OAKES TOP DOG REDUX

Alberni Valley Bulldogs’ president and governor Andy Oakes has been selected the British Columbia Hockey League’s Executive of the Year for the second consecutive season, the league announced today.

The award comes on the heels of an outstanding year for Oakes’s Bulldogs, who led the Coastal Conference with 93 points prior to a postseason run that saw the team reach the seventh game of the Conference Finals.

Three Alberni Valley players and head coach Nolan Graham were recognized with Conference Awards at the conclusion of the regular season.

Oakes has also taken on a leadership role in the growth of the league, as he chairs the BCHL’s Strategic Planning Committee and sits on the five-member League Executive.

“The BCHL is a great league and it’s an honour to be recognized by your fellow governors for your contributions,” says Oakes. “The Bulldogs organization takes great pride in working towards being leaders on and off the ice in the BCHL.”

“Andy’s hard work and vision have been rewarded with tremendous success in Alberni Valley, and those same qualities have made him a valuable leader in the continuing growth of our league,” said Commissioner John Grisdale.

Oakes, who had previously suited up in the BCHL as a player, returned to the league following the purchase of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs by the Okanagan Hockey Schools in 2007.

Oakes is the president of Okanagan Hockey Schools and the Okanagan Hockey Academy.

MACMILLAN NAMED BCHL COASTAL MVP

By Jeff Dubois

A foursome of Alberni Valley Bulldogs were recognized for outstanding seasons today when the British Columbia Hockey League announced its 2009/10 Coastal Conference awards winners.

Bulldogs’ forward Mitch MacMillan was named the Coastal Conference Most Valuable Player.

MacMillan led the league in goals with 61 and paced all Coastal scorers with 93 points, while also becoming the first BCHL player since Kyle Turris to score 50 goals in 50 games or less.

Other Alberni Valley players to receive awards included Mark MacMillan, who was named the Coast’s Rookie of the Year following a season that saw the 18-year old finish ninth in BCHL scoring with 80 points.

Bulldogs’ defenceman Kevin Ross was named a co-winner of the conference’s Most Sportsmanlike Player award with Cowichan Valley Capitals forward Mike Hammond.

There was also a tie for the Coast’s Top Defenceman, as Powell River’s Mat Bodie and Victoria’s Jordan Heywood split the award.

Bodie picked up 42 points in his second BCHL season while also captaining Team Canada West to a silver medal at the 2009 World Junior A Challenge in Summerside, PEI.

Heywood finished the season with 51 points and tied for the league lead in game winning goals by a defenceman with four.

Alberni Valley Bulldogs head coach Nolan Graham picked up the conference’s Coach of the Year nod after leading his club to a 53-point improvement in the standings and a first round playoff bye. The Bulldogs went from last to first on the Coast under Graham in his first season as a head coach in the BCHL.

ENERGIZED CLIPPERS EDGE SLEEPY GRIZZLIES 4-3

In a sleeper hockey game,the energy-filled Nanaimo Clippers defeated the lifeless Victoria Grizzlies 4-3 Saturday at Bear Mountain Arena — their third win in 23 games.

The Clippers, who appear to be improving greatly nightly, kept the Grizzlies trailing throughout the game.

Colton Cyr opened the scoring for the Clippers at 16:02 of the first period on a pass from Tyler Mah.

Cyr scored again in the second period at 8:57 on a pass from Kiefer McNaughton and Kyle Kramer. The Grizz responded at 9:33 with a goal by  Madison Dias from Dustin Mowrey.

Former Grizz Teal Burns put the pressure on Victoria with a powerplay goal just before the end of the period on a pass from Luc Olivier Blain and Victor Newell.

The Grizz responded 5:44 of the third with a goal by Brandon Fagerheim from Mike Tebbutt, and tied it up at 18:24 with a powerplay by Brad Pawlowski from Jordan Heywood and Alex Allan.

Burns scored the winning goal with only 56.5 seconds left in the game on a pass from Nick Bell and Luc Olivier Blain.

Published reports said some fans thought the puck was kicked in, however the sequence of photos below by ISN photographer Gary Woodburn show Ryan Holfeld’s glove and Burn’s stick on the puck at the same time….the stick won out and the puck went into the goal.

“There was NO foot close by!” reports Woodburn.

The Grizzlies host Prince George at 4:30 p.m. today at Bear Mountain Arena.

