Gelley, Smokies Camp, Tournament Schedule, KIJHL roster news

Here's a picture of Cole Gelley defending Graeme Strukoff last season at the Cominco Arena. Thanks to Randy Emery for that. As noted in Guy Bertrand's Trail Times article, Gelley and Strukoff were drafted one spot away from each other in the WHL Bantam draft several years back. Now they'll find themselves playing together. Here is the press release I wrote up for the Smokies website:

TRAIL, BC - Trail Smoke Eaters Coach and GM Jim Ingram announced today that the Smokies have acquired defenceman Cole Gelley and future considerations from the Surrey Eagles in exchange for defenceman Wade Bennett and forward Robert Lindores.

"Cole is a real good skating, puck moving defenceman that can quarterback a power play," said Ingram. "I think that's something we wanted to make sure we had (enough of) in the line-up."

Gelly, 19, recorded one goal, 19 assists (1-19-20) and 26 penalty minutes in 58 games with the Eagles last season. Gelley made his BCHL debut as an AP in 2007-08 and has played 101 career regular season games with the Eagles. Prior to that he played 75 games in Major Midget, recording 27 points (6-19-27) and 66 penalty minutes for the Vancouver North West Giants.

"It's a good opportunity and I'm excited to come up there," said Gelley. "I don't think my point totals really represent how much of an offensive player I am."

"I feel I have way more in the tank than that."

The move was partly necessitated by the number of returning 20 year old players on Trail's roster.

"There's no secret that we were top heavy with 1990 birth years," said Ingram.

This deal combined with the recent trade of Garrett Beckwith to Drumheller in the AJHL and the departure of Tom Rizzardo to Bizmark of the NAHL, trims Trail's number of 1990 born players from 10 to 7 before training camp. BCHL teams can only carry 6 of them once the puck drops for the regular season.

Bennett, 20, scored 3 goals and 19 assists (3-19-22) as a forward and defenceman with the Smoke Eaters last season. Lindores, 19, has scored 6 goals and 9 assists (6-9-15) over 89 career games with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He became Trail property as the future considerations in the Tye Lewis for Curtis Tonello trade.

As noted in the press release, the 20 year old log jam was reduced further as Tom Rizzardo has opted to play for Bizmark in the North American Hockey League. Tommy is a classy young man who has a lot of offensive talent. He proved that with Nelson during their KIJHL championship run in 2009. I hope he is able to translate that to the Junior A level with Bizmark.

That leaves Trail with seven 1990 born players in training camp. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition among veterans to make sure these guys aren't taking their spots for granted. We know camp is always competitive among rookies trying to make the club. This situation should make sure the vets are fighting for their jobs too.

The addition of Gelley ensures that barring any other moves the Smokies are going to have a veteran defensive unit this season. Gelley, Steve Koshey, Graeme Strukoff and Curtis Tonello are entering their third BCHL seasons while it will be the second for Eric Walker and Ben Matthews. There is room for one or two rookies to make the roster and learn with that group. However, that is a big step up from last September when the club was throwing 4 or 5 rookies over the boards every night. I'm sure goaltender Kiefer Smiley is thanking his lucky stars there will be some veteran help early on this year.

Training camp gets started on August 23rd with registration at 8:30am. The camp will run for three days and then the Smokies have a couple of exhibition games in Chase against Vernon.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The second annual Smokies pre-season tournament will run from Thursday, September 2nd to Saturday, September 4th. Here is the schedule:

Thursday, September 2nd
4:30pm Penticton vs Powell River
7:30pm Brooks vs Trail

Friday, September 3rd
4:30pm Brooks vs Penticton
7:30pm Powell River vs Trail

Saturday, September 4th
10:30am Powell River vs Brooks
1pm Penticton vs Trail

I'll do my best to get the arena as much as possible for the games. You can also likely count on some live coverage of the games on Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog. He did some live blogging from it lats year.

KIJHL ROSTER MOVES

A couple of moves in the KIJHL last week. First a trade that saw Grand Forks send PIM king Jacob Halderman to Columbia Valley for defencemen Zack MacLellan and Jordan Groenheyde. MacLellan was Columbia Valley's All-Star game rep. Both teams finished last in their division last season and are hoping for bounce back seasons. Can't hurt the Border Bruins to get a couple of young d-men with experience in the league. They finished well last year and I'm really hoping to see them continue to push forward. The community will really get behind them if they continue making progress. Check out the Off the Wahl blog for more.

