – Eagleridge, Victoria

2nd - NS Zulu A, North Vancouver

Squirt AA (12&under):

1st – NS Zulu B, North Vancouver

2nd – PG Reapers, Prince George

Peewee AAA (14&under)

 Peewee AA (14&under)

1st – NS Zulu B, North Vancouver

2nd – WC Warriors Black, Langley

Bantam AAA (16&under)

1st – NS Zulu A, North Vancouver 

2nd – WC Warriors 93, Langley

Bantam AA (16&under)

1st – PG Reapers, Prince George

2^nd -  WC Warriors 94, Langley

Midget (18&under0
1st - WC Warriors 91, Langley

2nd - NS Zulu, North Vancouver

Champion & Runner up Team Photos are available on our Photos page on top menu.

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2010 BC PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONS! 

Fraser Valley Wins Inline Gold at BC Summer Games

For immediate release:     August 4, 2010:  

Inline hockey returned to BC Summer Games for the second time at the recent 2010 Township of Langley BC Summer Games held July 22-25, 2010.  Six zone teams competed in Langley including Zone 2 – Thompson – Okanagan, Zone 3 – Fraser Valley, Zone 4 – Fraser River-Delta, Zone 5 – Vancouver Squamish, Zone 6 – Vancouver Island – Central Coast, Zone 8 – Cariboo – Northeast.

This year’s event marked the first time Zone 2 – Thompson-Okanagan was able to field an inline hockey team.

Over 3 days there were 16 games played at Langley Sportsplex and the action got better each day.  Only one team was able to finish the round robin undefeated – Vancouver-Squamish reeled off four straight wins to claim the top seed for the semifinals. 

The remaining playoff positions were grabbed by Cariboo – North East (#2), Fraser Valley (#3) and Vancouver Island-Central Coast (#4).   Thompson-Okanagan showed a lot of promise at the event but their lack of experience with the inline game/strategy proved costly.  Fraser River – Delta also showed a lot of effort and determination but fell short of the top teams.

The semifinals saw a hungry Fraser Valley team looking for revenge after a Day one loss to Cariboo-North East.  Cariboo scored early to take a quick 1-0 lead, however, Fraser Valley responded 8 seconds later to tie.  The Valley team would scored 6 more goals before half time to take a commanding 7-1 lead into the 2^nd half.   This lead proved too much for the Cariboo boys to overcome and the game finished 12-5 for Fraser Valley.

In the other semifinal game, Vancouver Island – Central Coast came up against the undefeated and heavily favoured Vancouver – Squamish team.  The game was very tight in the first period until the Island team scored with 6 minutes left before halftime.  This goal seemed to open the game up as Vancouver – Squamish answered back with the equalizer less than 2 minutes later and scored the go-ahead goal with a minute left in the half.  An early 2^nd period goal by the Island tied the game briefly 2-2, before the powerful Vancouver-Squamish offence got rolling with 2 quick goals enroute to a 6-2 victory. 

The Gold Medal game was a rematch of the first game of the tournament on Friday morning that saw Zone 5:  Vancouver Squamish claim a hard-fought 6-2 victory over the Zone 3 Fraser Valley team.  The atmosphere for the Final was electric in the rink as spectators jammed bleachers and filled every available space around the glass.  Fraser Valley scored 90 seconds into the game and the place went crazy.  This lead was short lived as two minutes later Vancouver scored 2 goals 23 seconds apart and the momentum swung the other way.  Every goal scored in the game had roars erupting on the rink and in the stands.  Both teams were battling hard for every loose puck and every inch of open floor. 

In addition to this being the Gold Medal game of the BC Summer Games, it was also the rubber match between these two teams for the entire season.  At the NARCh Regional in May, the NS Zulu (Vancouver – Squamish) won the Championship over the WC Warriors 96 (Fraser Valley team) and at the BC Provincials in Victoria the Warriors claimed the Championship over the Zulu.  These two club teams make up 90% of the roster for the two zone teams. 

