The long-awaited Keystone Cup is just days away. With all six teams now decided the local Cold Lake Jr. B Ice is preparing for one of the most prestigious tournaments in junior hockey.
“It's a big tournament. There are a lot of skilled teams; obviously the best teams in Western Canada are coming. It's just an honour getting to play in such a big year-end tournament,” said Ice forward Christian Nypower.
After the team's run at provincials was cut short, following two losses and a tie, the Ice look to that as a learning experience to them prepare for the Keystone Cup.
“Throughout the year, there are only a few teams in the league that have the speed we have,” said Nypower. “Provincials was a big wake up call because each team was like that: just as fast and working just as hard.”
Forward Mike Harbich agreed that playing in provincials was a great preparation for the Keystone, noting that in both tournaments they play against teams they don't see throughout the season. Harbich said that he's confident in how the Ice will stack up against the other teams in the Western Canada Jr. B Championship.
“There's a lot of fast players in the Keystone, there's a lot of fast teams. I feel like us as a unit, we're pretty strong. We've got a good depth that's for sure and the best part about it is all four lines can play on our team. Hopefully we can be quite the contender.”
Being the host team, all of the Ice players feel the extra pressure knowing that there will be a home team crowd in the stands. For veteran Zach Zarowny, his excitement leading up to the tournament has deeper roots. Not only does Zarowny call Bonnyville his home, coming from a hockey family means playing in the Keystone is something the elder Zarowny brother has had in his dreams for quite some time.
“I've waited four years to play in this tournament so I couldn't be more excited. There's going to be a lot of nerves but I'm just going to try and enjoy the moment and take every game and play it,” said Zarowny.
He added, “My uncle played in two of them and he still talks about it and he's 40-years-old now, it's the best thing he's ever done. I'm definitely looking forward to this tournament for sure.”
Another Ice player that calls the Lakeland his home is Jamie Miller. A newcomer to the Cold Lake Ice this season, he knows there's more excitement but also added pressure being the host team and a local guy.
“Growing up there's never been anything this big for the Jr. B team, so for me to be involved with it it's a huge deal for me,” said Miller.
He added, “It'll be a good chance to show off to everybody what we can do…it's our town so we want to look good in front of our town and everyone we know.”
In the days leading up to the Keystone, the Ice are using the last time they have to prepare themselves both physically and mentally.
“Mentally prepared for sure. Every game is different but it's just a totally different style, each team is so much faster you've just got to be mentally prepared. You've got to be able to make plays under pressure,” said Zarowny.
The Keystone Cup is being held Apr. 16 to 19 at the Energy Centre in Cold Lake. The Ice will open the tournament, playing their first game against the North Edmonton Red Wings on Apr. 16 at 8:30 a.m. For a full game schedule go to keystonecup.ca.
Teams competing in the Keystone
The Western Canada Jr. B Championship features six teams, who each won their respective provincial championships in Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the host team; the Cold Lake Ice.
The team representing B.C. is the Campbell River Storm from the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. The Storm gained their right to compete in the Keystone by taking home the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Throughout the regular season the team came away with 39 wins and four losses.
The Storm's top player, Gage Colpron, finished second in the league with 84 points. Colpron also came away with 42 goals and 42 assists in 46 games played with the team. Goaltender Riley Welyk, who played 1,482 minutes for Campbell River in the regular season, finished the season with a .876 save percentage.
The North Edmonton Red Wings are representing Alberta after winning the Jr. B provincials. From the Capital Junior Hockey League, the Red Wings finished the regular season with 26 wins and seven losses. Top player for the Red Wings, Mikey Mantello, came away with 70 points and 44 goals in 35 games played.
North Edmonton goalie Joe Mandrusiak tended the net for 1,861 minutes in the regular season. Mandrusiak ended the season with a .919 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average.
Coming to the Keystone representing Saskatchewan from the Prairie Junior Hockey League are the Saskatoon Quakers after winning the Athol Murray Provincial Championship. The Quakers finished their regular season with 34 wins and only two losses.
Top player for the Quakers, Rhett Kehoe, finished the season with an impressive 110 points notching 51 goals and 59 assists. Goaltender Matt Richard had a .907 save percentage in 1,574 minutes played with Saskatoon.
The Thunder Bay Northern Hawks gained the right to represent Northern Ontario in this year's tournament after winning their Branch Championship for the sixth consecutive year. Morgan McKay finished the regular season as the Northern Hawks top player with 57 points and 33 goals in 28 games played.
The Selkirk Fisherman will be representing the province of Manitoba after winning the Keystone Junior Hockey League championship. The Fisherman finished the 2014-'15 regular season with 24 wins and seven losses. Cale McBride, the team's top player, finished fourth in the league for points with 66. McBride also netted 37 goals in 32 regular season games played. Selkirk's goaltender Jordan Liske saw 1,094 minutes in the regular season, ending with a .907 save percentage and a 3.07 goals against average.
Host team the Cold Lake Ice is coming off a regular season, which saw them pulling 29 wins and seven losses. In the playoffs the Ice emerged victorious for a fifth straight year, being named NEAJBHL champions after 12 wins and only three losses.
Ice powerhouse Christian Nypower once again led the league in points, with 78 in the regular season and 28 in the playoffs. The Ice's newest addition was WHL goaltender Bolton Pouliot who joined at the start of their final playoff series. In those six games, Pouliot managed .925 save percentage. Now back-up goaltender Cody Janzen finished the regular season having played 1,058 minutes with the Ice and boasting a .930 save percentage.
