STIX n PUX BMHA Newsletter PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Now that Remembrance Day is past, we look forward to the Christmas season and spending time with family and friends. It also means tournament time. All the best to those teams entered in tournaments over the holidays. Burnaby Minor will be hosting the Pat Quinn Classic from December 28-31, 2018. Something new for 2018 tournament is the addition of a Female Peewee AAA Division in which our Wildcats Peewee A1 team will compete. Come out and support our Wildcats Peewee A1 and Bulldogs Bantam A1 teams As you may know, Vancouver and Victoria are hosting the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships from December 26, 2018 to January 5, 2019. BMHA, in partnership with Tourism Burnaby, will host an exhibition game between Team Russia and Team Switzerland at 18:30, December 23, 2018 at Bill Copeland Sports Centre. This is an opportunity for Burnaby to host the best junior players from Russia and Switzerland prior to the World Junior Championship starting on December 26. We have struck an organizing committee chaired by former President, Darryl Mah and will be looking for volunteers for the following areas: - Games operations - Volunteers - Tickets - Venue Operations - Team Services - Security - Media If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Darryl at darryl.mah@telus.com. The balancing period is over and teams have been placed into their respective groups for league play. A special thank you to all the Division Managers who worked with coaches and PCAHA to make this happen. Good luck to all teams in league play and the playoffs. Thank you to all team officials for volunteering their time and effort for the benefit of the players. They cannot play without your time and support. As always, please stay safe through the holiday season. Operation Red Nose (https://www.icbc.com/roadsafety/community/pages/operation-red-nose.aspx) is a service that will provide you and your car a ride home if you are unable to drive (i.e. intoxicated, tired, etc.) between November 30 and December 29, 2018. This service is available by donation and can be accessed with the Operation Red Nose App (Available on the website). Please consider your options and make a safe choice this holiday season. Season's greetings. - Lucas
BMHA s 5 th ANNUAL TOY & SPORT DRIVE Dec. 9 th at Copeland! Continuing the success of the past years and in the spirit of giving back, Burnaby Minor Hockey Association will be working with the Burnaby Christmas Bureau again this holiday season. The Christmas Bureau works within our community to ensure local families have enough food and gifts for the holidays something everyone should have! BMHA will be holding its Fifth Annual Toy & Sport Drive on Sunday, December 9th from 11am to 3pm in the Bill Copeland Lobby Come Help Us Fill the Net! As in the past, the Christmas Bureau has said that toys are great, but there is also a real need for sports gear & equipment this holiday season. A basketball, a baseball glove, a volleyball, a floor hockey stick, skipping ropes, hula hoops and the like would really help bring a smile to a child in Burnaby - It doesn't have to be anything expensive or high-end. With over 800 BMHA members, we can work together and so that other kids in Burnaby have a Merry Christmas! PAT QUINN CLASSIC One Month to Go! The countdown is on! We are getting closer to the Pat Quinn Classic Tournament, and we so excited be welcoming almost 50 teams through 4 divisions, from all over Canada and USA into Burnaby, including our very own Bulldogs Bantam A1 and Wildcats Peewee A1. We will have confirmed teams posted on our website, www.patquinnclassic.com. Follow us on social media for updates, and share your tournament moments with us at #PQC2018!
