Wasn’t that some great hockey action at the West Fraser Centre on the weekend?
If you were one of the more 2,000 fans who showed for the two games featuring the Kamloops Storm against the 100 Mile House Wranglers and the North Okanagan Knights, you got to see how much Junior B hockey has improved over the years.
Back in the day, Junior B hockey had a bad rep – winning hockey fights was more important than scoring goals and playing solid defensive.
Fortunately, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) has changed all that.
The motto now is turning boys into young men who are respectful and serve as role models for the younger generation.
These lads are being coaches to be good both on and off the ice.
They are coached to provide entertaining hockey – fast and hard skating on the forecheck and the back check, taking the opponent off the puck, with good passing, scoring and goaltending.
All of the KIJHL coaches are developing their players as well as they can, so they are prepared when the lads get called up to Junior A.
A lot of the KI players try out for the Junior A teams at camps in August and September. Some make it and others come back to the KIJHL for more seasoning.
So, Quesnel would like a Junior B hockey team playing out of the West Fraser Centre – sooner rather than later, please.
The local organizing group had a bid turned down last year and it was disappointing.
It wasn’t turned down because it was a bad bid and left some doubt in the minds of the KIJHL board of directors that a Junior B team couldn’t survive here.
No, there was a bit of rift between the Kootenay/Okanagan and the rest of the directors over the extra travel if Quesnel and Williams Lake, which also put in a bid, were allowed to come on board.
Obviously, it’s a viable concern for teams that may be stretched beyond their financial comfort zone.
Quesnel’s and Williams Lake’s applications were turned down because the league didn’t want to expand its footprint at the time and also wanted to determine the league’s future before considering expansion.
So is having a team in the KIJHL for the 2018/19 season a more realistic goal?
Well, Quesnel proved it would have the fan base to support a franchise here.
Pulling in average of 1,000 fans for two games proves this is a hockey crazy city and one with a very proud hockey history.
The City of Quesnel is a strong financial, volunteering community that has excellent schools and a college.
We just need a team to embrace and cheer for!
Ken Alexander
Quesnel Cariboo Observer