Sure – we still have skeptics who wonder why but they thankfully are in the minority while the majority are excited to welcome the new Vancouver Goldeneyes pro Women’s hockey team to Vancouver.

They start training camp next week at the PNE Coliseum for two workouts a day for the first week then finalize things both on and off the ice for their home opener, which I hope is packed with everyone welcoming them to Vancouver and area.

Over the past while I have been in conversation with the teams media and community relations Manager Liz Montroy who has promised to send up to date press releases to keep you “in the loop” asking for your support.

I for one along with my Sportswave team as well as Eastlink TV will be covering this event especially on the opening night considering that neither the Canucks or the Warriors are playing so mark the date on your calendar.

The following are the most recent press releases we received from Liz – Enjoy the read!!

The Vancouver Goldeneyes’ logo is inspired by the Common Goldeneye duck species native to the Northern Hemisphere. 

The logo features a golden bird’s eye with a bold, sunset gold color, symbolizing vision, clarity, and focus. 

The eye is surrounded by wings in motion, representing speed, precision, and dynamic spirit. 

The wings are curved, reflecting the natural meeting point of land and ocean in Vancouver’s unique geography. The logo points northwest, grounding the team’s identity in its geographical location.

The design embodies the team’s values of speed, strength, and unity, mirroring the bird’s characteristics. 

According to General Manager Cara Gardner Morey, the Goldeneye’s ability to soar high, dive deep, and move in synchrony reflects the team’s aspirations.

The logo’s color palette includes Pacific Blue, Coastal Cream, and bronze, paying homage to Vancouver’s natural beauty.

Logo Design Elements:

• Golden Eye: Symbolizes vision, clarity, and focus
• Wings: Represent speed, precision, and dynamic spirit
• Pacific Blue and Coastal Cream: Reflect Vancouver’s coastal landscape
• Bronze: Adds an earthy tone, echoing the city’s natural surroundings

Overall, the logo is a meaningful representation of Vancouver’s spirit and the team’s identity.

What’s the inspiration behind the name?

The Vancouver Goldeneyes got their name from the Common Goldeneye, a bird native to British Columbia’s coastal waters and forested lakes. 

This bird is known for its striking appearance, with piercing yellow eyes and lightning-fast reflexes, making it a fitting symbol for a hockey team. 

The name represents precision, agility, and resilience, qualities that mirror the game of hockey and the athletes who play it.

According to Ali Bologna, PWHL’s Senior Director of Brand & Marketing, the team wanted a name that felt truly unique to Vancouver, reflecting the city’s natural surroundings and authentic outdoor experiences. 

The Goldeneyes logo features a bold golden eye at its center, symbolizing vision, clarity, and focus, with elements that reflect the city’s geography and the bird’s swift movement.

Some notable aspects of the team’s name and logo include²:

Team Identity: The Goldeneyes aim to embody the qualities of the bird, such as speed, agility, and resilience.

The post Sportswave Welcomes The Vancouver Goldeneyes first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Enjoy the read:

Academic Readiness Program

Governors discussed the league’s continuing focus on education, including the status of the newly implemented Academic Readiness Program.

• Academic Database has had over 2,000 views from college coaches since its inception
• BCHL alumni make up 47.4 per cent of all Ivy League hockey players (total of 74)
• 40 league alumni are currently captains or assistant captains at the NCAA Division I level

With the meeting coinciding with the BCHL Showcase, the league hosted Richard Wolfe and Shawn Burt from the Athlete Development Alliance at the event. 

Wolfe, in his role as the league’s academic consultant, was able to speak with college coaches and scouts about the Academic Readiness Program, receiving valuable feedback about the initiative.

“Since its inception in the summer, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the league’s new Academic Readiness Program,” said BCHL Commissioner Steven Cocker. “The number of views that our Academic Database has received in such a short time shows that we are providing second-to-none academic and competitive exposure for our athletes, putting them in the best position possible to succeed at the collegiate level when it comes time for them to make the jump.”