In other BC Hockey League action Saturday the Alberni Valley Bulldogs blanked the Prince George Spruce Kings 5-0 led by Johnny Rogic with two goals and an assist.  Also scoring were Mitch MacMillan, Kevin Ross and Warren Muir.

 

 

 

GRIZZLIES SMOKE THE SMOKE EATERS

The Victoria Grizzlies smoked the Trail Smoke Eaters 4-1 Friday at Bear Mountain Arena.

 

The action started at the three-second mark of the first period when Trail’s Sean Nugget and Brad Powalowski had a bit of a go-around.

Both got five-minute penalties for fighting.

Gregory Simpson put the Grizz on the scoreboard at 7:46 on a pass from Bryce Twa and Jake Baker.

This was followed by a powerplay goal by Madison Dias 8:47 on a pass from Alex Allan and Dustin Mowrey.

Brandon Fagerheim tweaked the twine seconds from the end of the second period on a pass from Alex Allan and Jake Baker.

Trail Smoke Eaters entered the scoring race on a powerplay goal by Scott Jacklin from Curtis Tonello and Sam Mellor at at 14:28.

The Grizz responded with an empty-net goal by Joel Lowry from Brandon Fagerheim and Mike Tebbutt at  19:43.

The Grizzlies’ Jordan Heywood, Dylan Nowakowski and Jake Baker were named the game’s three stars.

In Nanaimo, the Cowichan Valley Capitals clipped the Nanaimo Clippers 2-1 with goals from Shayne Taker from Nick Anderson and Mike Hammond from Nick Anderson and Nicholas Wong.

 

The sole Nanaimo goal was by Teal Burns from Mike Domsodi and Nick Bell.

Games stars were the Caps’ Alexandre Peck, the Clips’ Teal Burns and the Caps’ Nick Anderson.

On Saturday, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs smoked to a 4-2 victory over the Smoke Eaters on goals by Adam Hout from Frank Riddle and Josh Mitchell, Pearce Eviston from Josh Mitchell, Mitch MacMillan from Mark MacMillan and Tye Lewis and Mitch MacMillan from Mark MacMillan and David Dziurzynski.

Scoring for the Smoke Eaters were Scott Jacklin from Nick Sandor  and Scott Jacklin from Matt Wilkins and Sam Mellor.

The Dogs’ Mitch MacMillan, Adam Hout and Josh Mitchell were the stars of the game.

And in Duncan, after three scoreless periods,the Cowichan Valley Capitals were blanked by the Victoria Grizzlies 1-0 in overtime on a goal by Joel Lowry from Dylan Nowakowski and Brad Pawlowski.

Grizzlies goalie Colin Fernandez faced 41 shots and the Caps’ Alexandre Peck, 28.

Peck was selected as first star; Fernandez, second; and Lowry, third.

GRIZZLIES KNOCK OFF CANADA’S NUMBER ONE TEAM

 

 

 

The Victoria Grizzlies knocked off the No. 1 team in Canada — Vernon Vipers — 5-3 Saturday at Bear Mountain Arena.

The Grizzlies opened the scoring with a powerplay goal by Mike Tebbutt from Derek Bacon and Joel Lowry at 14:38.

Jordan Heywood added another at 1:57 of the second period with  an assist  from Madison Dias and Dustin Mowrey.

Mowrey followed this up at  5:57 with a single-handed goal on a pass from Dias.

Vernon Vipers got on the scoreboard at 14:01 with an unassited goal by Jonathan Milhouse then a single-handed goal by  Connor Jones from Kellen Jones at 18:05.

The Vipers started the third period with a goal by Braden Pimm from David Robinson and Dan Nycholat at 0:54. Then Diaz scored at at 9:29 on a pass  from Alex Allan and Brandon Fagerheim. Allan concluded the scoring at 14:06 on a pass from Mowrey.

Game stars were Mowrey, Allan and Ryan Holfeld.

In other BC Hockey League action, the Powell River Kings downed the Nanaimo Clippers 11-3 and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs edged the Burnaby Express 1-0.

Today the Bulldogs whipped the Langley Chiefs 8-2.

 

 

 

 

VICTORIA GRIZZLIES HAMMER BURNABY EXPRESS 8-4

 

After a slow start, the Victoria Grizzlies hammered the Burnaby Express 8-4 in BC Hockey League action Saturday at Bear Mountain Arena.