This game proved just how evenly matched the two teams were as no team could get more than a one goal lead and the first half ended 3-3.  The 2^nd half started just like the first half with a very early Fraser Valley team goal to give them another lead.  Five minutes later the Valley scored again for the first 2-goal lead of the game.  Despite great pressure from the Vancouver squad, there would be no more goals scored and Fraser Valley would claim the gold with a 5-3 victory.

The Bronze Medal was won by Zone 8 – Cariboo North East with a 7-3 win over Zone 6 – Vancouver Island Central coast.

For complete photos from the 2010 BC Summer Games visit the ‘Photos’ page at www.bciha.com

Final Standings

Gold:   Zone 3 – Fraser Valley

Silver:  Zone 5 – Vancouver – Squamish

Bronze:  Zone 8 – Cariboo – Northeast

4^th :  Zone 6 – Vancouver Island – Central Coast

5^th :  Zone 2 – Thompson - Okanagan

6^th:  Zone 4 – Fraser River - Delta

 Congratulations to Zone 3 – Fraser Valley!

 Tournament Notes:

• This was the 2nd time Inline Hockey was part of the BC Summer Games
• The Gold Medal game was a rematch of the 2006 BC Summer Games final won by Vancouver-Squamish
• 66 athletes from 6 zones took part in the Inline Hockey Event
• 17 coaches and 9 referees took part in the event
• Players were born in 1995-96 and classified as 14&under.
• The BC Summer Games are the part of the BCIHA High Performance Program that includes Team BC competing at State Wars and leads to eventual Team Canada participation at the IIHF Inline Hockey World Championships

For further information on inline hockey please visit www.bciha.com or email shill@bciha.com

The 2010 BC Summer Games are set to kick off in Langley July 22-25, 2010.  Inline hockey marks a return to the games for the first time since 2006.

6 Provincial Zone teams have been selected around the province and will be competing for the medals in this prestigious event.

• Zone 2:  Thompson - Okanagan
• Zone 3:  Fraser Valley
• Zone 4:  Fraser River - Delta
• Zone 5:  Vancouver - Squamish
• Zone 6:  Vancouver Island - Central Coast
• Zone 8:  Cariboo - North East

The Zone teams consist of athletes are born in 1995-96 and the inline hockey competition will take place at the Langley Sportsplex.

First up for the teams are practices on Thursday afternoon followed by the Opening Ceremonies that evening.  The competition begins for real on Friday morning at 10:00am.  Each team will play 4 round-robin games followed by the Semifinals on Saturday evening for the top 4 teams.

Gold and Bronze Medal games will be held on Sunday morning before the Closing Ceremonies.

The complete BC Summer Games Schedule for Inline Hockey can be found here: 2010-inline-hockey-schedule-official1

Event Photos will be uploaded throughout the weekend on our Photos page from the top menu.

Game Scores are available at the official website of the 2010 BC Summer Games here: http://2010bcsummergames.org/

  Team Canada touched down in Karlstad Sweden this week, as for the second straight year they will be competing in the IIHF Inline World Championship’s Top Division.

Team Canada will only be competing in this event for the third year in a row. It might sound funny that there is a world championship of any kind of hockey where Canada is not involved but this is unfortunately true. Canada competed in the original event back in 1996 held in Minneapolis Minnesota, losing to the Americans in the gold medal game. A year later in Anaheim Ca. they would have the same result before breaking through with the gold in 1998, also held in Anaheim. There was no tournament held in 1999 and with the national body for the sport almost non existent in Canada, there was no national team, as there was no affiliation with Hockey Canada and therefore all momentum at the worlds was lost.

In 2003 a new national body was formed. It was named National Inline Hockey Association (NIHA), and endorsed and accepted by Hockey Canada in 2004, giving Canada entry to the IIHF once again. NIHA has member associations in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

In working with these provincial bodies for the sport of Inline, and promoting it with its benefits towards your ice hockey game, NIHA has seen good growth in the sport across the country. This led to Canada putting together a national team for the first time in 2008 and sending them to the IIHF World Inline Championships in Bratislava Slovakia.

