Kent Valley Hockey Association

Robby Glantz Power Skating Coming to Kent Valley Ice Centre June 7th, 8th & 9th.

Register now for 4.5 hours of powerful on-ice instruction over three sessions, Friday through Monday.  Cost for the 3-day camp is $169.  The program still has some vacancies.  To register CLICK HERE.

Kent Valley (KV) Squirt A pulled off their biggest win in program history as they defeated Burnaby Winter Club (BWC) in an end-of-season tournament. BWC came into the tournament with a 52-1-1 record and ranked #2 in North America. Their only loss was in the semi-finals of the prestigious Bell Capital Cup in Quebec to the top team in North America.

KV was matched against BWC in the opening game of the round-robin. This was the teams third meeting of the season with BWC taking the previous two games by scores of 4-0 and 4-2. BWC jumped out in front 2 minutes into the opening period. KV came back to tie the game midway through the first. The tone of this game was clearly different than the earlier contests as KV set the pace and consistently stymied BWC’s star players. The team’s played a scoreless, yet exciting 2^nd period with both teams earning scoring chances only to have the goalies come up with great saves. At this point players and parents from other teams started creating a buzz in the arena as they witnessed the PCAHA Atom Tier 1 Champion being challenged for the first time in their home province. Surprisingly, the fans were fully behind the underdog KV team wanting to see the upset. KV sent the crowd into a frenzy with a goal midway through the 3^rd period to grab the lead. They followed that goal with another 3 minutes later to take a 3-1 lead going into the homestretch. With less than 2 minutes remaining, BWC pulled their goalie and put on a final push to close the gap. The constant pressure paid off with their 2^nd goal with 52 seconds remaining. As the clock continued to tick down, BWC continued to press forward, but the KV defense held strong and didn’t allow a scoring opportunity for the balance of the game. The crowd was on their feet as KV completed the upset and sent BWC to their first defeat in BC this season. The effort by the KV team demonstrated how far they had developed from the earlier contests.

KV not only created a buzz in the arena, but throughout the BC hockey community. The team received congratulations from all of the spectators and the coaches received calls from around the Vancouver area as word spread about the colossal upset that took place. Veteran NHL player Cliff Ronning commented that it was the most exciting game he had seen between Atom-age players and the effort and skill shown by KV was good enough to beat any team in the world that day.

The win earned KV the top seed in their division and a matchup against Seattle Junior in the quarterfinals. Seattle Junior was coming off their PNAHA Gold Medal championship a week earlier and were determined to prove themselves as the top Squirt team in Washington state. Seattle Junior converted a defensive miscue into the games first goal. That goal proved to be the wake-up call needed as KV put on a passing and skating clinic the rest of the way. KV outshot Seattle Junior 54-7 and won the game 10-2. Seattle Junior was whistled for 16 penalties as they tried to slow down the KV momentum. KV maintained their poise and didn’t draw any penalties in the game. Congratulations to the Seattle Junior goalie who put up a valiant effort against the constant pressure generated by the KV attack.

KV and BWC found themselves in the unusual position of battling each other again in the tournament consolation game as both teams suffered heartbreaking double OT defeats in the semi-finals. Both semi-finals were impacted by key players missing from KV and BWC.

As the consolation game started, BWC was back at full strength having their leading scorer return from a brief stay at the emergency room for X-rays for a bruised arm suffered in the 2^nd period of the semi-final game. KV played without their captain who left the Seattle Junior game with a high fever and returned home. Despite the setback, KV put up a valiant effort and pushed the pace. After failing to capitalize on some early scoring opportunities, KV finally cashed in with the game’s first goal with less than a minute remaining in the first period. BWC tied the game early in the second period. The team’s traded goals throughout the rest of the period and went to the third with the score tied 3-3. KV went ahead 4-3 with 8 minutes remaining. The team’s continued to trade scoring chances including power play opportunities. KV took advantage of a power play with less than 2 minutes remaining to ice the game with their fifth goal. KV skated to the 5-3 win and their 2^nd victory in 4 days over the #2 ranked team in North America.

The huge win’s give the KV players momentum as they begin the Spring portion of their program against more of the top teams in North America. For the season, KV Squirt A played a 40 game season of tournaments and exhibitions with 21 of those games against the top 5 ranked teams in BC. KV posted a 12-6-2-1 record against Top 5 squads, 10-1-1-0 against other Tier 1 teams and a 29-7-3-1 record overall.

The team achieved Kent Valley’s first BC ranking (#4) and proudly wore the KV logo and represented KVHA with class and dignity throughout the season. Relationships were established with top BC programs that will continue to provide the competition necessary to develop our players and prepare them for USA Hockey National Championship tournaments.