COACH TALK December Message from Peter Chau! CERTIFIED! Phew! A big sigh of relief! Congrats to all new certified coaches (and soon to be)! Well done! Thanks again to every new coach for taking the time to ensure you are certified. I know and appreciate that it takes a great part of your limited free time. Now that you are certified, let us not forget why we are all doing this. The players from all age groups and gender are looking at you for guidance and leadership. Please ensure sportsmanship is top-of-mind. As competitors, we all want to succeed but win-at-all cost is not a measure of success. DEVELOPMENT We have just completed the first round of various development camps. By the number of participants, it looks like these camps were well received and proved invaluable to our kids continued growth in hockey development. We will be having more development sessions in the New Year. As always, the executive team is looking for feedback from the membership on development ideas. In addition to skating specific skills, other potential camps include defensive and offensive skills focussed. Stay tuned! Have a wonderful holiday season! Cheers, Peter CATS CORNER December Message from Lee Poizer! RDT WRAP UP Despite Wildcat teams being shutout of the medal count, the 2018 Remembrance Day Tournament was a smashing success on every other level. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make it happen. Funds raised by the tournament benefit every Wildcat player by way of the annual year-end banquet and extra development. DEVELOPMENT Goalie development for Wildcats has begun with Viet Goaltending School working with a group of aspiring Wildcat goalies. After the first couple of sessions, the girls are learning a ton and having fun! Development sessions for skaters is still in the planning stages. More info to follow. WICKFEST The Midget C1 team attended Wickfest in Calgary Nov 15-18 and were terrific ambassadors for the Wildcats and BMHA. The defending Tier 3 champs from 2017 finished third this year while competing hard and demonstrating first-class sportsmanship. They even got the chance to play against the first-ever women s hockey team from India! A truly inspirational story about a group of women athletes taking up a non-traditional sport with very little support and resources. And a once in a lifetime opportunity for our hometown girls! Click the link below to read more on team India: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/india-hockey-womens-team-alberta-airdrie-calgary-1.4913154
Hockey Night in Canada Punjabi also did a feature on India s women s team which will air in an upcoming Saturday night broadcast. The HNIC Punjabi crew will be following up with our Midget Wildcats as well in the coming weeks back at home to showcase the passion our local girls have for female hockey and the diverse backgrounds and ethnicities that we represent. The Peewee A1 team attended Wickfest in Calgary Nov 22-25. For most of these players, this was their first real opportunity to travel as a team. And what a tremendous experience it was! The team went 2-2 at the tournament, playing teams from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Northern BC. In addition to the great on-ice competition, the team also met Hayley Wickenheiser, took photos with the Stanley Cup, skated at the outdoor ice rink at the Olympic Plaza, built snow caves & had snowball fights, and of course spent hours in the hotel pool. It was fantastic to watch the team bond and come together like they did, building memories that will last a lifetime. CANUCKS MINI GAME The Novice team participated in the mini game during the first intermission at the Canucks game on November 2nd. It was a great night, full of fun, popcorn, laughter and smiles. The girls were visited by Finn in the locker room, played in front of thousands of fans and watched as the Canucks went on to win 7-6 in OT versus Colorado Avalanche. - Lee WINTER BREAK CLOSURE No Ice Dates Just a reminder to everyone that the last day of ice before Winter Break is Saturday, December 22 nd for all arenas. The first day back on the ice is Wednesday, January 2 nd, 2019 for all arenas!
DATES TO REMEMBER - December 1 Team Official Certifications Deadline December 9 BMHA Toy & Sport Drive in the Lobby of Bill Copeland Arena, 11am to 3pm December 22 Last Day For Ice, all arenas December 23 World Junior Exhibition Game, Team Russia vs. Team Switzerland, Bill Copeland Arena, 6:30pm December 28 to 31 Pat Quinn Classic tournament, Bill Copeland Arena January 2, 2019 First Day Back For Ice, all arenas SPONSOR OFFERS SFU HOCKEY On Friday December 7th, the #CollegeHockeyGivesBack Teddy Bear Toss returns to the Bill Copeland Sports Centre in Burnaby, but with a new twist! At 7pm, SFU takes on defending BCIHL champions Trinity Western University Spartans. Fans are encouraged to bring teddy bears or pajama donations to be collected by Burnaby Community Services Christmas Bureau during the game and distributed to local families in need this holiday season. Pajamas are a high priority item for children in need, and SFU is calling on all hockey fans to come out and support an important local cause. Teddy bear & pajama donations can be brought from home, purchased online at www.sfuhockey.com, or in the lobby prior to the game. When the first SFU goal is scored, fans will make it rain teddy bears & pajamas from the stands on to the ice! SFU Hockey will also donate a portion of tickets purchased online, silent auction, and 50/50 revenue to Burnaby Community Services. SFU (6-4-0-0) currently sits 4 points behind TWU (8-1-0-0) for first place in the BCIHL. The cross-river rivals last met on October 13th when the Spartans skated to a 4-1 victory despite being outshot 29-25 by SFU. December 7th marks the final game of 2018 should offer fans an exciting preview of the action to come as the top 4 teams challenge for the 12th BCIHL Championship in March. Former Prince George Cougar (WHL) Nicholas Holowko leads SFU with 11 points, while former Chilliwack Chief (BCHL) Jaret Babych and rookie/former Coquitlam Express (BCHL) Mitch Newsome lead the team in goals with 6 and 5 respectively. The Spartans are led by sophomore forward Evan Last (13 points), former Moose Jaw Warrior (WHL) Brandon Potomak (10 points), backstopped by Burnaby native Lucas Mills (1.30 GAA). Tickets are on sale now at www.sfuhockey.com ($12/adult and $8/children/students).