Regrettably, after nearly a decade with out being on the international scene Canada was forced to play in the second tier Division 1 Championships. Led by head coach Gerry St. Cyr of Victoria BC, Team Canada went and did us proud beating Great Briton in the gold medal game and getting Canada back to the Top Division for the first time since our gold medal win in 1998. The very next year, St. Cyr was back and Canada was competing in the top division finishing 7th. Although the IIHF website recently called our team “disappointments” when previewing this year’s tournament, it was no doubt seen as a success in NIHA’s eyes with our lack of experience and depth.

This season open tryouts were held at four locations; BC, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. And just like previous years, Gerry St. Cyr is back as head coach. He will no doubt look to improve on last years 7^th place finish and bring Canada back to respectability in the inline world. Helping him along the way is a core group of returning players including a handful from BC hoping to make the team again this year. These players are giving up their summer to represent our nation. Unfortunately, due to family commitments, team captain Kirk French will not be able to make the commitment to travel to Sweden to help Team Canada, however Kye Benjaminson, Brad Finnerty and Thomas Woods will be some of the BC players making the return trip to Europe. Their player profiles are below.

Winning Gold in this years tournament will not be easy, as several European nations are, unlike Canada, routinely dressing line-ups with some NHL’ers. Past players are Ales Hemsky for the Czech Republic, and before he made it big in the NHL Henrik Lundqvist has played for Sweden. (And the rumour going around the Team Canada try-outs was with the tournament being held in Sweden this year, and the host team going for a 4-peat, Lundqvist would suit-up again for the Swedes this year!)

Good Luck to this years national team and we look forward to following the results and being proud of you boys! You can follow Team Canada  at the following websites:

www.iihf.com

www.swehockey.se/Externa-hogerpuffar/Inline-WC-2010-goes-live/

www.niha.ca

Player Profiles:

Kirk French – 33 – Captain

Highest level of inline played?

San Jose Rhinos – RHI

Inline Association growing up?

Westcoast Roller Hockey, Langley

Highest Level of ice played?

Midget AAA

Ice Hockey Association growing up?

Langley Minor Hockey

How inline helped your ice game?

“It helped my game dramatically; I mean instead of dump and chase you got to explore more options. It helped me learn better puck control and it taught me to have a lot more patience when I played ice hockey.”

What do you enjoy about inline?

“Oh lots, its more wide open, the finesse of it, more laid back, and a  lot more fun, but still serious hockey. And the road trips are better, I’ve gotten to see LA, New York, Florida, Germany, and Slovakia.“

Brad Finerty – 25

Highest level of inline played?

Narch Pro – Tour HPC Bladetape

Inline Hockey Association growing up?

Eagleridge (Victoria)

Highest Level of ice played?

Belfast Warriors – British Super League

Ice Hockey Association growing up?

Jaun De Fuca MHA

How inline helped your ice game?

“You get to stay on skates all year round. There’s more strategy, it works on that part of the [ice] game. It’s more of a finesse game that forces you to be better with your hands.”

What do you enjoy about inline?

“Wide open, more man-to-man, and more strategy rather than forcing the play like in ice hockey.”

Kye Benjaminson – 20

Highest level of inline played?

Tour HPC Bladetape – Narch Pro

Inline Hockey Association growing up?

West Coast Warriors (Langley)

Highest Level of ice played?

Delta Ice Hawks – PIJHL Jr. B

Ice Hockey Association growing up?

South Delta MHA/ BWC

How inline helped your ice game?

“Definitely my hands got better, and it’s a bigger floor (its four on four). It helps with your dangles, hands and vision. And your shot is better as it’s more of an offensive game.”

What do you enjoy about inline?

“The speed for sure, four on four makes it more wide open, and being a smaller faster guy, it really benefits me.”

Thomas Woods – 21

Highest level of inline played?

Tour Mudcats – Narch Pro

Inline Hockey Association growing up?

