CJHL Rankings out, Wild in at #4

CALGARY, Alberta (September 29, 2015) – A new Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) season is underway and as usual, unbeaten teams are getting a good jump in each of their respective leagues. It promises to be another great year of Junior ‘A’ hockey action across all ten CJHL leagues with the road to at the RBC Cup to place in Lloydminster, Alberta May 14-22, 2016.

In Alberta, the Spruce Grove Saints and the Lloydminster Bobcats are off to roaring starts, and the AJHL is gearing up for its annual Showcase this coming weekend in Camrose, AB.

Meanwhile, the BCHL just wrapped another successful Showcase in Chilliwack, BC, and new Washington-based franchise – the Wenatchee Wild - are turning heads with a fast and fierce puck possession game, as they are working on a 5-0 start to the season.

The Nipawin Hawks and Melfort Mustangs are getting an early jump on the rest of the teams in the SJHL, while the MJHL is just a weekend in to its regular season, and it might be just a bit early to get a strong read on their teams.

The Fort Frances Lakers are off and running again in the SIJHL, while the NOJHL finds the Cochrane Crunch and Powassan Voodoos at the top of the standings early on.

The Trenton Golden Hawks – a perennial leading franchise - the is at the top of the OJHL, while it appears as though the usually tough East Division is also showing early domination.

The Ottawa Jr. ‘A’ Senators are being closely followed by the Carleton Place Canadians and Smiths Falls Bears at the top of the standings in the CCHL.

The Montagnards de Sainte-Agathe sit atop the overall standings in the QJHL, while the Dieppe Commandos are the early season leaders in the MHL.

Top 20 Rankings

1. Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
2. Lloydminster Bobcats (AJHL)
3. Trenton Golden Hawks (OJHL)
4. Wentachee Wild (BCHL)
5. Portage Terriers (MJHL)
6. Dieppe Commandos (MHL)
7. Nipawin Hawks (SJHL)
8. Fort Frances Lakers (SIJHL)
9. Cochrane Crunch (NOJHL)
10. Winnipeg Blues (MJHL)
11. Powassan Voodoos (NOJHL)
12. Penticton Vees (BCHL)
13. Melfort Mustangs (SJHL)
14. Ottawa Jr. ‘A’ Senators (CCHL)
15. Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL)
16. Coburg Cougars (OJHL)
17. Sainte-Agathe Montagnards (QJHL)
18. Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL)
19. Weyburn Red Wings (SJHL)
20. Minnesota Iron Rangers (SIJHL)     

Honourable Mention: Cowichan Valley Capitals (BCHL), Neepawa Natives (MJHL), Swan Valley Stampeders (MJHL), Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL), Smiths Falls Bears (CCHL) 

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About the Pointstreak CJHL Top 20 Rankings - The Pointstreak CJHL Top 20 weekly rankings are produced in conjunction with International Scouting Services (ISS) and are based upon a variety of factors, including the league in which the team plays, winning percentage, win-loss record, total points accumulated, goals-for versus goals-against ratio, etc.

About the CJHL - The Canadian Junior Hockey League is a national organization comprised of 10 Junior A hockey leagues in Canada.  The CJHL represents 131 teams and 3,000 players and has over 2,900 former players furthering their hockey careers at the professional, major junior and college level across North America.  For latest CJHL news and features, visit www.cjhlhockey.com and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/cjhlhockey or @cjhlhockey.

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Wild Slip Past Trail

Chilliwack, BC. – The Wenatchee Wild scored twice in the third period Sunday, breaking a 1-1 tie after two, on their way to a 3-1 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters in their second game in the Bauer BCHL Showcase at the Prospera Centre in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

Wenatchee scored first on a Kyle Stephan (Barrie, ON) goal, assisted by Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) at 9:06 of the opening period, for a 1-0 Wild lead after one.

