Hockey Alberta Announces Officials For 2013 Alberta Cup, Regional And National Championships

Hockey Alberta announced Monday the 12 officials that will represent their zones at the 2013 ATB Alberta Cup set for April 25-28 in Strathmore, Alberta as well as officials selected to participate in national and regional championships.

ATB ALBERTA CUP – STRATHMORE, AB

The ATB Alberta Cup is the second stage in the Provincial Officiating Development Program. Each one of the selected officials first attended a zone camp where 8-18 officials are put through on and off-ice testing as well as game evaluations. Two officials from each zone are selected from the zone camps to work the ATB Alberta Cup.

“The talent pool at the zone camps was excellent once again, making the decisions difficult on each referee zone,” said Hockey Alberta’s Coordinator of Officiating and Operations, Kyle Baltimore. “The selected officials are deserving of their opportunity to further showcase their talent at the ATB Alberta Cup. We’re looking forward to watching and helping them progress as officials.”

Officials selected to work at the ATB Alberta Cup are evaluated and critiqued on their on-ice performance.

After the ATB Alberta Cup, officials are chosen to attend the third stage of the program; the Provincial Development Camp. This camp is held in July in conjunction with the U16 Male camp. The Provincial Camp is one week in length and includes classroom sessions, guest speakers, on and off ice training sessions, and game time evaluation.

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The following officials have been assigned to officiate at the following regional and national championships.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN/HELSINKI, FINLAND

Referees: Matt Kirk – Calgary

Derek Zalaski – Edmonton

Linesman: Chris Carlson – Edmonton

IPC WORLD SLEDGE ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS – GOYANG, KOREA

Kevin Webinger – Calgary

CIS Nationals

Female Referee: Lacey Senuk – St. Albert

Male Linesman: Scott Sharun – Calgary

ESSO CUP – BURNABY, BC

Referee: Rikki Lee Gavin – Calgary

Linesperson: Dana Argue – Sylvan Lake

WESTERN CANADA CUP (JUNIOR A) – NANAIMO, BC

Referee: Craig Domke – Edmonton

ALLAN CUP – RED DEER, AB

Referees: Jonathan Spurgeon – Edmonton

Colin Watt – Edmonton

Ryan Bonnett – Airdrie

Linesman: Matt Beaudry – Sherwood Park

Dwayne Yakubow – Edmonton

Michael Roberts – Calgary

Chad Huseby – Red Deer

Cody Huseby – Red Deer

Cory Lundquist - Blackfalds

The Red Deer Chiefs (Pacific) have won the 2013 TELUS Cup, claiming Canada’s 40th National Midget Championship with a 5-0 win over the Ottawa Jr. 67’s (Central) in Sunday night’s gold medal game at the Essar Centre.

The victory makes the Chiefs just the fourth team in the history of Canada’s National Midget Championship to win back-to-back gold medals, joining the Couillard/Gouverneurs de Ste-Foy (1978, 1979), Prince Albert Mintos (2006, 2007) and Notre Dame Hounds (2009 and 2010).

Red Deer got goals from five different players and 27 saves from goaltender Matt Zentner in winning the gold medal game with the largest margin of victory since Magog beat Montréal-Bourassa 6-0 in the final of the 2000 tournament in Montreal, Que.

Chase Thudium opened the scoring on a Red Deer power play late in the first period, poking the puck past Ottawa netminder Simon Hofley, and Trey Degraaf and Ryker Leer scored 67 seconds apart early in the second period for a three-goal advantage.

Chris Gerrie’s third goal in two games made it 4-0 after two periods and Ian McLellan rounded out the scoring with 6:21 to go, providing more than enough offence for Zentner, who posted only the third gold medal game shutout in national championship history.

It was the fifth gold medal game appearance for the Chiefs, who improved to 2-3 in the final. In addition to last year’s double-overtime win over the Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin, Red Deer lost in double overtime to Regina in 1994 and Prince Albert in 2007, and suffered a one-goal defeat to Thunder Bay in 1995.

In Sunday morning’s bronze medal game, the Rousseau Royal de Laval-Montréal (Quebec) topped the Saskatoon Contacts (West) 3-2 to take third place. Julien Nantel scored the game-winning goal with 6:18 on the clock and Joël Giguère had a goal and an assist to help the Rousseau Royal win the bronze medal for the second time in five years. 

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Canada’s National Midget Championship, TELUS has given $40 for each goal scored during the TELUS Cup to the Sault Major Hockey Association. With 129 goals scored, this amounts to a gift of $5,160, which TELUS has generously raised to a total of $10,000. 

“As a long-time friend of Hockey Canada, we are thrilled again to be a part of the TELUS Cup, the pinnacle of minor hockey in the nation,” said Nicholas Cartmell, TELUS’ director of strategic initiatives. “Because hockey matters to our customers and our customers matter to us, we’ve committed to the ongoing development and future success of young athletes across Canada. Our support here will amplify this development and leave a lasting legacy for the Sault community.”