“BCHL athletes have been engrained in the college pathway for years and know the importance that academics plays, as well as the rigours involved in juggling hockey and grades. This will continue to be a priority for our league as we strive to make the BCHL the most efficient and accessible league for colleges”.

The BCHL is continuing to explore ways to evolve the program, including more resources to aid in recruitment, entry requirements to schools and ensuring athletes are thriving once they have graduated from the league.

Scorecard

Governors also discussed the league’s Standards Scorecard, which was introduced in 2021 and has continued to evolve since.

As part of the BCHL’s ongoing mission to raise standards across the league, both on and off the ice, the Board was provided with an update on where teams stand and what the benchmark will be going forward.

“Since it was first implemented, our committees have worked tirelessly to overhaul the scorecard process over the years and, as a result, we have seen significant pay off across the league,” said Rich Murphy, owner of the Trail Smoke Eaters and Chair of the BCHL Board of Governors. “Our owners are competitive and are doing everything they can to show that their programs are among the best in, not only the BCHL, but junior hockey as a whole. Our newest members from Alberta that have hit the ground running since joining our league in 2024 with a number of great facilities and improvements. We are excited to see even more progress and development in the coming years.”

Business Workshop

The 20 team owners and business leaders conducted a Business Workshop during the second half of the day with organizations leading seminars on a wide variety of topics, including merchandise, events, hockey programming, restaurants, ticketing, lotteries and hockey camps and schools.

League Growth

The Board passed a new Strategic Growth Plan that identifies calculated opportunities for the league to grow in the near future.

The objectives of the growth plan include:

• Strategic growth in markets that push forward the league’s mandate in delivering a first-class athlete and community experience
• Protecting the quality of the league’s product
• Ensuring league-wide financial stability
• Building sustainable value for current and potential future franchises
• Continuing to enforce the BCHL’s role as a development pathway for student athletes

The post BCHL October Governors Meeting first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Returning home continues to be home ice motivation and given the support they receive they jumped out to an early lead in the second period against the Flames.

This game saw Richmond’s Quinn Orr get his third of the season after a scoreless first period managing to get set-up by Brody Lindal and Joshua Mytton.    

Knowing the pressure was on, it was David Yoon who finished a nice three way passing play at 6:12 that saw Dylan Nazareth and William Huo give them an early mid period 2-1 lead.

The Flames simply aren’t used to trailing in any game and you could sense that it wouldn’t be long before they got on the board getting their first at 7:48 on the power play making it a 2-1 contest.

The Sockeyes held the lead in the shot department after two periods by a narrow 25-21 and despite a strong start the Flames Manny Sandhu got his second of the game tying the game at two that put extra pressure on the Sockeyes.

The previous meeting September 30th saw the Flames not only outshoot the Sockeyes by 32-26 they also stole a 4-3 win  giving them their first loss of the season and that alone never sat well with the team.

With the time coming to an end and many pondering the game going to overtime, pressure was clearly on the Sockeyes that saw Quinn Orr get his second of the game, hammering a blistering shot from the point for the 3-2 win at 19:40.

To the frustration of the Flames they pulled out all stops only to come up short, unable to get the tying goal giving the Sockeyes to the delight of the fans in a contest that took 2:25 to play.

Richmond grabbed the games first two stars with the games first star to Quinn Orr,(2 G/0A) second star to David Yoon (1G/!A) with the games third to Flames Matthew Candusson who faced 56 shots stopping 53.

This season the Sockeyes welcomed a rare Saturday night game a short two nights later taking on the newly named Burnaby Steelers with a 5:45 pm start.

To no surprise they jumped out to another fast start with David Yoon (10th) opening the scoring at 10:19 with William Huo and Dylan Nazareth getting helpers that was the start of the first four.

Calgary’s Keelan Wyke got his second of the season and put the Sockeyes up by two with Brody Lindal and Teo Lin setting him up for a goal that was a long time coming with Dad in the stands watching.