Trail would tie the game in the second on a goal by Nick Halloran. Cole Arcuri assisted at 8:39 and the game was tied 1-1 through 40 minutes.

In the third, Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) scored on a wrap-around at 12:04. The unassisted goal put Wenatchee up 2-1. Then Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) would finish off the scoring with an empty net goal assisted by Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) at 19:31, giving the Wild the 3-1 win.

Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 30 saves for Wenatchee, including several key stops in the third period. Bailey Mac Burnie had 22 stops for the Smoke Eaters. The Wild was 0-for-4 on the power play and 3-of-3 on the penalty kill. “Overall, it was a good weekend for us.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “I thought we played very good yesterday and we had some adversity today. They’re (Trail) the first team that stacked three up, kept us from getting many odd-man rushes. It was really the first time we saw someone do that to us this year. Ewe didn’t necessarily respond to it as well as we would have liked. They made it difficult. I thought Trail played very well, more of a tight checking game than we’ve been used to. Overall, we’re happy we found a way to win. When we struggled, Chase Perry was there to shut the door.”

With the win, Wenatchee improves to 5-0-0-0 on the season, while Trail falls to 2-3-0-0. The Wild travels to Salmon Arm on Friday, October 2^nd, West Kelowna on Saturday, October 3^rd, then Langley on Friday, October 9^th, before playing their home opener against the Coquitlam Express on Saturday, October 10^th, with faceoff at the Town Toyota Center set for 7:05pm PDT. Tickets are available at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825.

Battle For The Border

Wild Edge Vernon, Win Streak At Four

Chilliwack, BC. – The Wenatchee Wild overcame an early second period deficit, then withstood a late Vernon charge, for a 3-2 win over the Vipers Saturday afternoon, taking their opening game in the Bauer BCHL Showcase at the Prospera Centre in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

Despite a 13-2 shots advantage in the opening period for the Wild, the game remained scoreless through the first twenty minutes.

Vernon opened the scoring in the second on a Steven Jandric goal, assisted by Liam Finlay and Odeen Tufto just 46 seconds into the frame, putting Wenatchee on the short end of a 1-0 deficit. However, the Wild would then strike three times, to grab a two-goal lead. Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) scored from Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY) and Alex Bates (Highlands Ranch, CO) at 13:42, tying the game 1-1. Wenatchee would grab the lead just 47 seconds later on a Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, WA) goal, assisted by Brandon Puricelli (St. Louis, MO) at 14:29, putting the Wild on top for good, at 2-1. They would lengthen the lead late in the period as a Tyler Rockwell (San Jose, CA) point shot found an opening and then the back of the net at 18:43. Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO) assisted, putting Wenatchee up 3-1 after two periods.

In the third, the Wild tilted the ice in their favor, but weren’t able to light the lamp. The Vipers did get a late goal by Jimmy Lambert off assists by Bo Pellah and Mitchell Oliver at 18:42, but Wenatchee shut the door on Vernon from there, taking the game by a 3-2 margin.

Chase Perry (Andover MN) stopped 19 shots for the Wild, while Jarrod Schamerhorn made 36 saves for the Vipers, as Wenatchee piled up a 36-19 edge in shots on the game. The Wild went 1-for-8 on the power play and 2-of-2 on the penalty kill.

With the win, Wenatchee improves to 4-0-0-0 on the season, while Vernon falls to 2-3-0-1. The Wild conclude Showcase play on Sunday, with a 4:00pm PDT matchup with the Trail Smoke Eaters. They travel to Salmon Arm on Friday, October 2^nd, West Kelowna on Saturday, October 3^rd, then Langley on Friday, October 9^th, before playing their home opener against the Coquitlam Express opener on Saturday, October 10^th, with faceoff at the Town Toyota Center set for 7:05pm PDT. Tickets are available at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825.

Battle For The Border

Wild Tops Langley, Wins Third Straight.

