Hounds tournament 2015
Play got underway Thursday evening in the tournament, which is divided into four pools of four teams each. While all of the clubs competing have to be considered among the best in bantam hockey in Western Canada and there is great parity, there are still favourites and that leads to surprises.
In the Green Pool the defending champ North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks were held to a 2-2 draw by the Sask Valley Vipers and goalie Carter Woodside. The Vipers are a strong team in the SBAAHL at 6-3-1 but NSWC are, well, the NSWC.
In NSWC’s 10 placement and league games this season they are 8-2, with their two losses coming courtesy of the powerful Burnaby Winter Club, one a 1-0 thriller in league play last week. The Winterhawks came back to get their first win of the tournament Friday morning, beating Airdrie, 4-0, with Michael Harroch getting the shut-out.
Another surprise in the tournament to date has to be the Edmonton South Side Athletic Club Lions (10-3 in the AMBHL) handling the Humboldt Broncos (7-1-2 in the SBAAHL) as easily as they did, 5-1 on Thursday night. The Lions, who earlier this month played an exhibition against the Japanese National woman’s team, winning 3-2, have won the tournament and are a favourite but Humboldt, with star forward Logan Barlage, is also expected to challenge.
The following morning (Friday), Edmonton were surprised by the Delta Wild Bantam Varsity team (10-0 in the CSSHL), 6-4. The Lions jumped out to a 3-1 lead and pundits who predicted the tourney might prove too competitive for Delta likely thought things were going to form.
But a spirited and fast-skating Wild club roared back to score the next 5 goals. The Wild were lead by Arjun Raman and Justin Sourdif up front and captain Matthew Cadden and Trevor Thurston on defence.
Each team has now played twice and other scores include Prince George and Humboldt tying 4-4, Burnaby Winter Club beating Edge School of Athletes (Calgary), 3-1, Edmonton CAC outscoring host Medicine Hat SEAC, 8-3 and Pursuit of Excellence (Kelowna) beating Fort Saskatchewan by that same 8-3 score.
Scouts at tourney
Ryan McCracken, writing for the Medicine Hat News, noted that since the Rocky Mountain Classic Bantam tournament began in Calgary three years ago on the same weekend, the two hockey gatherings have battled for attention.
It’s hard to say which is now the supreme test for Bantam teams in the West but, as McCracken noted in his story, each has plenty of scouts attending. The News spoke with Bill La Forge, director of player personnel for the Everett Silvertips.
“We make sure we have multiple guys here to watch this event because it is one of the biggest tournaments around,” La Forge said. “The Calgary one obviously splits some of the teams in half — I have three or four guys in Calgary and three guys here, too — but it’s still a must-see event.”
Virtually every WHL club has a scout at the games and a reason comes via an unofficial estimate from the chairman of the hounds tournament, Dale Fuller. Fuller says they host the tournament to show the “incredible talent” the West has and information he provides bears that out.
“As a matter of interest over the past 10 years I have been keeping a record of how many players that attend our tournament have been drafted into the WHL,” Fuller told DJ. “That number is 628.
“A few players that played in the tournament that are now playing in the NHL are Tyson Barrie, Evander Kane, Morgan Reilly and Medicine Hat Tiger alumni Linden Vey and Jay Bouwmeester,” he added. “With many more that have been drafted by an NHL team.”
The tournament continues with games tonight (Friday) and tomorrow morning play-off pool play begins. The scouts will be there throughout to keep tabs on a competitive and talented group of players.
(Note: Lead by goalie Geo Wilson, Pursuit of Excellence, a hockey academy team in the Canadian School Sports Hockey League, beat Burnaby Winter Club in the final, 3-1. The CSSHL is a relative newcomer to minor hockey in Western Canada and it was P.O.E.’s first title.
Another CSSHL team, the Bantam Varsity Delta Wild won all their of their round-robin games before being beaten in the quarter-finals by Edge School of Athletics of the CSSHL, 4-2. P.O.E. then beat Edge 5-3 to get to the final, while Burnaby Winter Club shutout NSWC, 3-0, to get there).