We continue to mention shots on goal and this period was no different outshooting the Steelers by a 18-3 margin which everyone is getting used to.

The second saw Brody Lindal (3rd) at the three minute mark with Keelan Wyke and Jonathan Zhang working magic, setting him up for the 3-0 lead.

We are getting used to things coming in pairs for either a goal and an assist knowing that it was Dylan Nazareth getting his second point of the game with David Yoon and William Huo adding points to their total for a 4-0 lead.

With the second coming to a close the Steelers Trevor Chin put them on the board with the Sockeyes holding a 4-1 lead after forty minutes and holding onto a 25-10 lead in shots.

Richmond’s Kai Adano opened the scoring in the third at 1:15 with Lindal and Lin on the set up only to have the Steelers Ryan McCauley getting a power play goal making it a 5-2 Sockeyes lead.

Often goals can motivate and the Steelers previous goal gave the bench confidence allowing Amendo Sim get his first of the season pulling the visitors within two making it a 5-3.

The Steelers pressed only to have Calgary’s Carter Voll (5th) with assists to both Jonathan Zhang and Keelan Wyke giving them a 6-3 win.

To no surprise Keelan Wyke (1G/2A) was named first star, Dylan Nazareth (1G/1A) second star and Amadeo Sim (1G/1A) the games third star outshooting the visiting Steelers 48-20.

Next up saw the visiting Tsumani visit the “Fish Tank” who trail in the shot department with the Sockeyes holding first place with 22 points while  the visitors sitting forth in the standing with 14 points.

This game is extra special because the boys will be hitting the ice with pink stick tape in support of breast cancer awareness and we’ve all lost a loved one due to such a vicious disease still looking for a cure.

In conversation with some of the players they were thrilled  to support “Breast Cancer Awareness” and as a couple have mentioned “everyone has lost someone to cancer so giving our support to this is extra special.”

Sockeyes Beaudy Beaudin got the scoring started at 1:02 in after a long end to end rush set up by Captain Teo Lin followed by one from Carter Voll at 10:53 and one from Dylan Nazareth closing out the first with the 3-0 lead.

The second started with another strong performance scoring another three as Melbourne’s Brody Lindal managed a shorthanded marker set up from Teo lIn at 10:51 for their second of the period from David Yoon and a third from William Huo giving them a 6-0 lead after two  as well as outshooting the Tsunami by 22-4.

David Yoon and Dylan Nazareth each got their second of the game for an impressive 8-0 win outshooting the visitors 55-24.

Join the Sockeyer for Halloween in the Fish Tank and dress up in a Halloween Costume for free entry and check out the “kids Zone for fun activities and treats

The post Sockeyes Support Breast Cancer Awareness first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

The three day, three game tournament hit the ice in Richmond at the Minoru Arena the home of the Richmond Sockeyes who are one of sixteen teams in the Pacific Junior Hockey League.

The free event features game one was set for Friday morning at 10 AM October 18th with the remaining pair scheduled for Saturday and Sunday both for a noon face-off. 

The tournament is a celebration for the growth of Para Sport across BC with two new teams named the Vancouver Jr Blind Hockey & the Victoria Blind Hockey Teams. 

The 2025 Western Regional Blind Hockey Tournament presented by the CNIB Foundation returns to Metro Vancouver with three games on tap with the first played in front of various schools in Richmond with two teams competing in a best-of-three series with players drafted from across Western Canada and Ontario. 

Canadian Blind Hockey’s Vancouver-based Executive Director Matt Morrow mentioned “Canadian Blind Hockey is thrilled to see so much momentum in BC with our new Vancouver Jr Blind Hockey Team entering its second season and our brand-new expansion program in Victoria which begins in late October,” 

He continued “This is a milestone event for us as it’s the fifth Western Regionals but the very first time we’ve had players representing all four provinces in Western Canada.

There are now eight Blind Hockey teams across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba which really shows the tremendous growth of Blind Hockey across the country”. 

