Western Bantam Hockey Championships

Tuesday, 13 April 2010 17:52

Written by HockeyProspect.com

The Western Canada Bantam Hockey Championships were played over the weekend in Burnaby, B.C.  The host team, the Burnaby Winter Club Bruins were looking to avenge a disappointing finish to a very successful season, one in which they went 17-0-1 in league play.

 In the BC Provincials, the Bruins lost in the final to their cross town rival, the North Shore Winter Club Winter Hawks.  By way of the North Shore win, they earned themselves a birth in the Western as well.   The representative from Alberta was the Calgary Bisons, who featured two of the top prospects for the WHL Bantam Draft, Jon Merkley and Morgan Klimchuk.  They rolled through the AMBHL playoffs, defeating Fort Saskatchewan in the fifth and deciding game in the AMBHL finals 3-2. 

From Saskatchewan, the Saskatoon Frostbite was the representative, defeating Lumsden-Bethune in a two game total goal series, by a count of 12-11.  Lumsden actually won the first game 10-5 before losing 7-1 in the second game in a shocker.  Lastly, from Manitoba it was the perennial powerhouse Winnipeg Monarchs.  The Monarchs had a dominant season, going 26-4-0 while scoring 228 goals and allowing just 82 in league play.

Day 1

The Tournament started off with a re-match of the BC provincial final, with Burnaby Winter Club facing North Shore.  North Shore raced out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first, which seemed to wake up Burnaby, who scored the games final 5 goals to get a bit of revenge and a nice boost of confidence.  Joseph Cavalho, who was named to the tournament All-Star team on defence, was the star of the game and scored the game winner in the second period.

The second match-up of day 1 featured the underdog Saskatoon Frostbite vs. one of the favorites, Calgary Bisons.  Saskatoon was able to hang in there, due to the strong goaltending of tournament all-star Brett Lewchuk, but in the end the Bisons were too much, led by Top 10 ranked for the WHL Draft Morgan Klimchuk and the strong two-way play of Jon Merkley.  The Bisons win 4-1 and also start up 1-0.

Lastly on day one, the Winnipeg Monarchs played their first game of the championships, tanking on the Burnaby Winter Club in a key tournament match-up.  The game was very defensive and chances were at a premium, but Winnipeg was able to score 3 power play goals, en route to a 4-2 victory.  Michael Lorange, another first round prospect for the draft, scored two goals including the game winner, while Madison Bowey, our second ranked prospect for the draft assisted on a pair of goals in the win.

Day 2

Day two started off with a match-up between 1-0 Calgary Bisons and the 0-1 North Shore Winter Club Winter Hawks.  North needing a win came out strong in this one, once again scoring first and taking a 3-2 lead into the third period.  But Jon Merkley was able to tie the game 3-3 with 6 minutes to go and keep Calgary undefeated.  Jackson Houck was a physical force in this game and really opened up our eyes.  Nic Petan from North Shore was all over the ice creating offence.  Petan plays the point on the power-play and controls the play.

Next up in game two was one of the biggest mismatches of the day, with the Monarchs taking on the Saskatoon Frostbite.  The Frostbite actually held a 1-0 lead after the first period on a goal by 96 born Braden Oleksyn, who isn’t even available for the draft until next season.  In fact Oleksyn scored all 6 Saskatoon Frostbite goals and missed two penalty shots in the tournament as well.  Back to the game, the Monarchs came out firing in the 2^nd, scoring 5 goals on 24 shots to grab a 5-2 lead after 2.  The game ended 6-2 with a goal from tournament All-star Madison Bowey.

Also on day two, it was Calgary vs. Burnaby in a doozy of a match-up.  Burnaby sailed to a 2-0 lead after two, only allowing the talented Calgary Bisons squad 11 shots through two periods of play.  In the 3^rd, Calgary was able to score a couple and tied Burnaby 2-2.  Jon Merkley was a force at both ends of the ice all game long.