Langley, British Columbia. – The Wenatchee Wild scored late goals in both the second and third periods Sunday afternoon, propelling themselves to a 5-3 win over the Langley Rivermen, in front of 1,092 fans at the Langley Events Centre.

The Wild scored three times in the opening period. Tyler Rockwell (San Jose, CA) scored an unassisted goal on a shot from the high slot at 2:15, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Langley would tie the game on the first of Justin Fregona’s three goals on the night. Matthew Graham assisted at 7:20 on the power play goal that tied the game 1-1. Wenatchee would regain the lead on a Josh Bell (St. Louis, MO) goal, assisted by Konsta Jaske (Samammish, WA) at 13:51, putting the Wild back on top at 2-1. Then, at 16:46, Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) scored a power play goal from Kyle Stephan (Berry, ON) and Bryan Yoon (Parker, CO), putting Wenatchee on top 3-1 after one.

In the second period, Fregona would score twice to tie it. The first, assisted by Graham came at 4:46, the second, unassisted at 15:44, knotted the game 3-3. The Wild would regain the lead late in the middle frame as Stephan scored from Coyne at 17:58, putting Wenatchee back on top at 4-3.

In the third, the game stayed at the one-goal margin until the Wild would put it away on an August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) goal, off a turnover at the blue line. The unassisted marker, coming at 19:19, wrapped up the game for Wenatchee, who skated out the last 41 seconds, winning the game 5-3.

The Wild outshot the Rivermen 35-20 on the day. Chase Perry (Andover, MN) made 17 saves for Wenatchee, while Bo Didur and Nikolas Trenciansky combined for 30 saves. The Wild were 1-for-6 on the power play and 3-of-5 on the penalty kill. “We had some adversity on the way up,” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler, “I’m proud of getting off the bus as late as we did; we found a way to win a hockey game when we didn’t have out ‘A’ game. We found a way to score. You score five goals, that’s usually going to be enough to win. The mistakes that we had, we’ll go back and watch the video; we’ll take care of those next week. We’re going to be happy with the win today; we’ll make the adjustments next week.”

With the win, Wenatchee improves to 3-0-0, while Langley slips to 2-1-1. Next up for the Wild is the BCHL showcase at Chilliwack’s Prospera Centre, next Saturday and Sunday, September 26^th and 27^th. On Saturday, Wenatchee takes on the Vernon Vipers, with faceoff set for 3:30pm on Newsradio 560 KPQ. Then, on Sunday, Wenatchee meets the Trail Smoke Eaters, beginning at 4:00pm on 97.7FM KYSN. The Wild opens their home schedule on Saturday, October 10^th, when they face the Coquitlam Express at the Town Toyota Center. Tickets are available through the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825.

Battle For The Border 

Wolves Sweep Bellingham To Start Season

WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Wenatchee Wolves, proud members of the Northern Pacific Hockey League, were successful in their season-opening weekend set against the Bellingham Blazers, winning 5-2 on Saturday, September 12^th and 6-1 on Sunday, September 13th.

In Saturday’s 5-2 win, Denton Hymer (East Wenatchee, WA) opened the scoring late in the first period of a game in which the Wolves never trailed.

Richie Stickle (Healy, AK) and Thomas Hendry (Salt Lake City, UT) scored second period goals, staking Wenatchee to a 3-1 lead after two.

In the third, Hendry scored his second of the contest, then, after a Bellingham goal made it a 4-2 game, Johnny Schacher (Bakersfield, CA) wrapped up the scoring, helping lead the Wolves to the 5-2 win. Max Flynn made 34 saves for Wenatchee. The Wolves were 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-of-3 on the penalty kill.