During the event Canadian Blind Hockey will be hosting our Try Blind Hockey Field-Trip program for students from across the lower mainland to try the Para sport. 

The event also serves to officially launch the 2025 – 26 Canadian Blind Hockey program season with the first Vancouver Jr Blind Hockey Team practice and will include a very special major partnership announcement. 

2025 Western Regional Blind Hockey Tournament Schedule: 

Friday October 17 10:00am 10:15am 

Opening Ceremonies 10:00am 12:00pm 

Western Regionals Game #1 1:00pm 2:00pm Children and Youth Try Blind Hockey Session 

Saturday October 18 12:00pm 2:00pm Western Regionals 

Game #2 2:00pm 3:00pm Vancouver Jr Blind Hockey Team Practice 

Sunday October 19 12:00pm 2:00pm Western Regionals 

Game #3 Arena address: Minoru Arena, 

The Para sport of Blind Hockey is played by athletes who are blind or partially sighted with approximately 10% vision or less – using an adapted puck that is larger than a traditional puck and that makes noise. 

The hometown Vancouver Eclipse Blind Hockey Team is made up of players from across the lower-mainland and will be sending a dozen players from Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, New Westminster, and Abbotsford. 

Program Director Luca DeMontis “It’s important for Canadian Blind Hockey to continue hosting regional events in different communities to give local Blind Hockey players the chance to play at home and attract new players who may have never heard of Blind Hockey or didn’t realize they could still play hockey with low vision”. 

He continued “We hope the Metro Vancouver community will show up to cheer these players on and learn more about the Para sport and hopefully introduce the game to some potential new players.” 

In addition to the hosts, players have been drafted from a dozen teams including the Calgary Seeing Ice Dogs, the Central Alberta Bullseye, the Edmonton SeeHawks, the Camrose Canines, the Saskatoon Puck Bandits, and new yet to be named teams in Victoria, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Chicago. 

Canadian Blind Hockey programs are supported nationally by the CNIB Foundation, the Daniel Family Foundation, Electra Health, and Manion. 

Programs in BC are supported by the Vancouver Canucks and Canucks for Kids Fund. 

The Western Regional Blind Hockey Tournament was funded in part by a grant from viaSport BC and the Province of British Columbia, and is supported by community partners Richmond Sport Hosting and the Richmond Sockeyes. 

About Canadian Blind Hockey: 

Canadian Blind Hockey is a charity that changes the lives of children, and youth who are blind or partially sighted by providing Blind Hockey programming including: introductory try-it sessions, development camps, regional and national competitions, and by supporting the Canadian National Blind Hockey Team. 

Canadian Blind Hockey proudly operates 12 teams across Canada and hosts at least four major events annually including our flagship Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament which is set to return for its 12th year from March 20 to 22, 2026 at Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. 

From the Sportswave Team it was indeed a pleasure to work with the Canadian Blind Hockey and live streamed the event.

Continued Success in a sport that is gaining popularity and scoring points with the general  public.

The post 2025 Western Regional Blind Hockey Tournament first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

They won the BC Junior A championship trophy the Mowat Cup advancing to play the Alberta Champions for the Doyle Cup. the Abbott Cup over Saskatchewan’s top team setting up a date for the Centennial Cup championship in Humboldt.

The Sockeyes were privileged to have some of the championship team on hand to watch the Centennial Cup Banner from the 87 Sockeyes hung up above centre ice that featured a professional on-ice  tribute to some members of the team who were on hand.

We had the chance after the first period to chat with Canucks broadcaster Dave Tomlinson who played in 51 regular season games with 43 goals and 65 assists as the leading scorer in addition to collecting 108 points while Jason Phillips was top scorer and Centennial Cup MVP.

Once the tribute was concluded it was on with a match-up focused on the return of the “Tunnel Series” in a contest that saw Delta’s Ryder Dunn open the scoring on the power play for the short-lived lead.

Sockeyes Captain Teo Lin got his second and 6th of the season tying the game as well as a go-ahead goal and his second of the game at 15:58 on the power play giving the Sockeyes a 2-1 lead after twenty minutes.