Lastly on day two, another good match-up took place between North Shore and Winnipeg.  North Shore stars Nic Petan, who fired 76 regular season goals and power forward Jackson Houck  both scored in the second period, to give them a 2-1 lead heading to the third in a must win scenario.  In the 3^rd though, Winnipeg’s “big five” of Stoykewich, Bowey on defence and the line of Keats, Lorange and Martin played about 14 minutes and allowed Michael Lorange to score twice, to give the Monarchs a 3-2 victory and a 3-0 record and a guarantee to the finals.

Day 3

Day 3 started off with a deflated Saskatoon Frostbite AA team facing a Western Canadian powerhouse in Burnaby.  This game wasn’t pretty, as Burnaby out shot Saskatoon in the first 22-1 and led 5-0.  Top 10 hockeyprospect.com ranked Anthony Ast was all over the ice in this game.  Burnaby cruised to an 8-1 victory, firing 51 shots.

Game 2 featured a Winnipeg Monarch team guaranteed a birth in the final facing a hungry Calgary Bisons team, who needed a win to advance to the tournament final.  The combo of Klimchuk and Merkley were dynamite and all over the ice in this one and proved to be too much even for the defensive combo of Stoykewich and Bowey.  Merkley and Klimchuk each had 3 points in the 7-2 drubbing.

The final game of the day was a meaningless game, but featured an angry North Shore Winter Club team facing a Saskatoon team who knew they were in over their heads in this tournament.  North Shore fired 62 shots, including 29 in the 3^rd en route to a 3-2 victory.  Tournament all-star goalie Brett Lewchuk stopped 59 shots in this one!  North Shore actually needed 2 goals in the third period to come away with the win. Both goals came from Jarrid Lukosevius.

Day 4

Day Four started off with the bronze medal game, which was a re-match once again of the BC provincial final, with North Shore facing Burnaby Winter clubs.  The game was a very intense, tight checking affair with the shots only 22-13 entering overtime.  The game went to double overtime and Burnaby finally got their revenge, winning 2-1.  Hewitt took a feed from Captain Joe Cavalho for the win and some sweet revenge and the bronze medal.

The Final was a rematch of Day 3, featuring the Winnipeg Monarchs and the Calgary Bisons.  These two teams were two of the most dominant teams in their respective provinces all season long and also featured a combined 4-5 players projected to go in the first round by hockeyprospect.com.  Madison Bowey, Paul Stoykewich and possibly Michael Lorange from Winnipeg and Jon Merkely and Morgan Klimchuk from Calgary who are two of our top 10 for the WHL Bantam Draft. 

In the first period, role player Trevor Slama gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead after the first.  In the Second, Calgary was able to get the all important 2^nd goal from tournament MVP Morgan Klimchuk and the game was tied 1-1 going to the 3^rd, setting up a fantastic finish.  1996 born and 5’1” talented Brayden Point gave Calgary the 2-1 lead.  However the lead was short lived, as Winnipeg score twice in 5 minutes on goals by Hanson and second round prospect Kurt Keats to give Winnipeg a 3-2 lead late.  However, Morgan Klimchuk forced overtime from Merkley with just 2:06 left in the game. In Overtime Winnipeg won the championship, coming on a goal by Cory Haverstick and fittingly Madison Bowey and Kurt Keats picked up assists on the play.  Bowey and Keats were outstanding in this tournament and have cemented themselves as top players for the bantam draft.

Hockeyprospect.com top 10 players from the tournament

1.                            Morgan Klimchuk (Calgary Bisons) – Morgan is a talented, speedy winger who plays the wing, but takes the face-off on the right wing side.  Morgan battled injury throughout the season but entered the tournament healthy and played some inspired hockey.  Klimchuk led the tournament in scoring with 6-4-10 in 5 games and was named to the first all-star squad.