New Nelson Leafs Coach and GM Chris Shaw announced this week that they've received a commitment from four of last year's veterans to return in September. F Gavin Currie, F Cody Abbey, D Tyler Parfeniuk and D Taylor O'Neil will all be back in Nelson. O'Neil and Currie both played as APs for Trail last season. Taylor is the Leafs Captain while Currie was their top forward in 2009-10. They should form a very strong core for Shaw to build around.

New Castlegar Coach and GM Steve Junker also announced that they'll be getting a couple of veteran talents back this season. Tough forward Taylor Anderson and top defenceman Darren Tarasoff have committed to return to the Rebels. Anderson was third in the KIJHL in penalty minutes while Tarasoff spent most of last season with Williams Lake in the BCHL. They should both be leaders on Junker's first squad.

Both the Leafs and Rebels will likely get more of last year's players back, but as with all KIJHL teams it is a waiting game until BCHL camps are complete. I've yet to hear much about who is or isn't expected back in Beaver Valley, but I do know they're excited about a lot of the young local talent that will be a part of their club this season.

Mountain FM is the official media partner of the KIJHL and we will continue to be the primary source for KIJHL coverage in the Kootenay-Boundary. If anything our coverage will expand and evolve this season. I'm looking forward to it.

More to come on the blog this week including and interview with former Smokies Coach Tim Kehler on taking over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks this season.

Chris Shaw Audio and Reaction

New Nelson Leafs Coach and GM Chris Shaw

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Former Penticton Lakers Coach and NHLer Alan Kerr

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Okanagan Hockey Academy President Andy Oakes

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Timberwolves players are free agents

One of the big questions to emerge from the Williams Lake franchise being suspended for the 2010-11 season is what will happen to their players. The last time the Timberwolves went bust (after the 2006-07 season) their players were distributed around the BCHL in a dispersal draft. This time around they'll be free agents.

I haven't heard from the league why the board decided to go in a different direction this time. Some I'm sure will be upset because traditionally a dispersal draft gives an opportunity to the league's "weaker sisters" from last season to get a bit of a boost. Perhaps they didn't go that way because the team wasn't as well established and a number of the players hadn't even been with the organization for half the season. Perhaps it's because they felt there wouldn't be enough players of interest to get through a full draft. Ultimately I think it just came down to allowing those players who had chosen to go to Williams Lake to now get an opportunity to decide their next move.

One of the casualties of the Timberwolves suspension is that there will be 23 fewer jobs for players in the league. Some will say that is a victory for the depth of the talent pool and the quality of the rosters. However, it is unfortunate that 23 kids won't get an opportunity to suit up in this league again next season.

As for players who could be of interest, one of them is Castlegar native Anthony DeLong (pictured) who scored 23 points as a rookie with the Wolves. It's worth noting that the majority of those points came as he made a surge with more ice time in the second half. A player like DeLong can now not only explore options in the BCHL but any other Junior A league in Canada. He could also decide to return home and play for new Rebels Coach Steve Junker in the KIJHL. The point is that his future is in his hands.

Anyone interested in taking a look at what the Williams Lake roster has to offer can do so by clicking here. I would have to think that guys like Trent Murdoch and 2009-10 All-Star Justin Bardarson will get a look for sure. What other players could find themselves on BCHL rosters and where... that's anybody's guess. Good luck to all of them as they try to figure out the next step in their hockey journey.

As for the Timberwolves, I'll have an interview with Governor and minority shareholder Richard Kohler on Mountain FM's Overtime tonight. I'll get that posted to the blog soon. He has some interesting things to say.

Nelson hires Chris Shaw

The KIJHL's Nelson Leafs have hired a new Coach and GM. I received the following press release from the club today:

"The Nelson Leafs Hockey Society is pleased to announce that Chris Shaw of Penticton BC has accepted the position of Head Coach and General Manager of the Nelson Leafs Hockey Club.

Chris brings experience as a player, coach and a scout within the KIJHL, BCHL and other junior leagues across North America. His strengths include player recruitment, player development and community liaison.

Within the next few weeks Chris will begin transition from his current duties with the Okanagan Hockey School and the Penticton Lakers Hockey Club to his new assignment with the Nelson Leafs.

Congratulations Chris and welcome to Nelson."

Shaw is a former Assistant Coach with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BCHL and the Penticton Lakers of the KIJHL. Both those teams are owned and operated by the Okanagan Hockey Academy.

You can read some more on Chris by clicking here for the announcement of his hiring with the Lakers last year. I have yet to talk with anyone from Nelson about the hiring or to Shaw himself, but I'll have more on this hire tonight on Mountain FM's Overtime.