North Shore Inline Hockey League

Highest Level of ice played?

Midget AAA

Ice Hockey Association growing up?

NSWC

How inline helped your ice game?

“The biggest thing is patience, there’s a lot of guy who try to force the puck. And your vision, it makes you see the whole rink”

What do you enjoy about inline?

“I enjoy the speed, finesse, and the tournaments you get to go to.”

 Sunday’s Are For Coaches

By Jimmy Ghuman

For Several years now NSIHL coaches have been gathering for a weekly coach’s game every Sunday night during the season. Age’s vary and so does the skill, from the 15 year old coaches, to the 50 year old coaches, from the former junior and semi pro stars to the beer league depth guys. One thing is certain, score is not kept (except by association president Dave Randall!) but fun is had by all.

            Although its been going on now for longer than anyone remembers, the game was always “hit and miss!” Either they would get a good turn out or not enough for a game. Before he became president, board member Randall took it upon himself to organise, promote and keep the game going and fun for all. He is now in his fourth year of organising the games.

            When asked what keeps the coaches game going, Randall says “Its just getting out and getting a skate in. Some coaches wouldn’t get to play otherwise so this is their only opportunity. We are getting great turnouts to the point now where next year we’ll get two sessions going because we are ending up with too many coaches and having to turn people away.

            What’s the atmosphere like at the games? “It’s great! The younger coaches prefer it because there are no refs. Everyone has a fun, its easygoing and there’s no nastiness” says Randall. It just another example of what keeps the NSIHL going, strong and BC’s biggest youth association!

The tournament begins on Monday, June 28 when Canada faces the United States and continues until the Gold Medal match on July 4th.

You can follow the team live throughout the World Championships at the following links:

NIHA-Canada homepage:  www.niha.ca (Team Roster, updates from the team and staff)

IIHF Tournament site:  World Championships  (Live game scoring, pictures, news, standings, gamesheets, etc.)

Video Site:  Watch Games Live Online  (Live games, practice videos, etc.)

Team Canada features a strong BC contingent this year including:

• Head Coach:  Gerry St Cyr - Victoria
• Assistant Coach:  Victor Gervais - Victoria
• Players: 
• Kye Benjaminsen - South Delta
• Thomas Woods - North Vancouver
• Brad Finerty - Victoria
• Derek Eison - Victoria
• Jimmy Carter - Victoria
• Taylor Pears - Victoria

2010 BC Provincials - Schedule

You will need to be download the pdf file to view the schedule.

Good Luck to all Teams!

The Sandman Hotel in Langley (where we stay for Narch) has made arrangements with The Sandman Victoria (20-30mins from Eagle Ridge & 30min from Panorama depending on traffic) to provide a competitive group rate for out of town Teams wishing to stay with them.  The Hotel is located on Douglas St on the perimeter of downtown Victoria.  The Langley Sales Manager is Mary Carey-Marshall (604) 888-7263.  She has said that if you would like to call her, she will make sure that the appropriate arrangements are confirmed.

For option purposes, please refer to  a few of the Hotels where past participants have  stayed:

                Sheraton Four Points

                829 McCallum Rd

                Langford, BC

                (250) 474- 6091

                (5-10min from ERC and 30-40min from Panorama depending on traffic)

                Bear Mountain

1999 Country Club Way

Langford, BC

(250) 391-7160

(10-15min from ERC and 30-40min from Panorama depending on traffic)

Howard Johnson

4676 Elk Lake Drive

Victoria, BC

(250) 658-8989

• Callegari, Eric - Langley
• Donaldson, Ryan - Langley
• Furby, Ryan - Surrey
• Gaytmenn, Dallas - Langley
• Klimek, Jordan - Langley
• Klimek, Kurt - Langley
• Kolisnyk, Taylor - Langley
• Lavallee, Kellan - Langley
• Leroux, Quinncy - Langley
• MacDonald, Ayden - Langley
• Maundrell, Jordan - Langley
• Virtanen, Jacob - Abbotsford
• Head Coach:  Ron Leroux