BCHL Midseason Live Blog Archive

Ryan Pinder and I hosted a live blog tonight to talk about the first half of the BCHL season and what to expect in the second half. After a strong turn out and some good conversation I think we'll do it again next month.

Smokies Poll

Trail vs Penticton Live Blog

Ryan Pinder is live blogging Trail's final game of the exhibition tournament over at his Vees Blog. Click here to get live details of today's action between the Vees and the Smoke Eaters. Come back to visit this blog later to get Randy Emery's summary of the action. Thanks again to Randy for the great updates. I'll be back on Tuesday but Randy is still free to post his thoughts, stats or pictures on this blog whenever he would like.

NOTE: Click here for the announcement that former Smoke Eater Dylan Herold is Burnaby's new Captain. Great guy and gutsy player.

Bouchard Quits

Ryan Pinder and Brian Wiebe have the word that Joey Bouchard has resigned from his job with Merritt before he coached even a single game for the team. Wiebe sites personal reasons (differences with the executive) and says there's a new Coach and GM locked up. I'm on vacation (missing training camp for my friend's wedding) so I don't have a lot of time to discuss this further. However, if I were a betting man I would think this has something to do with budget. Bouchard came into town under the assumption that his friends and Junior B bosses from Alberta were going to buy the team. Brent Stark was apparently going to pump some serious money into the team and their budget to try and jump start the Merritt operation and put a successful product on the ice. When Stark's purchase of the team fell through at the last minute I'm sure that budget changed. Private owners can take risks that community owned teams can't. Especially community owned teams coming off massive losses.

Bouchard at the time didn't know the deal was going to fall apart and said he was sticking with the team. Only a couple of weeks later he's gone. What does this mean for players he recruited or players he was trying to recruit? Guys who came to Merritt expecting a certain coach and new ownership who will now get there and find a completely different story... how will they react?

Do I know for a fact this was about budget? Absolutely not. Let us not forget that Bouchard was expecting to work with Stark and suddenly the whole picture changed. Whatever his reasons for leaving you would have to think that ultimately it comes down to the sale falling through. So what now? Keep an eye on Brian's blog for the latest.

Is this another black eye for a Merritt franchise that has been taking blow after blow the last two seasons? Perhaps, but if Bouchard and more importantly Stark can break commitments so quickly and at such dramatic times... then maybe it's better it happened now. Imagine it were instead five months from now with no community ownership to pick up the pieces. Merritt is left with questions now instead of answers, but at least the franchise is in the hands of people who care about the team and the city. Whatever they do will be with an eye to saving hockey in Merritt. I certainly wish them luck.

We'll get a look at the Cents in Merritt for the first Smoke Eaters regular season game on September 11th. If there was ever a time and a reason for the community to rally around there team it would be now. Hopefully the fans will pack that old barn and we can open the season with a bang. Either way you'll be hearing it all live on Mountain FM!

I'll have an interview with Jim Ingram on training camp within the next couple of days. After that I'll have a very special guest on the blog for training camp and the exhibition tournament. I won't be there but he blog will go on! Can't wait to get home and get started on another season.

Busy Day!

We've had lots to talk about today on the Smoke Eaters blog.

• Merritt introduces their new Coach and GM (from Making Cents blog with audio)
• Chad Gehon gets a scholarship to Alaska Fairbanks
• Final Central Scouting rankings with six BCHL players
• Brodie Reid traded from Nanaimo to Alberta
• Interviews with Brett Naka, Jim Ingram, Connor Jones and Lucas Bloodoff
• Check out Ron Gallo's Spruce Kings blog now independent of the BCHL site

Finally I just wanted to mention that Penticton play by play man Ryan Pinder made fun of my cheesy "thank you" graphic in the comments of my post back in March. Guess where that picture is now? Great minds think alike, Ryan! Check out Pinder's Vees Blog for some great coverage of the Royal Bank Cup with Dan Marshall and continuing coverage of the Vees in the off season.

I will get those Limbert and Rollheiser interviews on the blog soon I swear it! Other things just keep coming up. Don't forget to vote tonight in the BC Election (polls close at 8pm with election coverage on Mountain FM) and the Smoke Eaters AGM next Thursday night.

Leafs Win, Pinder Preview

The road to a repeat of the Fred Page Cup is getting rockie for the defending champs from Penticton. The Vees and Vernon Vipers head into a huge game four tonight at the South Okanagan Events Center. The Vees won the first game, but Vernon have grabbed the last two and the big "mo" in the series. A must win game for Penticton tonight? Close to it. Here's Ryan...

Vees Broadcaster Ryan Pinder on Game 4

Click here to download

We also chatted about the attendance in the series so far which has been somewhat underwhelming given the usual numbers in those cities. Why do you think the numbers have been down? Economy, marketing, short notice of the dates, expectations of a conference or league final?

Speaking of teams with high expectations, the top ranked Nelson Leafs finished off the Castlegar Rebels in the second round of the KIJHL playoffs last night. The Leafs are powered by former Smokies Brock Monroe, Scott Jago and Miles Houston... as well as Smokies APs Tommy Rizardo, Peter Alexander, Dylan Walchuk, Michael Spring and Jacob Perich. There are more than a few connections there, eh? Congrats to Simon Wheeldon's Leafs on another step towards what could be a run at the KIJHL Championship at a Cyclone Taylor Cup maybe? Wheeldon won his third consecutive Coach of the Year award and sure seems to be establishing an elite program. If he wasn't such a big part of that community I'm sure a BCHL team would've scooped him up by now.

Castlegar and Beaver Valley both had strong teams this year that could have emerged from other divisions in the league, but Nelson just had more depth. Congrats to all teams in the Neil Murdoch for another very competitive season. The one thing that has kept me going after the Smokies exit was the exciting playoff hockey we saw in our region. The Leafs did sweep the second round, but 3/4 of the games were decided by a single goal.

Here's Brock...

Former Smoke Eater and Nelson Leafs Captain Brock Monroe

Click here to download

Finally just a quick note that the Smokies executive also responded to the "move to the KIJHL" letter in the Trail Times. Rick Basso's letter is a must read, but I think most Smoke Eaters fans always knew what we've been saying about Trail's place being in the BCHL. The future is still bright in my eyes.

Pinder Previews Game 5

The game is just underway but here's a chat I had with Penticton broadcaster Ryan Pinder on the fifth and deciding game of the Vees/Spruce Kings series.

Vees Broadcaster Ryan Pinder on Game 5

Click here to download

Good luck to both teams. It's only been a few days and I'm missing the hockey badly.

UPDATE: The Vees take it in dramatic fashion. Congrats to Penticton on a hard fought win. Also congrats to former Smoke Eater Andrew Pickering and the Spruce Kings for nearly pulling off the upset. Playoff hockey at its best. Now the second round is set with Penticton vs. Vernon, Westside vs. Salmon Arm, Surrey vs. Powell River and Cowichan vs. Victoria. I do also want to note that I went 3/3 in my predictions!