EDIT: I found out from talking to Chris that he's a former Smoke Eater. He had a brief stint in Trail as a 15 year old back in 1996. I'll have that interview on Overtime tomorrow. You can also check out the Nelson Daily News article on the hiring by clicking here and an article on Shaw when he was with the Bulldogs here.

Jones and Wheeldon Audio

Connor Jones on winning the Doyle Cup

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Simon Wheeldon on stepping down as Coach and GM in Nelson

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Nelson Leafs VP Mary Plomondon on Wheeldon stepping down

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Rebels hire Steve Junker

Sorry for the lack of updates over the last week. I'll have something more coming up shortly. For now here's a press release we got from the Castlegar Rebels today:

The Castlegar Rebels announced today that Steve Junker has been named as its new Coach and General Manager. Steve is returning home to his roots in Castlegar after living and playing hockey in Europe since 1997.

Steve has a long and distinguished career as a player in hockey. After playing in the Castlegar minor hockey system, Steve Junker moved on to play four seasons in the WHL, of which two of those years he was selected as a WHL all-star, eventually winning a Memorial Cup in 1991 with the Spokane Braves. He has also played in the World Junior Championships, and has won a Turner Cup (the IHL Championship), and a Calder Cup (the AHL Championship), in his hockey career.

During his career in North America, Steve has played under and learned from many esteemed coaches, including Mike Bullard, Guy Charron, Al Arbour, John Tortorella, Rick Dudley, Butch Goring, Brian Maxwell and Tom Renney to name a few.

Steve has been a captain or an assistant captain for the past 10 years of his hockey career including serving as an assistant captain of the 1996/97 Canadian National Team under Dave Murray and Mike Johnson.

"I want to return home with my family and yet stay involved in hockey in my home town," said Junker. "I'm very thankful for this opportunity. The Castlegar Rebels are a great organization, very professionally run, and one that I have grown up with. We have a very strong base of players and I am convinced that we can achieve great things here."

Jim Craig, President of the Castlegar Rebels, believes that Junker’s impressive hockey experience and background will be a huge benefit to the Rebels. "We're very excited to get someone with Steve’s playing background, hockey knowledge, leadership skills and hockey connections both locally, nationally, and internationally," said Craig. "His leadership and experience will allow him to be an excellent Head Coach and GM. We believe that he will be able to transfer this experience and knowledge to any and all players who play under him."

Watch Chris Wahl's blog for more on the Rebels.

Wheeldon Steps Down

I got this press release from the KIJHL's Nelson Leafs today on the future of Coach Simon Wheeldon:

“The Nelson Leafs Hockey Society has announced today that after five successful years Simon Wheeldon is stepping back as Coach and General Manager of the Nelson Leafs Hockey Club.

Simon was the first coach of the local KIJHL team to operate in the new Nelson & District Community Complex starting with the 2005/2006 hockey season. Since then, his positive coaching techniques and hockey concepts elevated the Nelson Leafs to the top of the league and raised the bar for professionalism throughout the junior hockey community. His achievements include four divisional championships, one league championship and three awards as coach of the year.

His decision to leave the bench was made to spend more time with his family. He will continue to reside in Nelson and act as an advisor to the team as and when necessary.

The Directors of the Nelson Leafs Hockey Society fully respect the tough decision Simon faced over the past few weeks and wish him and his family the very best. The Directors are now proceeding with the task of hiring a new Coach and General Manager for the oncoming 2010/2011 hockey season.”

Simon started a full time job in the financial sector last year. I'm sure that played a big part in this decision as trying to do both is obviously quite challenging. Congrats to Simon though on a terrific run with the Leafs. The KIJHL is richer from having had him as a part of the league. More later...

News, Notes and Audio (Bloodoff, Ingram, Macleod, Ohlhausen)

It's Game 7 of the BCHL finals tonight. You've got to give both teams credit for what has been a heck of a war between Powell River and Vernon. I know I'll be watching on PPV. Good luck to both teams! EDIT: Congratulations to the Vipers on their second straight Fred Page Cup. It was quite a war and both deserve a ton of credit.

Congrats are in order for former Smoke Eater and Castlegar native Lucas Bloodoff. First of all he's to be congratulated on what was a terrific junior career. That came to an end this weekened when Bloodoff's Rockets fell 4-3 in overtime against Tri-Cities and lost their second round WHL playoff series in 5 games. However, the Rockets Captain has a lot of highlights to look back on in a junior career that took him from Beaver Valley in the KIJHL to Trail in the BCHL and Kelowna in the WHL. The biggest highlight would have to be when he combined with his brother Evan and Trail native Kyle St. Denis as part of Kelowna's WHL championship club last year. Bloodoff should also be commended for how he stepped up his game in a big way this playoff for Kelowna. The 6'2, 207lbs winger delivered 5 goals and 9 points in 12 post season games.

