Logjams could develop at the top of both CIHL divisions as topsy-turvy Nov.-Dec. schedule unwinds

The peculiar game series that is the 2007-08 CIHL schedule for could easily result in a couple of Christmas-time logjams as the league’s powerhouse teams begin to separate the wheat from the chaff. With two not-unexpected home ice victories over the traveling 100 Mile House Bears, the Omenica Ice pulled into a tie for the league leadership with the idle Kitimat Ice Demons this past weekend. Loyal 100 Mile House Bears fans had been hoping for better results for the resurgent Bears as the Ice were short a couple of suspended players following the recent brouhaha in Terrace, but with a 5-2 win Saturday night, and an even more comfortable 7-3 victory Sunday, the Ice leap-frogged over the Stampeders to lead the east division with 14 points. The Ice could be expected go ahead of the Demons this coming weekend, with two more home games, this time against the Hazelton Wolverines, who have still to record a league victory this season, after absorbing a narrow one goal loss, 3-2, to the Terrace River Kings in Terrace last Saturday night. The Kitimat Ice Demons remain on the sidelines until Dec. 8 when they travel to Terrace for a single game, which could be critical to Terrace’s playoff hopes. Demons slammed the River Kings 7-0 in its last home game. With Ice playing two games this weekend, the Williams Lake Stampeders, who have been off ice since the Nov. 4 weekend, have only a single game tilt on home ice against the still-winless Bears, who can be expected to be desperate for a win. Stamps will need the win o stay within reach of the Ice. The Smithers Steelheaads will play in Terrace this weekend and the game will give Terrace fans another chance to see whether the Kings are an improved team. A win for Smithers on the other hand will make their two games in Kitimat, Dec. 16 and 16, their most critical games of the season. Three wins for the Steelheads would drop Demons into second place. With these two teams splitting tied shootout games in their last meetings in Smithers; Kitimat will be looking to the big ice at Tamitik to provide an advantage. The Houston Luckies, with a gritty 4-3 win over the Steelheads at home on Saturday however, leaves the Luckies as the wild card in the east, with 10 points, tied for second with the Stampeders. These two teams will go head to head in Williams Lake also on the Dec. 8-9 weekend – hence the major possibility for big logjams at the top of each division. However, no matter what the results, playoff positions are more likely to be clarified by mid- December.

Terrace to host 2008 Coy Cup and CIHL will to revert to a 16-game regular season

A shootout will be used to resolve tied games The Central Interior Senior Men’s Hockey League will revert to a 16-game regular schedule for the 2007-08 season and will introduce a shoot-out to resolve tied games in the regular season. The league will again play as two divisions but six teams will qualify for playoffs next year. The last two seasons have featured a 20-game schedule. The leading team in each of the east and west division will be granted a bye into the division playoff final and the two division champions will vie for the league championship Kal-Tire Cup. Play off series will again be best of three, with the team with the highest number of points traveling to the arena of the team wih the lower number of points for one game. Home ice advantage will take the form of a third game, if needed, in the higher-points team's arena. An open week-end will be included at the end of the season in case any weather-related cancelled games need to be played. Teams will endeavor to reschedule cancelled games at the earliest opportunity. The changes were among a number of decisions taken at the CIHL’s annual general meeting, held Saturday in Burns Lake. The B.C Amateur Hockey Association has awarded to Coy Cup provincial senior men’s championship to a CIHL location in March, 2008, and the CIHL executive has accepted an offer from Terrace River Kings and a Terrace Committee, to host the Coy Cup in the city, from March 3-8. While ties will no longer be a feature of regular season games, normal overtime procedures will determine winners of play-off games. Where shoot-outs are required, there will be no five minute overtime. Each team will be awarded a single point for the game tie, but a second point will be awarded to teams winning shoot-outs, which will take place immediately after full time. Three players will shoot, with additional players shooting on a sudden-death basis, similar to the procedure used in the National Hockey League. Rose Ruffell of Burns Lake was unanimously returned as League president (and treasurer for the coming season. Past president, Bill Blacklock of Houston will replace Allan Hewitson of Kitimat as vice-president, and Shane Brienen of Houston, will remain as secretary. All nine teams from Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Vanderhoof, Mackenzie, Houston, Smithers, Hazelton, Terrace and Kitimat were represented at the meeting. The league will make every effort to develop a schedule for the new season by the end of July. The schedule maker will attempt to ensure each team plays all other teams at least twice in the coming season, although home and away match-ups for all teams will be spread over the next two seasons. No new applications were received for additional teams in the league. Welcome to the Central Interior Hockey League CIHL splits into two for new 2006-07 season. New teams add geographic depth, create east and west divisions. The new 2006-07 Central Interior Senior Men’s AA Hockey League will see a new east-west alignment for the league, with the addition of two new teams, the Omenica Ice and the Hazelton Wolverines. The Wolverines will join the Kitimat Ice Demons, the Terrace River Kings, the Smithers Steelheads and the Houston Luckies in the new western division. The Omenica Ice, serving an area including Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and Fort Fraser, will play out of Vanderhoof and Fort Fraser, and will join the Mackenzie Moose, the Williams Lake Stampeders and the 100Mile House Bears in the eastern division of the league. While the season schedule is still being worked on by former CIHL president, Bobby Love, president of the Smithers Steelheads, the format for a 20-game season is expected to stay. E ach team will likely play at least two cross-over series with traveling distance and costs taking precedence over an even-schedule. The farthest traveling teams, Kitimat and Terrace in the west, and Williams Lake and 100 Mile House, in the east, are unlikely to meet in regular-season play. Omenica and Mackenzie, however, will likely see series action against the farther-west teams, while Hazelton, Houston and Smithers will most likely see cross-division action against 100 Mile and the Stampeders. The top team in each division will make it to the playoffs, with the two remaining spots allotted to the two teams with the next best points total, regardless of division. The playoff formula is expected to remain, with the team with the highest number points traveling for the first game of a three game series, and having two games at home, if needed. While the addition of two new teams will likely place some strain on the available talent in the Smithers, Hazelton, Terrace and Houston region, and will require the addition of some new names to the refereeing schedule, it’s not possible to predict how the new format will work. Both Hazelton and Omenica seem well prepared for the new season and both teams are working on player tryouts, as are the Ice Demons in Kitimat, the Kings in Terrace, the Luckies and the Steelheads, the league discussion forum is already heating up as fans in Vanderhoof and Hazelton line up for their say on the possible outcomes and strengths and weaknesses of the area teams. The Central Interior Hockey League wishes all teams the best for the new season and is looking forward to an exciting, but different look to CIHL play. CIHL Player of the Month Awards Each month the league selects forwards, defencemen, goaltenders and coaches who have excelled during the month. Watch this spot as the season progresses to see who is performing above and beyond... December 2006 Forward; Curtis Cardinal. Mackenzie Moose Curtis had 7 goals and 7 assists for the month of December. Defenceman; Brent McIsaac Omenica Ice. Brent had 6 goals and 1 assist for December. Goalie; Bret Vilness Kitimat Ice Demons. In 5 games Brett posted 4 wins and 1 tie while lowering his gaa to 3.22. Coach. Kitimats Mike Steponavicius. With 5 wins and 1 tie for the of December the Ice Demons look to be rounding into form for t he stretch drive. Guided his team to the best record in the league. Quite the turn around after last season.