Delta’s Ryder Dunn got his second of the game an unassisted goal at 12:05 tying the game at two that saw the teams tied after two periods with Richmond outshooting Delta by a 30-17 tally.

The third was all Richmond that saw Dylan Nazareth get his 4th of the season at 1:41 that saw David Yoon getting his 5th of the season that secured the win in a game that saw the Sockeyes outshoot the Ice Hawks by an impressive 43-22 margin.

Sockeyes Captain Teo Lin was named first star with Ryder Dunn named second and Dylan Nazareth locking up third star as Delta scored one goal on eight power play opportunities to Richmond’s one goal on three power play chances.

The teams would have a return game in Delta at the Sungod Arena a short two nights in a match that was a reverse of the previous game that saw a march to the penalty box in the later stages of the game.

Despite the outcome Richmond continued to dominate in the shot department peppering Delta’s Armaan Kaila with 48 shots while Sockeye’s Massimo Urbani faced 23 stopping 19 in the loss.

Sockeye’s Dylan Nazareth got his 5th of the season opening the scoring for the only goal of the first in a game that saw Richmond outshoot Delta by a narrow 8-7 margin.

The second saw Delta’s Becket Cross get his third and fourth of the season, the first at 1:39 followed by the go-ahead goal at 6:22 allowing the Sockeyes Josuha Mytton to get the equalizer at 11:17 with Richmond outshooting Delta by a 14-6 tally.

The start of the season has been a rough start for a squad that isn’t used to a slow start in the Tom Shaw Conference knowing that this was a game they simply never wanted to drop.

Playing aggressive was what they did in the third that saw Colin Jang get his first and second of the early season fourteen seconds apart in a period that Delta controlled from the opening face-off.

In a game that the officials had to control from the opening puck drop saw Delta assessed 16 penalties for 86 while Richmond was assessed 15 penalties for 76 minutes.

To no surprise Delta stole all three stars with Armaan Kaila named first star, Colin Jang second and Becket Cross named third star.

Knowing that the pressure was on and teams coming after the Conference leaders practice wasn’t easy with the coaching staff reviewing game footage making the necessary changes for the upcoming pair of games.

The trappers made their first visit to the “Fish Tank” of the season hoping to pull out a win, that saw them have a solid opening first ten minutes only to have it reversed.

Sockeyes Dylan Nazareth opened the scoring at 12:16 with Yoon and  Huo getting helpers on the early start that saw a reverse of the first scoring play with David Yoon getting his 6th of the season being set up from Nazareth and  Huo assisting on the play.

The second was relatively more disciplined than the previous game that saw Sockeyes Carter Voll give them a 3-0 lead 12:52 Quinn Orr getting his second of the year ending the second with a 4-0 lead.

Voll got his second of the game at 16:35 in a period that saw the Trappers pepper several quality shots at Dwayne Paul-Cruz in a period that he played stellar between the pipes albeit in a losing cause dropping the game 5-0.

Sockeyes Georgi Milanov stopped all 27 shots he faced earning the shutout of the game knowing that the next game would be one that wouldn’t be as easy as this one.

Up next would be a road trip to the Valley taking on the Jets who wanted nothing better than to harpoon the ‘fish” in a game that saw them open the scoring 1:29 in as Alexander Jacques put the Jets up 1-0.

The Sockeyes responded with a pair of power play goals with Uyeda getting his 4th of the year at 3:11 setting up one from Captain Teo Lin at 14:54 finishing off the period with David Yoon getting his 7th of the season holding a 3-1 lead after twenty minutes. 

To no surprise the officials had their work cut out for them in the opening twenty minutes, assessing ten penalties to the home squad while the Sockeyes were assessed eight.

The Jets responded getting the early marker in the second at 8:54 pulling within one setting up a pair with Dylan Nazareth doubling up 4-2 in the score at 14:51 followed by Joshua Mytton’s shorthanded goal giving the visitors a 5-2 lead pulling the second period to a close.