Thanks to Lucas' hard nosed play and leadership he has earned a professional try out contract with Manitoba of the AHL. It was first reported by Regan Bartel and then picked up by Kelowna's official site and Manitoba's. I don't know how much Lucas will play during Manitoba's playoff run. Either way it's a great opportunity for him to show off his work ethic and his battle level against professional quality players. Bloodoff is a guy who I think can make an impression in the pros thanks to sheer will. Good luck to him.

This also means that the local connection to the Kelowna Rockets could be dwindling. Kyle St. Denis' future is apparently up in the air right now due to concussions (I certainly hope we can see Travis' talented brother suit up again) and Lucas is moving on. Evan Bloodoff could be the only West Kootenay product left with Kelowna. Of course they also have Ryan Renz of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs listed. The 16 year old Castlegar native already players like a man out there and wouldn't be out of place in the WHL if he chose to go that way.

SPRING CAMPS

The Smoke Eaters got an extra look at young prospects this year. Instead of holding a single camp in Princeton this year they held one in Trail and one in conjunction with the KIJHL's Ghostriders in Fernie. I had the chance to catch up with Coach Ingram after both camps. I also had a chat about that and other matters with Trail Times Sports Editor Guy Bertrand. I think we'll see a lot of interesting players making a run at the roster in main camp. It also sounds like there is a ton of 15, 16 and 17 year old talent in the Kootenays.

Smokies Coach Jim Ingram on their spring camp

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Smokies Coach Jim Ingram on the co-sponsored camp in Fernie

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Trail Times Sports Editor Guy Bertrand

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As you can see Coach Ingram wasn't naming too many names at this point. He's keeping his cards close to his chest... no pun intended. I expect there are a few players who really made a great case for themselves to get a long look at training camp. I look forward to seeing a very high level of competition between the young guns and the returning vets in August.

DRAFT RANKINGS

Last week NHL Central Scouting came out with their final rankings for this year's draft. One of the players on that list was Nelson native Isaac Macleod who played this season with the Penticton Vees. Macleod is a classy and talented young man who should get a long look come draft time.

Penticton Vees defenceman Isaac Macleod on his draft ranking

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When I chatted with him on Overtime he told me he was not yet decided on his plans for next year. However, an article on the KIJHL website indicates that the former Nelson Leaf is ready to head off to the NCAA Champion Boston College club. If that is what he decided that's a break for ever other BCHL club as Isaac would've been a force next year.

KIJHL TO KELOWNA?

As reported by Mark Hunter yesterday, the KIJHL has approved a relocation application from the Chase Chiefs. Their ownership wants to take that club to Kelowna where they'd play in the Rutland Arena. I had talked to at least a hand full of teams who indicated to me they wouldn't be supporting the move so it surprised me that the vote ended up 10-3. That's just a hair above the 75% vote needed for a franchise to move. Interesting to note that 3 teams abstained from voting including apparently Barry Dewar of the Kamloops Storm. I can't understand a team deciding not to have a say in the future of their league like that. I'm also not sure this is the best thing for the KIJHL.

How popular will a KIJHL team be in Kelowna where the Rockets are king and the Warriors also have their own large fan base? Is there much more demand for junior hockey? Instead it seems like the move is about corporate opportunities and a recruitment edge. In my chat with Ohlhausen he suggests players won't necessarily want to stay in Kelowna. I disagree. With the Warriors and Rockets both in town I can't imagine too many home town players will be in much of a rush to head out to one of the small town KIJHL clubs if they get a chance with this new Rutland team. I also don't think the Warriors or Rockets would want their prospects to go too far from home if there was a team right in town where they could keep an eye on them and bring them in for practice. Instead we are about to see a new powerhouse in this league if they get themselves even a decent coach. How many of the 16 Kelowna players that skated for Nelson, Castlegar, Beaver Valley and Grand Forks would've stayed home if this team were in the league this season?

I hope this isn't another step towards a have and have not situation in the KI with bigger market teams having the ability to out spend and out recruit small markets. Ohlhausen certainly didn't seem to share my pessimistic view on the move.

KIJHL President Bill Ohlhausen on Chase moving to Kelowna

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It's not that I think the franchise will be a failure. I just question taking a team out of a community like Chase that passionately supported it from all accounts and moving it to a big city that already has the luxury of a couple of great junior teams. If the crowds they had in Chase (which were very solid from what I heard) were not getting it done maybe they had to change their budget? Maybe the team should have been put in the hands of a non-profit society. It just doesn't smell right to me.