2.                            Madison Bowey (Winnipeg Monarchs) - Bowey was a man among boys on defence in this tournament.  He loves to rush the puck and is able to plow through other players with his size and skill.  Madison is a converted forward who plays a Dan Boyle style of game and will project to be a dominant player at the next level.  We like Madison as the top defenceman for the Bantam Draft and the hockeyprospect.com #2 overall prospect.

3.                            Jon Merkley (Calgary Bisons) – If you want a two-way forward with skill and who can win face-offs, then Merkley is your man.  Merkley shows tremendous leadership and maturity beyond his years in all three zones of the ice.  Merkley is a set-up man and the life-line of the Calgary Bisons.  His leadership qualities and two-way game make Jon Merkley a top 10 ranked WHL Bantam Draft prospect.

4.                            Anthony Ast (Burnaby Winter Club Bruins) – Anthony is another dynamic player who plays all three zones and shows tremendous leadership and skating ability.  At times, Anthony was well ahead of the play and his team-mates had trouble keeping up with his speed and ability.  Anthony is another top 10 WHL Bantam Draft prospect we feel.

5.                            Nic Petan (North Shore Winter Club) – Nic didn’t put up the numbers he may have wanted to in Westerns, but his skill set is undeniable.  Nic is a smallish, skilled player who demonstrates leadership, vision and speed.  In a game where speed and offence are becoming more and more important, look for Nic to be a first round selection and maybe even top 10 in the WHL Bantam Draft.

6.                            Paul Stoykewich (Winnipeg Monarchs) – The “other” defenceman on the Monarchs who sometimes doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, due to playing under the shadow of Bowey.  However Stoykewich is a solid, stay at home defenceman with a good shot from the point that usually hits the net and creates things.  He is a good one on one player and very steady.

7.                            Joseph Cavalho (Burnaby Winter Club Bruins) – “Joe” is the captain of the Bruins and sometimes isn’t noticeable, as he looks after his own end first and foremost.  He isn’t overly flashing and doesn’t take the chance of say Bowey, but he is steady, confident and displays good offensive talent and runs the Burnaby Winter Club power-play.

8.                            Braden Oleksyn (Saskatoon Frostbite) – Olekysn was the only player keeping the Frostbite from possibly not even scoring a goal in the tournament.  He is a 1996 first year bantam player, who scored all 6 Frostbite goals and came close to even more, as he missed on two awarded penalty shots.  Oleksyn will be a top player to watch for in next season’s draft.

9.                            Jackson Houck (North Shore Winter Club) – Jackson is a prototypical strapping 6’0”, 180 lb 14 year old, who has WHL power forward written all over him.  He laid several huge hits in the tournament and showed a good shot and decision making throughout.  We like Jackson in the 2^nd round.

10.                        Brett Lewchuk (Saskatoon Frostbite) – Outstanding young goalie who was under fire in the tournament and did all he could to hold his team in.  He came close to stealing a few games, including a 59 save 3-2 loss performance vs. North Shore.  In the only game he didn’t play for the Frostbite, his team lost 8-1.

Honorable Mention:

Brayden Point (Calgary Bisons) – 1996 born 5’1 centerman with tremendous skill.  Tanner should be a first rounder next season if he can grow a bit.

Michael Lorange (Winnipeg Monarchs) – Power forward playing on Winnipeg’s top line with shifty Kurt Keats.

Kurt Keats (Winnipeg Monarchs) – Shifty forward with good skill and grit.  Kurt is a bit on the small side but we like him as a 2^nd -3^rd rounder.

Hockeyprospect.com All-Stars:

F- Morgan Klimchuk – Calgary Bisons

F- Jon Merkely – Calgary Bisons

F- Nic Petan – North Shore Winter Club

D- Joe Cavalho – Burnaby Winter Club

D- Madison Bowey – Winnipeg Monarchs

G- Brett Lewchuk – Saskatoon Frosbite

Hockeyprospect.com MVP:

F- Morgan Klimchuk – Calgary Bisons

Scoring Leaders:

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