The Richmond Sockeyes have been awarded the 2018 Cyclone Taylor Cup.
The four-team provincial showcase tournament features winners of the Pacific Junior, Vancouver Island and Kootenay International Junior Leagues, along with the host club. The winner will represent B.C. at the Keystone Cup Western Canadian Junior “B” Championships.
The Cyclone Taylor Cup typically rotates between the three B.C. Leagues. This year’s event was hosted two weekends ago by the Creston Valley Thunder and was won by KIJHL rival Beaver Valley Nitehawks. The last time the Sockeyes hosted the tournament was back in 2009 when they defeated the Nelson Maple Leafs in the gold medal game.
Sockeyes president and co-owner Doug Paterson praised the City of Richmond and the club’s close working relationship for being able to secure Minoru Arena for the four-day tournament.
The team recently announced Steve Robinson as its new head coach, replacing Judd Lambert who stepped down for personal reasons. Now Robinson will be headed into his rookie season behind the bench knowing his team will be playing in mid-April, regardless of how the PJHL campaign unfolds.
Icing…
The league also announced it has expanded to 11 teams next season with the addition of the Langley Trappers.
The club will play out of the George Preston Recreational Centre and be affiliated with the BCHL's Langley Rivermen.
According to Paterson, who also serves as the PJHL chair, there is a good chance a 12th team could be added with Cloverdale and White Rock being the leading candidates. The only thing standing in the way is securing ice time, which can be a significant hurdle.