Simon Denis of the Express opened the scoring at 3:44 on a pass from Chris Van Duynhoven.

Then at 17:00 of the first period Dustin Mowrey put the Grizz on the

 

socreboard on a pass from Jordan Heywood.

This was followed by a powerplay goal by Mike Tebbutt at 19:31 from Derek Bacon and Jordan Heywood.

The second period was all Grizz with Brad Pawlowski scoring on the power play from Jordan Heywood at 11:23 followed by a goal by Nick Buchanan 11 minutes later from Derek Bacon and Joel Lowry and a powerplay goal by Spencer Copp (unassisted) seconds before the period ended.

Brandon Fagerheim started the scoring for the Griz in the third period with an unassisted powerplay goal at the 2:41 mark.

This was followed by a goal by Spencer Copp from Wesley Myron at 5:32 and another by Wesley Myron from Spencer Copp and Brandon Fagerheim at 5:48.

Last minute efforts by the Burnaby Express were too late to reverse the outcome.

Scoring powerplay goals were James Bettauer at 14:34 from Garrick Perry and Simon Denis; Zac Ashdown from Brad Reid and Simon Denis at 16:45 and James Bettauer from Simon Denis and Garrick Perry at 19:44.

Named the game stars were Spencer Copp, Brandon Fagerheim and Wesley Myron.

In other BCHL action, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs stopped the Surrey Eagles 3-1 with tweo goals by Mitch MacMillan and an unassisted goal by Tye Lewis.

And the Powell River KIings nipped the Cowichan Valley Capitals 2-1 in overtime.

Mike Hammond scored for the Caps and the Caps’ Laurent Brossoit was named the game’s first star.

Scoring for the Kings were Andrew Pettitt in the first period and Daniel Carr in the second overtime period.

 

 

SIX ISLANDERS MAKE BCHL ALL-STAR TEAM

Six Island players will be on the British Columbia  Hockey League All-Star Team that will take on the defending Fred Page Cup champion Vernon Vipers in Nanaimo on Jan. 13.

This is the first year where the Coastal and Interior Conferences have been combined to form the All-Star Team. Fred Harbinson of the Penticton Vees will be head coach assited by Nolan Graham of Alberni Valley and Shane Kuss of the Surrey Eagles.

Starting line-up will include defenceman Jordan Heywood of the Victoria Grizzlies and forward Mitch MacMillan and goalie Frank Slubowski of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

As well as Heywood, MacMillan and Slubowshi, the All-Star team will include forward Cody Bremner and goalie Loic Boivin of the Nanaimo Clippers, defenceman Shayne Taker of the Cowichan Valley Capitals and forward Andrew
Pettitt and defenceman Mat Bodie of the Powell River Kings.

As always, the player nomination and voting process was conducted by the head coaches of the BCHL’s 17 teams.

GRIZZ GROUND EAGLES IN SUPER GAME

 

 

It was a super game and very entertaining as the Victoria Grizzlies shot down the Surrey Eagles 6-3 Saturday before 1,297 fans at Bear Mountain Arena.

Dustin Mowrey got the teddy bears (400 of them) flying through the air by scoring at 9.58 of the first period on a pass from Alex Allan and Jordan Heywood.

The bears go to kids at Queen Alexandra Foundation for the Children.

Mowrey was named the number one star of the game and Allan, the second star. Third star was Graeme McCormack.

 

 

Surrey got on the scoreboard first with a goal by Adam Basford from Richard Vanderhoek and Grant Toulmin at 6:44 on a power play.

Basford followed this up with another powerplay goal, this time from Andrew Wallace and Toulmin.

Mowrey tied the game at 18:40 of the second period on a pass from Allan.

The third period belonged to the Grizz with goals by Wade Murphy from Ty Jones and Dylan Nowakowski; Graeme McCormack from Allan and Mowrey; Brandon Fagerheim (unassisted); and another powerplay goal from Joel Lowry from Brandon Fagerheim and Sam Grist.

The Eagles wrapped it up with a goal by Richard Vanderhoek from Morgan Bonner and Michael Krgovich.

The win puts the Grizzlies in fourth place over the Nanaimo Clippers in the B.C. Hockey League Coastal Conference, while the Powell River Kings are in third, and Surrey Eagles and Alberni Valley Bulldogs are tied for top spot.

