There might be more than one 麻豆社国产Minor Hockey Association (SMHA) product playing in the 2013 Memorial Cup in a few short weeks.
Josh Thrower and the Calgary Hitmen are only five wins away from qualifying for junior hockey's biggest tournament. Thrower would be joining his brother Dalton Thrower, whose Saskatoon Blades gained an automatic berth for hosting the event.
But the path to Saskatoon won't be easy for the Hitmen. They took on the Edmonton Oil Kings in a deciding Game 7 showdown on Tuesday (April 30) and if successful would move on the WHL final to take on the Portland Winterhawks.
Portland was the top-ranked team in the WHL and will host the first two games whether it's Calgary or Edmonton that moves on. The winner of the WHL final series will then qualify for Saskatoon to take on the Blades and the winners of the OHL and QMJHL in a round-robin tournament to crown the champions.
Meanwhile in Nanaimo, Brendan Hopkins and Corey Koop are battling it out against some of the top young junior A players in the country at the first Western Canadian Cup.
The duo, key members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League champion Steinbach Pistons, opened play at the tournament with a 3-2 loss to the Yorkton Terriers from Saskatchewan on Sunday (April 28). The Pistons then took on the Surrey Eagles on Monday (April 29) and the Brooks Bandits on Wednesday (May 1) but results were not available at press time. The team takes on the host Nanaimo Clippers tonight (May 2) before the tournament wraps up on Sunday (May 5).
Last month also marked the end of the season for 麻豆社国产goaltender Brock Leach-Moore. The 14-year-old has been playing on the Bantam AAA squad at the Kelowna based Pursuit of Excellence hockey academy.
Leach-Moore recently took part in the U16 B.C. Cup and was the only local to play in the precursor to putting together the U16 Team B.C. He played minor hockey in 麻豆社国产until Bantam but will play closer to home for midget after being invited to play with the Vancouver Northwest Giants of the British Columbia Major Midget League. The netminder has also been scouted by the BCHL's Penticton Vees and attended a rookie camp put on by the club.
Stay tuned to The Chief for more updated on local talent in the junior hockey ranks.
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