No matter how the BCHL Fred Page Cup final ends up, the Chilliwack Chiefs and Penticton Vees are both moving on to the Western Canada Cup, and they know who they’ll be facing.
The Vees are hosting this year’s tournament Apr. 29 to May 7, welcoming the champions of the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba junior A leagues.
The field was finalized Wednesday after the Battlefords North Stars and Portage Terriers won their respective league titles.
The North Stars swept the Flin Flon Bombers for the Saskatchewan crown, beating them 6-5 on the road to complete a sweep of the SJHL Final. It’s the North Stars first Canalta Cup championship in 17 years, and they are the first team in 35 years to sweep all three rounds of the SJHL playoffs.
They dominated the regular season as well, posting 48 wins in 58 games, finishing with 97 points, which was 14 points better than the next closest team.
One province over, the Terriers three-peated as MJHL Turnbull Cup champions, beating the OCN Blizzard in six-games. The Terriers, who won the RBC Cup in 2015, weren’t necessarily the odds-on favourites to come out of the MJHL, as they were the fifth seed entering the playoffs, but they did knock-off the top ranked Steinbach Pistons en route to the Manitoba title.
With their win this year, the Terriers have now won the MJHL championship in seven of the last 10 seasons.
Earlier in the week the Brooks Bandits won their second consecutive AJHL championship and fourth in franchise history, sweeping the Whitecourt Wolverines in the Gas Drive Cup Final. Like Battlefords, the Bandits were the top team in the AJHL from wire to wire, capturing the regular season title with a 51-5-4 record for 106 points. They led the AJHL with the most wins, fewest losses, most points, most goals for and fewest goals against.
Last year the Bandits advanced all the way to the RBC Cup national championship, before losing out in the semi-final.
For more information visit westerncanadacup.com