Fred Page Cup: Labreche and Jones Interviews, Spring Camp Schedule

Mitch Labreche and the Jones twins might be getting sick of each other. The rivals have gone head to head in the playoffs for five consecutive seasons. That dates all the way back to when they both played as 15 year olds in the KIJHL for Nelson and Beaver Valley respectively. The Nitehawks beat the Leafs in 2006 on the way to a loss in the league finals before Nelson returned the favour and also lost in the finals the following season.

The West Kootenay products then took their rivalry to the BCHL. Labreche with Penticton and the Jones Twins went to Vernon. The Vees took down the Vipers in 2008 on the way to their BCHL Championship. Vernon then returned the favour on the way to their Fred Page Cup win last year. It's like their careers have been mirror images. They've each made a KIJHL final and lost... they've each won a Fred Page Cup... so who will win the rubber match with another BCHL crown on the line?

Kellen scored once and had an assist as Vernon took game 1 of the series 2-1. Connor also added a goal. Advantage Jones twins. We'll see if Labreche and the Kings (who played a very even game with Vernon from what I saw) can grab that desired split tomorrow night. I had a chance to talk to Mitch and Kellen before the series on Mountain FM's Overtime.

Vernon Vipers forward Kellen Jones

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Powell River Kings forward Mitch Labreche

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Good luck to both the Kings and Vipers in their quest for the league title. It looks like the series is off to a heck of a start.

SPRING CAMP

I caught the last game of the first day of Trail's spring camp today. From chatting with a few people it's my impression there is a lot of interesting young talent. How many of those guys will be ready for next season? Maybe not many. However, we may say a great number of them playing for local KIJHL teams to get set for that jump to the BCHL. We may also see a few of them force their way on to the Trail roster.

I was also quite impressed with Steve Koshey's transition to forward today. He scored 4 times in the game I saw. Maybe he should consider a full time jump... well somehow I doubt he'll do that. Still was very nice to see so many of the current guys involved. Also nice to see former Smoke Eater Paul Barclay on hand helping out with the evaluation of their goaltenders. He's a guy with a lot of passion and understanding for what it takes to play the game. Nice to see him involved again after his junior career ended this spring.

Here's tomorrow's schedule:

Practices

8:00-9:00am - White
9:15-10:15am - Blue
10:30-11:30am - Yellow
11:45am-12:45pm - Red

1:00-1:45pm - Goalies

4:00-5:30pm - White vs. Red
6:00-7:30pm - Yellow vs. Blue

KIJHL Championship Audio

Congratulations are due to the Revelstoke Grizzlies for winning the KIJHL championship. They beat Nelson 4 games to 1 to complete a giant turn around after quite a poor season in 2008-09. Troy Mick and the rest of the ownership group deserve a lot of praise for showing how quickly a team can go from the bottom to the top with the right people in charge.

I also think Nelson deserves a big congrats for making it to the KIJHL finals for the third time in the past four season. I got a chance to call their roads games in the semi-finals and finals. They're a very talented and classy group of young men. They're also a very young group who perhaps fell victim to the veteran defensive core on the Grizzlies when they made it to the finals. I still would have to say the Leafs organization should be very proud of their record over the past four years.

The KIJHL does have to fix their playoff system though. It seems ridiculous to me that the top two teams in the Okanagan would get a bye while the top two teams in the Kootenays had to play in the first round. I'm not saying that Revelstoke's victory is tainted by this unbalanced format, but it's just not very professional in my view. Can you imagine the NHL's Eastern Conference giving a bye to their top teams but the West being forced to play? Of course not. It has to be fair and consistent throughout the entire league.

Both organizations had deep teams who played smart and skilled hockey. They are both examples of what the KIJHL strives to achieve. It was a pleasure being able to extend my own broadcast season by taking part.

Audio Highlights of Games 3 and 4

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Nelson Coach and GM Simon Wheeldon

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Nelson Forward Gavin Currie

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Revelstoke Coach and GM Troy Mick

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That ends another season of play by play for me here in the West Kootenay. I know my girlfriend will be happy to have me around more (at least I hope she will!) but I know I'll miss the headset after a while. A few months off is nice, but sometimes these off seasons seem to go on way too long. How about an August 1rst start?