The second saw the teams trade a pair of penalties setting up a strong third from the Sockeyes getting a pair on the power play allowing one power play marker by the Jets.

The Jets utilized both “tenders” while the Sockeyes used the talents of Massimo Urbani who stopped 36 of 39 shots he faced.

It’s not often that the visiting team can play in the other teams arena riding a high stealing all three stars with Mattias Uyeda 2G/2A) named first star, William Huo (4 Assists) and Captain Teo Lin finishing with 1 goal, 2 assists named third star.

The Sockeyes return home for a match-up against last year’s league champions, Ridge Meadows Flames who are looking to not just hook but sink the Sockeyes with the opening face-off set for 7:00 pm.

The post Sockeye’s Display Championship Banner first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Given the changes with the roster from last season the first order of business for the coaching staff was to get the overall confidence of the players which they obviously have attained.

As September wraps up the first month of league play they have managed a perfect record through six games with six wins scoring thirty-three goals. 

The largest and most notable stat for September shows the Sockeyes outshooting the opposition by an impressive 276 while allowing 145 on net which shows the overall explosive play to entertain their fans. 

Returning home they were facing the Chilliwack Jets who have been a powerhouse in the early part of the season considering the Jets have several returning players.

The Jets jumped out taking an early 2-0 lead in the first ten minutes of play which set up the league timeout which was the turning point of the contest.

Sockeyes Kai Adano opened the scoring at 16:01 with helpers going to Keelan Wyke and Mattias Uyeda that saw them trailing by one after twenty minutes.

The intermission seemed to be a turning point of motivation given that they came out with more of a jump starting the second setting up a pair of goals from Carter Voll at 4:36 and Jonathan Zhang getting his first of the season at 14:42 leading 3-2 after two periods.

They started the third again with an aggressive fast paced style of play grabbing a pair of goals from David Yoon while William Huo popped one in at 12:32 on the power-play.

The Jets found themselves trailing 5-2 and looking for a marker to get them back in the contest but the later part of the game saw them pull their goalie for the extra attacker managing to get one past Massimo Urbani making it a 5-3 contest.

For the Jets who were flying solo unlike one of Canada’s Snowbird’s they not only dropped the game they were outshot by a 57-27 total.

The next test was a road trip to take on last year’s champs the Ridge Meadow Flames in a contest that saw the Sockeyes dominate from the opening face-off pulling off an impressive 42-2 win outshooting the Flames by a 48-19 through sixty minutes.

To no surprise the Sockeyes grabbed the games first two stars with Luca Martyniuk named first star (2 goals) while Dylan Nazareth collected a goal and one assist in a game that was dominated by the visiting Sockeyes..

Returning home to the “Fish Tank” saw the visiting formerly Grandview Steelers, now the newly named Burnaby Steelers look to put an end to the winning streak the Sockeyes were riding.

Try as they might, the Steelers played an aggressive, physical game controlling the play from the start that saw the first period end tied at one with the Sockeyes outshooting the Steelers 18-12.

The second was again aggressive as the Steelers took advantage of loose pucks given up on the break-out the Sockeyes gave them.

Richmond turned up the pressure that saw Mattias Uyeda open the scoring in the second at 13:32 set up by Captain Teo Lin and Brody Lindal making it a 2-1 lead that saw Lin put them up 3-1 while playing shorthanded 1:32 later.

The Sockeyes maintained the lead but gave up on in the third finishing the game with a 3-2 lead again outshooting the visitors by an impressive 49-29 shots.

Captain Teo Lin was named first star with two goals and one assist while Mattias Uyeda was named second star with one goal along with his solid play while Steelers Landon Mailhot was named third star with one goal.

The Sockeyes were taking a perfect five game winning streak on the road playing the second year expansion Coastal Tsunami in Gibsons who to date continue to struggle in the early stage of the season.