 

 

In other BC Hockey League Action, the Langley Chiefs edged the Cowichan Valley Capitals 4-3, and the Powell River Kings silenced the Alberni Valley Bulldogs 3-2.

Scoring for the Caps were Nick Anderson from Mike Hammond and Brett Apted, Joey Massingham (unassisted), and Jackson Garrett from Shayne Taker.  Anderson was named third star.

There was no scoring in the first period of the Kings vs Bulldogs match.

Matt Hatch put the Dogs on the scoreboard on a pass from Kevin Ross and Mitch MacMillan in the second period.

Mark MacMillan scored a powerplay goal with an assist from Mitch MacMillan and David Dziurzynski.

The Kings scored three times in the third period.

The Dogs’ Mark MacMillan was named second star.

GRIZZ LEFT THE GAS TANK AT HOME, LOSE 4-0

The Victoria Grizzlies left the gas tank at home Friday in B.C. Hockey League action as the Alberni Valley Bulldogs waltzed away with a 4-0 win at Bear Mountain Arena.

The Grizz were outshot 33-14, taking a total of seven shots in the first period against the Dogs’ Frank Slubowski, six shots in the second period and a lone shot on goal in the third.

Trent Dorais started the scoring at 15:19 of the first period on a pass from from Tyler Berkholtz.

This was followed at 8:01 with a short-handed goal by Robert Lindores from Trent Dorais. Mitch MacMillan then scored on the powerplay on a pass from David Dziurzynski and Kevin Ross at  18:58 of the second period.

Casey Bailey ended the scoring with an empty-net goal from Jeff Reppucci at  18:44 of the third period.

The Bulldogs’ Mitch MacMillan was selected as the first star; Frank Riddle, the second; and Scott Lewan, the third.

VICTORIA GRIZZLIES DOWN SURREY EAGLE

Victoria Grizzlies blueliner Jordan Heywood scored a pair of goals, leading his team to a 4-3 home ice win Saturday over the Coastal Conference-leading Surrey Eagles.

The teams had already traded four first period goals when Heywood scored at the 17:16 mark of the opening frame. He tallied his second of the night midway through the second period and the goal stood up as the winner.

Gregory Simpson and Bryce Twa also scored for the home side, while Grant Toulmin, Mike Krgovich and Andrew Wallace supplied the offence for Surrey.

Ryan Holfield picked up his first victory in net since joining the Grizzlies earlier in the week, making 35 saves. Vinny Lessard took the loss for Surrey after facing 32 shots.

Holfeld came to Victoria with 124 regular-season and 17 playoff games through four seasons of Western Hockey League experience with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Most recently he played for the Fargo, N.D., Force, of the United States Hockey League

Both teams are next in action on the road against the Nanaimo Clippers, as the Grizzlies make the trip to the Frank Crane Arena on Wednesday before Surrey visits on Friday.

Meanwhile in Burnaby, the Nanaimo Clippers scored five first period goals Saturday and never looked back from there, defeating the Burnaby Express by an 8-3 margin.

Luc-Olivier Blain and Teal Burns each scored once and totalled four points for the Clippers, who received first period tallies from

Colton Cyr, Cody Bremner, Burns, Blain and Andrew Gladiuk.

The Nanaimo power-play was particularly dangerous, scoring five goals on a total of 15 opportunities with the man advantage.

Konrad Sander, Luke Challier and Garrick Perry replied with goals for the Express. Burnaby starter Harrison May was replaced by Nick Energren after allowing five goals in the first period, and Energren faced 18 shots the rest of the way.

Loic Boivin faced 16 shots in the victory, making way midway through the third period for a brief relief appearance by Stephen Wolff.

On Friday, the Grizzlies lost 4-2 to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

Holfeld had a 2-0 shutout going until the final minutes of the second period when the Bulldogs woke up and scored four unanswered goals.

Brandon Fagerheim  put the Grizz on the scoreboard unassisted at 8:37 . This was followed by a goal by  Sencer Copp from Derek Bacon and Brad Pawlowski.

Scoring for the Bulldogs were Johnny Rogic from Matt Hatch and Jesse Halikas, Mark MacMillan from Ryan Corbiell and David Dziurzynski , Casey Bailey from Luke Fenske, and Casey Bailey from Matt Hatch and Johnny Rogic.

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