Coming up I'll be doing an update on Smokies alumni (a BCIHL champion and a historic NCAA win) as well as a preview of the BCHL Championship with the local participants. Nelson's Mitch Labreche and the Powell River Kings will take on Montrose's Jones Twins and the Vernon Vipers. This is the fifth consecutive year Labreche and the Jones' will go head to head in the playoffs dating back to their days with Nelson and Beaver Valley in the KIJHL. I also want to do some more analysis of this year's Smokies club when I have some time.

Tappe to Trail (with audio)

The Trail Smoke Eaters have made their first addition of the off season. 1992 born forward Dylan Tappe committed to the Smokies earlier this week.

The Spokane native played the past two seasons with his home town Braves in the KIJHL. He scored 46 goals and 103 points over 96 games playing against men as a 16 and 17 year old. For comparison his 16 year old numbers are actually 10 points ahead of what Smokies rookie of the year Sam Mellor was able to score in that same season when playing for Kimberley. It's impossible to know if he can thrive when jumping to Junior A hockey the way that Mellor did, but it's a nice place to start. Tappe's performance last season would have been enough in my view to get him into the BCHL if he were not restricted (as a US born player) from making the leap until his 18 year old season.

Dylan also took his goal scoring up a notch in his 17 year old season. He went from scoring 0.38 goals per game to 0.59 -- a very solid leap. Tappe was named to the Neil Murdoch roster at the KIJHL All-Star game and was second on the Braves in point production. Dylan was also a significant part of Spokane's strong playoff performance this season. They knocked favoured Castlegar out in 6 games and took the heavily favoured Nelson Leafs to a 7th game. Tappe scored a cold blooded hat trick in game 5 of the Rebels series in Castlegar that set his team up for a series win on home ice.

However, for a player that is known for his offensive attributes he also talks a lot about his willingness to play gritty and go to the dirty areas. Tappe told me he loves to back check, block shots and feels he can play a complete game in the BCHL.

So why Trail? Jim Ingram drove down to Spokane earlier this week to get to know Tappe and his family. Trail's coach was very impressed with the character of the whole Tappe crew and made his pitch. In addition to the opportunity the Smokies provide, I do think it helps that Trail is the closest BCHL team to Dylan's home in Spokane. It also helps that Tappe grew up playing with and against the likes of Sam Mellor, Travis St. Denis and Mike Betz. As any coach will tell you, the players can often be your best recruiters.

I had a chance to catch up with both Tappe and Ingram on Mountain FM's Overtime this week.

New Smoke Eater Dylan Tappe

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Smokies Coach Jim Ingram on Tappe

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I'm looking forward to seeing what Dylan has to offer the Smokies. In my time watching and covering the KIJHL I thought he was one of the best prospects out of that league. It's a nice catch for the Smokies. We can also get a look at some more future Smokies with the Spring Camp coming up on the first weekend of April in Trail.

KIJHL TONIGHT

Wild game in the KIJHL finals tonight as Revelstoke beat Nelson 4-3 to earn that big road split. The Leafs got up 2-0 on power play goals by Patenaude and Currie, but let that lead slip away. Revelstoke's 2 goals in 25 seconds at the end of the first totally changed the momentum of the game in their favour.

The Grizz ended up picking up a 2 goal lead in the second and then tightening up with a wall around their goal in the third. Nelson fired 11 shots on the Revelstoke net in the final frame (not including the many pucks chipped wide) and couldn't beat goaltender Andrew Parent until the final second of the game. Too little too late.

Revelstoke Coach Troy Mick told me after the game that his team played a "dirtier" game. By that he meant going to the tough areas to score in far greater numbers. They were rewarded. The Leafs certainly had moments in the game where they out played Revelstoke (shots were 38-21 Nelson) but key mental errors at the wrong time hurt them. The message from Coach Simon Wheeldon after the game was that they need to simplify things again when the teams hook up again for game 3 in Revelstoke.

Tune in to Mountain FM's Overtime tomorrow night for audio reaction to game 2 and stay tuned to us for play by play of games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday. Thanks to Nelson Ford (sponsors of the Trail broadcasts this year) for backing us for our continued coverage of the Leafs run for a second straight KIJHL crown.

Cunningham, Wilkins and Mellor interviews, KIJHL playoff results

Trail's Craig Cunningham had a weekend to remember in the WHL playoffs. The former Beaver Valley Nitehawk scored 4 goals and had 3 helpers in 2 games as Vancouver took a 2-0 series lead over the Kamloops Blazers. That's impressive stuff. Cunningham won the Giants MVP award this season and was named to the Western Conference first all star team. He has really found that extra gear this season.