It must be something about a road trip and a ferry ride that motivated the team to play not just aggressive but a disciplined game at times being “bated’ into the odd penalty mainly for what I refer to as retaliation style of penalty.

In today’s game that is more of the way the game is being played given the manner in which the rule changes have been implemented by Hockey Canada which are for the betterment of the game.

This contest was tied after one period just knowing that the Tsunami would like nothing better to hand the Sockeyes their first loss of the season, which wasn’t happening in this game. 

The second was all Rickmond with goals from Mattias Uyeda, Nazareth, Lindal and Beaudin finishing the second finishing with a 6-2 lead outshooting the Tsunami 32-17.

The third was more of a physical aggressive game with Richmond taking five minors while the Tsunami took six that saw the visitors score four goals allowing the home town Tsunami one.

The Sockeyes finished the first month with a perfect six wins continuing to press the opposition finishing with 33 goals while allowing 12 to end the month with 193 penalty minutes.

The dominating win saw the Sockeyes head home stealing all three stars with Mattias Uyeda was named first star, David Yoon second star and William Huo named third star.

October starts with the first game of the tunnel series against the Delta Ice Hawks who have relocated to the Sungod Arena in North Delta who are attracting a much larger crowd than in Ladner.

October could be more of a test for the Sockeyes with the opposition looking at handing them their first loss, which the Sockeyes look to avoid.

Sockeyes home games are Thursday evening at 7 pm at Richmond’s Minoru Arena.

The post Sockeyes Impressive September first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

As one individual told me it was a situation that if it wasn’t figured out not only were the players pondering where they would play but it was making the league “second class” given the lack of updates on their site.

Communication is the key to success for any team and while they all rely on volunteers any news is good news for any sports organization or any organization in general.

So what happened and what would happen to the 24 players who were signed and how it would affect their career is where and when Chris McNally stepped up and got involved and from what we are hearing was a key player in getting this resolved after the PJHL and the 15 teams finalized a deal dating back to Sept. 17. 

Chris mentioned to some “It’s official and the Cloverdale team are finally back on the league schedule which is an extremely positive step for those kids.”

Any other resolve could have meant that there would be simply no way the team would have been reinstated as a unit if the kids hadn’t stuck together.

McNally mentioned “They deserve so much credit for keeping the faith and for not giving up on each other or the process and they had every reason to lose hope and the fact that they didn’t gave us something to keep fighting for. So the kids and their families deserve so much credit.”

The first regular season game is scheduled for the Cloverdale Jr. Hockey Club at “The Barn” or the old (still in use) Cloverdale Arena at 7 p.m. Sept. 18th as they host the visiting Mission City Outlaws.

The Cloverdale team franchise had been suspended by the League noting that the league issued a 4-sentence statement Sept. 9th about ending of club operations. 

It read as follows “Regrettably, the Cloverdale Hockey Club has not been able to satisfy necessary league bylaws in order to operate as a member club in good standing, and as a result is not eligible to participate in PJHL-sanctioned activities which lead to a court battle between 7 teams vs. the league’s other 8 teams including the league office.

McNally mentioned this resolution centred around all 15 teams working together to find a solution that benefited the kids. The matter was not resolved in court.

“Essentially, the league got together with the teams and worked through a bunch of things, but in the end, it was determined that we could find a way to have the team play and we agreed to set (the court case) aside so we could get into proper negotiations.”

No question that the decision came down to what was best for the kids and the league which had to eventually happen.

“It was only ever about these kids—getting these kids their chance to play,” he added.

McNally noted a lot of credit goes to the community of Cloverdale for supporting the team even when they hadn’t played a regular-season game. 

There is no question that the topic had it continued was a “black mark” on the league but you have to give credit to everyone on the outside gaining stronger as the days went on.

“If folks hadn’t started petitioning, if folks hadn’t started raising awareness, if folks didn’t care, then I don’t think we’re here today,” he explained. “If people had just sort of ignored it, because it didn’t matter to them, because it didn’t affect them, this wouldn’t have happened.”

He said the publicity that was raised was also integral to getting the kid back on the ice.

