The Comox Valley Glacier Kings will host the 2013 Cyclone Taylor Cup. BC Hockey made the announcement in a press release Monday morning. The Junior B Provincial Championship will be held April 11-14, 2013 at the Comox Valley Sports Centre.
The Cyclone Taylor Cup serves as the BC Hockey championship for Junior B hockey. The champions from the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), the Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL) and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) along with the host team compete in the tournament.
“The Comox Valley Glacier Kings are very pleased to have been selected as the host site for the 2012-2013 Cyclone Taylor Cup,” said committee chair Marsha Webb. “We look forward to this opportunity to showcase and extend hospitality to all of the teams, the officials, the fans, our league, our community and the BC Hockey Junior Hockey program.”
“It was a very difficult decision to select the host community for the 2013 Cyclone Taylor Cup as we had several outstanding applications from which to choose," said BC Hockey Junior B divisional director Brian Harrison.
"While each would have done an outstanding job it was felt that Comox presented the strongest bid,” he said. “Comox Valley has been a most successful franchise over the years and has a track record of being able to host such an event. It will be a pleasure working with the Webbs to make this one of the most successful Provincial Junior B championships ever.”
Webb notes the invitiation to bid came out on March 9 and was due on March 15. "We decided to submit a bid for several reasons. Primarily because it is our 20th anniversary and we feel it is a great tribute to our community and our fans.
"As well, our community needs something to get excited about as we haven't really had any showcase hockey events since the Olympics or the World Juniors. I'm not suggesting that this event is 'up there' with those but it is is the NHL of Junior B Hockey."
Webb said advance buy tickets to the public other than sponsorship packages will probably go on sale in the new year.
This past season the Abbotsford Pilots won the 2012 Cyclone Taylor Cup and went on to capture the Western Junior B championship, the Keystone Cup. The win gave British Columbia three of the past four Keystone Cup victories. In 2009 and 2010, the B.C. representatives won back-to-back Keystone Cups with the Richmond Sockeyes winning in 2009 and the Revelstoke Grizzlies in 2010.
The Glacier Kings hosted the VIJHL 2010-11 all-star weekend.
Playing out of the 1,400-seat Sports Centre Arena No. 1, the Icemen won the 1993-94 VIJHL league season championship. In 1994-95 the Yetis won the VIJHL playoffs and competed for the Cyclone Taylor Cup. In 2009-2010 the Glacier Kings were the VIJHL North Division playoff champions.
ICE CHIPS The Cyclone Taylor Cup host team is chosen from one of the three B.C. Junior B leagues in a three-year rotation ... the tournament consists of a six-game round-robin played Thursday through Saturday, followed by bronze medal and gold medal matches on Sunday ... the winner advances to the Keystone Cup Western Canadian Junior B championship ...