Other local products didn't have quite as much success this weekend. Former Smoke Eater Lucas Bloodoff (and his brother Evan) found himself on the losing end as Kelowna dropped a couple of games in Everett. Lucas did have a goal and 2 assists in a losing cause. Castlegar's Luke Walker (Eric's cousin) and the Portland Winterhawks are going to have a big hill to climb as well after Spokane beat them twice in Portland this weekend.

As for Cunningham, it'll be hard for NHL scouts to ignore what he's done this season. Stuck behind a ton of talent on a deep Giants club over his WHL career, he nearly doubled his point total from 50 last year to 97 this year. He got a look in the NHL rookies tournament this past summer. I suspect he'll be a hard free agent to pass up this summer.

I had a chance to catch up with Cunningham on Overtime before the start of the first round...

Vancouver Giants MVP Craig Cunningham


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WILKINS AND MELLOR

After chatting with Scott Jacklin during game 2 of the KIJHL semi-finals in Fernie I then caught up with the other two members of Trail's Kimberley Konnection during game 5. Matt Wilkins and Sam Mellor joined me during the overtime intermission. I have a pretty good feeling the trio will re-unite as a line next season. Certainly it's something Coach Ingram has to be considering. Wilkins really showed what he can do during the playoffs. If he has a good summer I could see him hitting the same point levels Mellor and Jacklin have been hovering at.

Smokies forwards Sam Mellor and Matt Wilkins


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KIJHL FINALS

Chris Cucullu scored 3:53 into the second overtime to give Nelson a 3-2 win in game 1 of the KIJHL finals against Revelstoke. It was as even a game as you're likely to see. Both teams hit posts, both teams had strong goaltending, both teams struggled on the man advantage, both teams played solid D... and in the end it took a second extra fame to find a winner.

It's a very unique situation in the KIJHL finals because the only time they two clubs met was in the third game of the regular season. There was really no telling what to expect out there. What we saw was a couple of deep and talented teams that are going to challenge each other in a big way. If you're in the Kootenays do yourself a favour and catch game 2 on Monday night in Nelson.

I had a chat tonight with Billy Faust (who returned from injury to get the win), Cucullu and Simon Wheeldon.

Leafs goaltender Billy Faust


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Leafs fowrard Chris Cucullu


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Leafs Coach Simon Wheeldon


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DYLAN TAPPE

I told you yesterday there was a new Smoke Eater to talk about. Dylan Tappe is his name and his name is listed over at trailsmokeeaters.com -- but I haven't done the usual profile here yet. I'm still waiting to talk to Dylan before I do too much of a write up. I may do one tomorrow (with a Jim Ingram interview) even if I don't talk to him quite yet. I think this is a player Smokies fans should be excited about. I've had several people say positive things to me about the addition over the last couple of days.

More to come!

KIJHL Audio

Tomorrow night marks the first game of the KIJHL finals between Nelson and Revelstoke. Game time is 6pm in Nelson and I hope a big crowd from the West Kootenay area will come and check it out. The two teams don't know each other very well as they only met once during the regular season. It was a 3-3 tie in Nelson's third game... both clubs have come a long way since then.

The obvious advantage for Revelstoke is that the ever evolving KIJHL playoff system rewarded them with a first round bye for winning the Okanagan. However, none of the Kootenay teams got he same honour. Nelson has played 19 playoff games compared to only 10 for the Grizzlies. That's no one's fault but the league governors who approved the system, but it certainly could make a difference if it ends up being a long series.

Nelson is in their third KIJHL final in the past four seasons while Revelstoke is making a trip to the big dance in the first season of their new ownership and management regime. We don't know much about them so I had chance to catch up with their coach (and former BCHL and WHL coach) Troy Mick. I also have highlights from game 5 against Fernie (we'll again call the Leaf road games during the finals on Mountain FM) and a chat with assistant coach Frank Maida after the series win by Nelson.

Game 5 of the KIJHL Semi-Final: Nelson 3 Fernie 2 (OT)

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Nelson Leafs Assistant Coach Frank Maida

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Revelstoke Coach and GM Troy Mick

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Check out trailsmokeeaters.com for an announcement about Trail's first off season addition. I'll have something about that and an interview with Vancouver Giants star Craig Cunningham on the blog coming up shortly. Again I hope you'll join us for KIJHL championship action tomorrow night in Nelson.

