The 2012 Male U16 BC Cup was held in West Kelowna at the Royal LePage Place from April 12-15. The top 16 Under 16 players in BC Hockey attended the four-day event.
Included in that elite group was Joe Surgenor of Courtenay, who played forward for Team Avalanche. Surgenor collected four points to help the Avalanche finish seventh at the eight-team event.
The Avs opened with a 4-3 win over Team Sabes, lost 7-5 to the Stars (where Surgenor tallied two points), were nipped 2-1 by the Flyers and defeated the Wild 6-3 in the game for seventh place.
Surgenor's four points (two goals, two assists) put him in a 12-way tie for third place in the overall tourney scoring.
Team Bruins won the event with a 4-2 win over Team Sabres.
Players advancing from the BC Cup will attend the 2012 Male U16 Provincial Camp, July 18-22 at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm.
The Male U16 BC Cup offers the top male players in the BC Hockey High Performance U16 Program the unique experience of competing with the best players in their age group from across the province. The objective of the program is to enhance the overall performance of B.C. athletes, coaches and officials in high level sporting events.
Some notable players that have participated in the Male U16 BC Cup include Brent Seabrook (Chicago Blackhawks), Brandon McMillan (Anaheim Ducks) and Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay Lightning).
The Male Under 16 Program was designed by BC Hockey to instruct and prepare High Performance players for future opportunities in the BC Hockey High Performance Program.
Open region camps are held in March for players 15 years or younger. From each region players are selected to compete in a jamboree style U16 BC Cup. A jamboree style tournament is when the players selected from each region are mixed together to form the eight teams.
The Under 16 Program also acts as a precursor to the BC Hockey High Performance U17 Program, which is used to identify and train players and team personnel for provincial, regional and national teams.