The 2014 TELUS Cup will be held in April 2014 in Moose Jaw, Sask., with the Moose Jaw Generals of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League serving as the host team.

After a back-and-forth battle for two periods, Elizabeth Salyn (Edmonton, Alta.) scored a beautiful goal – and the only goal of the game – midway through the third period Saturday to help the Edmonton Thunder (Pacific) beat the Regina Rebels (West) 1-0 on, and skate away from the 2013 Esso Cup with bronze medals around their necks.

It was an equally matched game that remained scoreless through 40 minutes of competitive play on the ice at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre. The first period highlighted the stick-handling abilities and crisp passing skills of both teams. Edmonton and Regina also put plenty of quality shots on net, with the puck bouncing back and forth between zones frequently.

The second period showed off superb goaltending skills by Edmonton’s Chloe Sanderson (Edmonton, Alta.) and Regina’s Tatum Shand (Regina, Sask.). Despite plenty of solid offensive chances, neither team could seem to put the puck in the net, despite even power-play opportunities.

“Anytime you outshoot a team in the second period and you don’t get a goal, you know the odds become that you are going to get one scored on you,” Regina head coach Kim Perepeluk said after the game. “I was very proud of the girls; I thought they showed a tremendous amount of resiliency and really, it could have gone either way.”

Salyn said that during the second period her team just couldn’t seem to hit the net. But that all changed in the third period, when she received a pretty pass from player of the game Alexandra Poznikof (Edmonton, Alta.), set up by Taylor Hughson (Edmonton, Alta.). As the puck slide into the bottom left corner, the girls erupted in excitement.

“It was a relief,” Salyn said. “We were being out shot, we were in their end a lot, (but) we just weren’t putting pucks on the net, so once we started putting pucks on the net we thought, ‘Oh, something has got to go in.”

The rest of the game was intense, with both teams playing hard right until the very end. With about a minute of the game to go, a time-out was called and Regina pulled its goalie, but it wasn’t enough for the Western reps to score a goal and tie it up before time ran down on the clock.

Salyn, who is a first-year player, said that nothing prepared her for the intensity of playing seven games in seven days. Edmonton head coach Cassea Schols agreed.

“It’s a long, grueling seven days and seven games, and you have got to push yourself at every single one of them and you can’t just expect to win,” she said.

But in the end, it’s all worth it, Salyn said. “It was a long week, but to be going home with a medal, it’s awesome.”

Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the Alberta representatives participating in regional and national championships beginning this week as well as the results of the 2013 Allan Cup Final.

The Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) will face the champions of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and the Hosts of the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup for the right to play for the Royal Bank Cup in the only remaining regional championship.

For national championships, Bentley Generals from the Chinook Hockey League hosted the Allan Cup (Senior AAA) and won gold, defeating the Clarenville Caribous. 

The Red Deer Optimist Chiefs of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) will represent the Pacific Region at the Telus Cup (Midget AAA). The Edmonton Thunder of the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League (AMMFHL) will represent the Pacific Region at the Esso Cup.          

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

JUNIOR A (Western Canada Cup) – April 27-30, 2013 – NANAIMO, BC

Apr-27              Brooks Bandits             VS        BCHL Champions        3:00PM MT

Apr-27              Yorkton Terriers             VS        Nanaimo Clippers       8:00PM MT

Apr-28              Steinbach Pistons         VS        Yorkton Terriers             3:00PM MT

Apr-28              Nanaimo Clippers       VS        Brooks Bandits             8:00PM MT

Apr-29              BCHL Champion         VS        Steinbach Pistons         8:00PM MT

Apr-30              Brooks Bandits             VS        Yorkton Terriers             3:00PM MT

Apr-30              BCHL Champion         VS        Nanaimo Clippers       8:00PM MT

RBC Cup – May 11-19 – Summerside, PEI

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

SENIOR AAA – ALLAN CUP – APRIL 15-20, 2013 – RED DEER, ALBERTA

Gold Medal Game

Clarenville Caribous (0)                VS                    Bentley Generals (3)

MIDGET AAA - TELUS CUP – APRIL 22-28, 2013 – SAULT STE. MARIE, ON

Valley Wildcats (Atlantic)                                Red Deer Optimist Chiefs (Pacific)

Ottawa Jr. 67’s (Central)                                 Rousseau Royal de Laval (Quebec)

Sault Ste. Marie North Stars (Host)                   Saskatoon Contacts (West)

MIDGET AAA FEMALE - ESSO CUP – APRIL 21-27, 2013 – FRASER VALLEY, BC

Metro Boston Pizza (Atlantic)                          Edmonton Thunder (Pacific)

Fraser Valley Phantom (Host)                           LHFDQ Nord (Quebec)

North Bay Ice Boltz (Ontario)                           Regina Rebels (West)