Hughes out in Salmon Arm

Just read on the Salmon Arm website that they've let go of Coach Matt Hughes. He took over as Head Coach this season after spending some time there as an assistant. Clearly the Silverbacks were disappointed by their lackluster finish to the regular season and first round exit against Quesnel. I think it's too early to give up on Matt Hughes... but I'm not in the room there. It's easy to have an opinion when you have no stake in it. I do know that with Rylan Ferster taking over the coaching duties again they'll still have an excellent coach behind the bench either way. I hope he'll be given full authority over hockey decisions. That being said, with Hughes getting let go today and Brian Youngson in Trail yesterday the league has lost a couple of real class acts (or "beauties" as the players would say) in the last 48 hours. Tough part of this business for sure.

What do you think?

I'm in Fernie right now broadcasting game 5 of the KIJHL semi-finals between Nelson and Fernie. They remember their alumni here for sure as I've had a ton of questions about Youngson no longer being with Trail. For the record I really don't have any definitive answers at this stage. The Leafs lead this series 3-1 with a chance to wrap it up tonight. Tune us in on your radio or if you're not in the Kootenays join us at http://www.mountainfm.net/

Smokies part company with Youngson

Word today that the Trail Smoke Eaters have not renewed the contract of Assistant Coach Brian Youngson. I was able to confirm that Brian would indeed not be back with the club. However, the Smokies didn't make an official statement on the matter.

As for Brian, I know he has been pursuing full time work opportunities in the community. He's a family man who welcomed a young son to the Youngson clan last summer. It strikes me that at this point that family is Brian's top priority. As much as hockey is a passion for him I think practical interests come into play as well. I know we all have those thoughts sometimes! Either way he'll be successful at whatever it is he does.

I know I'll miss having him around. Over the past 3 years I've certainly come to consider Brian a friend. I also owe him big because he introduced me to my girlfriend. That's a debt I can never repay. He's a great guy with a hell of a sense of humour who it is always fun to talk hockey with. I know he was always very accommodating to me whenever I needed something and I look forward to continuing that friendship away from the bus and the rink.

Youngson joined the Smoke Eaters for the 2006-07 season under Tim Kehler. The team had a very good season finishing 3rd and winning a playoff round. He's been with the club now for four seasons and has become ingrained in the community. I've always known Brian to have a good relationship with the players, but he won't pull any punches either. He's got a good eye for the game and I've learned a lot from our conversations. No one can say he didn't make a very solid contribution over his tenure with the team.

Youngson started his coaching career as an assistant with Fernie in the KIJHL. That's a team that Brian has been proudly associated with as a player and a coach. He had a good junior career and has proved to be a capable and personable coach as well. That booming voice alone can make an impression.

For whatever reason at this time both the team and Brian needed a change. Sometimes the same situation can get stale. I think it'll end up being good for all involved. I'm certainly curious to see what Coach Ingram and the club do in terms of filling that void.

For now I just wanted to say thanks for Brian for everything he's done for me and for the Smoke Eaters. I'm sure a lot of people in and out of the organization feel the same way.

Catching up with Jacklin, KIJHL Playoffs

While broadcasting the second game of the KIJHL semi-finals in Fernie I ran into Smoke Eaters MVP Scott Jacklin. Scott lives in Kimberley during the off season and made the drive with his dad to take in the action. I had the chance to chat with him during the first intermission.

Scott Jacklin in Fernie

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I can't imagine Scott is a player who will have any difficulty finding a place to play college hockey if he has another season like 2009-10. Especially with the built in chemistry he seems to have with Sam Mellor. I know losing Nick Sandor will hurt that top line, but there are a number of options to fill that void. They had Matt Wilkins there to start the season and it's not a huge stretch to think he could jump back in.

I'm looking forward to seeing the next level of Scott's game next season.

KIJHL PLAYOFFS

The KIJHL semi-finals hit game 4 tonight in Nelson with the Leafs leading 2-1. Puck drop is 7pm. Nelson could take command of the series with a victory tonight. I'm sure with their injuries they're hoping it won't be a long one, but it's hard to imagine this battle ending in just five games. We'll have the broadcast of game 5 in Fernie on Wednesday. For now here are the highlights of the first two games at the historic Fernie Memorial Arena.

Games 1 and 2 of the Nelson/Fernie series on Mountain FM

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Any fans near Nelson or Fernie should check out the series. It's great hockey and these teams are the last ones playing in our area outside of the WHL clubs a couple of hours away. Again you can join us for game 5 in Fernie on Mountain FM. Also keep your eyes on the BCHL schedule tonight to see if Quesnel can keep playing Cinderella. Great to see their fans have something to cheer about. I'm also really interested in the Westside/Penticton series. How cool would it be to have a game 7 back at the old Memorial in Penticton? I really enjoyed calling games in that barn.