In Sunday’s 6-1 win, Stickle scored twice, while Raymond Fleming (Palo Alto, CA), Hayden Givens (Portland, OR) and Tom Ignatovich (Seattle, WA) had a goal and an assist each. Brayden Durante (New Westminster, BC) also chipped in with a goal. Bronson Moore (Kennewick, WA) made 17 saves for Wenatchee. The Wolves were 2-for-11 on the power play and 5-of-6 on the penalty kill. “It was nice to obviously get two wins to start the season out.” said Wenatchee Wolves Head Coach Ryan McKelvie. “I thought our guys played hard all weekend and there was a lot of strong things to build off of. Obviously to start the year, we want to get better every time we get on the ice. To start the year on a good note was nice and we’ll just keep working to try to get better.”

Next NPHL action for Wenatchee is a home-and-home series with Tri-Cities in Kennewick on October 2^nd and in Wenatchee on October 3^rd at 7:35pm at The Community Rink. Admission is free.

WENATCHEE WOLVES NPHL HOCKEY

Wild Blank Prince George To Complete Weekend Sweep

Prince George, BC. – The Wenatchee Wild scored four first period goals and goaltender Chase Perry (Andover, MN) stopped every shot he faced, as the Wenatchee Wild blanked the Prince George Spruce Kings 8-0 Saturday night at the Prince George Coliseum.

Wenatchee opened the scoring on a Jeff Makowski (St. Louis, MO) goal 5:35 into the contest, assisted by Hunter Alden (Walla Walla, WA), giving the Wild a 1-0 lead. They would expand the lead on a power play goal by Joe Drabin (Rochester, NY), assisted by August Von Ungern (Boise, ID) and Brendan Harris (Las Vegas, NV) at 6:25, making the Wenatchee lead 2-0. Then, at 8:12, Brandon Puricelli (St. Louis, MO) scored from Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) and Logan Milliken (Canmore, AB), increasing the lead to 3-0. The Wild would add a goal late in the period, as Kyle Stephan (Berry, ON) scored, with Mike Coyne (Buffalo, NY) and Matt Burchill (Marshfield, MA) drawing assists at 19:32, giving Wenatchee a 4-0 lead after one.

In the second period, the Wild would add a pair of markers. Dakota Raabe (Dana Point, CA) scored from Milliken and Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) at 4:55 to up the lead to 5-0. Then, at 19:59, Tyler Rockwell (San Jose, CA) scored, with assists going to Stephan and Raabe. The power play goal gave Wenatchee a 6-0 lead through 40 minutes.

In the third, the Wild would score twice more. Raabe scored on the power play from Stephan and Milliken at 11:57, then, at 17:36, Troy Conzo (Nesconset, NY) scored from Matt Baker (Midhurst, ON) and Puricelli and Wenatchee would skate out the remainder of the period, on their way to an 8-0 victory.

The Wild outshot Prince George 41-23 on the night. Perry was sharp again for the second straight night, stopping all 23 shots he faced for his first BCHL shutout. Liam McCloskey and Alex Brooks-Potts combined to make 33 saves for the Spruce Kings. Wenatchee was solid on special teams, going 4-for-7 on the power play and 5-of-5 on the penalty kill. “Overall for tonight, there wasn’t much not to like.” said Wenatchee Wild Head Coach/General Manager Bliss Littler. “I thought we set the pace pretty quick, that we’re going to get up and down the ice, made some plays. It’s always nice to play with the lead. Again, we made a few mistakes and Chase Perry made a couple of big saves and allowed us to expand the lead. Overall, we had scoring out of all four lines, out of our defensemen, the power play chipped in with four, we don’t give up any on the penalty kill, generally makes for a good night. Overall, I think we’ve got to be pleased with our first weekend.”

With the win, the Wild improve to 2-0 on the season, while Prince George falls to 0-2. Wenatchee will next play at Langley against the Rivermen on Sunday, September 20th, with faceoff set for 3:00pm PDT. They will host the Coquitlam Express in the team’s home opener on Saturday, October 10^th, with faceoff at the Town Toyota Center set for 7:05pm PDT. Tickets are available at the Wild office, or by calling 509-888-7825.

Battle For The Border