“It raised an awareness about the responsibility we have as a league to find a way to get it right,” McNally explained. “Had we not had the community support, I don’t know that the players would have felt they had hope. People were behind them. And had they not had that, then it really would have been hard for them to not go and sign with other teams or quit hockey or be frustrated with it and just not stick together.”

The game is back on the ice for all 16 member teams and moving forward maybe it’’ll be back to business as usual

The post Finally – Game On For Cloverdale!! first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Where to play, what Junior leagues to get involved with and what will or possibly happen when  trading dead-line comes around?

That question alone has several players, coaches and yes even the player agents working to all decide what’s best for their respective players.

First let’s understand what non-sanctioned hockey actually is which on the BC Hockey site listed as any hockey programming (ice times, practices, games, tournaments, etc.) that occurs outside of the membership oversight of BC Hockey and Hockey Canada. 

There is non-sanctioned hockey happening every day, and participants are free to enjoy the game as they wish, but most organized amateur hockey in Canada (both competitive and recreational) does occur within the oversight of a Hockey Canada member or partner.

Non-sanctioned hockey, and Non-Sanctioned Leagues, are those formed and delivered outside of Hockey Canada’s membership, and therefore outside of the rules, regulations, process, safeguards, and oversight of the national governing body. 

Here’s the formal definition:

Non-Sanctioned Leagues include any amateur hockey league or program that operates in Canada outside of Hockey Canada registration and sanctioning. Hockey Canada and BC Hockey have no regulatory authority over unsanctioned leagues.

We had this sent to us for your reading noting that everyone has to make their own choice which can be a tough decision for not just the players, the parents but also the scouting crew.

The following note is from a parent who is quite blunt with the comments – enjoy the read:

Because people are realizing that “pay to play” hockey isn’t the answer. You get promises of 60-80 games a year, travel across the country to play in “showcases” all with the promise that your kid will get noticed by scouts. 

At the end of the day Junior programs are run by individuals who are out to make a quick buck on the back of parents’ egos. 

Bring back community based hockey! I’m not just picking on hockey either…it’s the same in every sport. 

A true epidemic. 

Why are we ripping our children away from home at such a young age only for them to be lost with no future in hockey by the time they’re 21 and already behind 3 years in college?

Not only is the unrest in the hockey world taking its toll on the players this is the most recent thing that might take its toll on Junior player(s).

We are hearing that any individual teams may be refusing to issue passes to scouts or coaches representing American colleges and according to what we’re told if you want in – buy a ticket!!

In addition the PJHL suspended the Cloverdale franchise which we are hearing that given the situation any decision is now in the courts as we have been told which we’ll let play out.

Earlier today I got an e-mail letting me know that the Bellingham Blazers Junior Hockey team who have operated for over 10 years at the Whatcom Sports & Recreation won’t be competing in the USPHL Premier league this season.

It was a difficult decision to suspend play for the 2025-2026 season due to many new and significant challenges facing the Blazers Junior Hockey program and not easy by any decision.

Moving forward they have their sights set on assessing the Blazers’ future direction and developing a sustainable plan for the long-term health of the Blazers Junior Hockey Organization.

On a Facebook post they listed “We are incredibly proud of the coaches, players, and teams that have represented Bellingham and Whatcom County over the years and we are also deeply grateful for the time and passion of our fans, billets, staff, volunteers, and sponsors who have supported us throughout this journey.”

Also noting that the Blazers community has always been the heart and soul of our program noting that they thank the community for being a part of the Blazers family and for their continued support and understanding through all of these challenging times.

We look forward to sharing our future plans and hope to see you at the rink soon.

The Sportsplex “Ice Rink” and “Indoor Fields” will continue to be an enormous asset to our community, and we will continue to focus on our mission of providing opportunities for youth activities in Whatcom County.

We are excited to see what the future brings and thanks to everyone who was a part of the Blazers family.

Sad to hear but no doubt they’ll rebound – just not sure when??

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