Fernie Ghostriders

By the time you read this the Ghostriders will have already held their main training camp and will be well into their four game exhibition schedule. The last home game before the regular season starts is on Saturday September 4th, vs. Kimberley. After that the boys will be out of town for a couple of weekends playing games in Kamloops and Armstrong on the first weekend then on to Creston and finally in Golden before coming home on the 24th to face the rival Creston Thundercats.

The Ghostriders seem to be stockpiling an excess of players in the offseason but that’s because some of the players Fernie Coach Will Verner has picked up are pretty good and have a shot at playing Jr. “A”. Most of them will try out at that level first and some of them may never play a game with the Riders. So with that in mind Verner keeps on acquiring the CHA rights to as many veteran players as he can and last week he completed one trade and started another with the KIJHL’s newest franchise, the Kelowna Chiefs. Well they’re not actually new, Kelowna, in a very controversial (we like that) move relocated from Chase, BC last spring. Below is the press release from the Ghostrider office.

The Fernie Ghostriders are excited to add Jordan Cool and Kevin Monfette from the Kelowna Chiefs (formerly the Chase Chiefs.) Monfette completed the Tyson Bentley trade from 2009 and we acquired Cool for future considerations. Jordan Cool played 2 games for the Riders last season before we moved him to Chase due to numbers and opportunity. In 39 games last year Jordan had 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points. Jordan will attend camp in Prince George before coming to Fernie.

0Kevin Monfette will be a strong member of our blue-line. Kevin skates well, moves the puck well and in 50 games last season he registered 5 goals and 15 assists. Kevin will attend Junior ‘A’ camp before heading to Fernie.

And finally, Sparwood’s Michael Anderson is a player everyone is hoping can take another step in what has been his continual development. Here’s Coach Verner on his 19 year old forward. “Michael Anderson is coming into his 3rd year and we expect him to be a big part of our leadership group and we expect him to break out offensively. Last season Michael became a very reliable player that learned to be one of our top penalty killers. He was also able to chip in with 8 goals, 12 assists in the 44 games he played.”

By George Hurlbut

Friday, July 2, 2010

Click on the underlined links for more on Coyle.

Back in 2006 one of the Ghostriders two sixteen year olds in camp was a Cranbrook kid named  Jace Coyle.  The young defenseman impressed at camp,made the team and by the end of the year he was named as the  Riders best defenseman.  What made Coyle stand out from the rest of the players in the league was his exceptional skating ability. And his skating did not go un noticed for long as Spokane Chief head scout Chris Moulton soon listed him with the WHL club. Coyle played a big part in the Ghostriders KIJHL Championship win that year then went on to Spokane the next year. Jace was later traded to Medicine Hat where he played up until last season. Coyle, at 20, is eligable to play in the Hat again this year.
On July 1st Coyle was signed by the Dallas Stars to a three year entry level contract and is currently in a Stars’ development camp in Frisco, Texas, right now.

The Fernie Ghostriders have made a few moves since the end of the season and we’ll list them here starting with the hardnosed # 22 Zach Fridella who was traded to the Kerry Park Islanders in a three way deal that sees Tyrell Turgeon end up in Fernie.

Here’s Coach Will Verner on Turgeon. “We are excited to add Tyrell Turgeon to our club and look forward to him helping us reach our goal of winning the Cyclone Taylor Cup. During the 2009-2010 season Tyrell recorded 24 goals, 30 assists for 54 points in 41 games. During the 2009-2010 season Tyrell finished 7th in the VIJHL scoring with the Panthers and helped them capture the VIJHL championship and Silver medal at the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Turgeon competes and plays with an edge that can be seen in the 132 penalty minutes he recorded last season. To add a player with championship experience is important for us as we look to build a team to win the Cyclone Taylor Cup in Fernie. Tyrell is excited about the opportunity to come to Fernie and have a 2nd shot at winning the Cyclone Taylor Cup”.

 Last season the Riders acquired Darrell Bolden from the Columbia Valley Rockies. Boldon wore # 5 and had a fairly good run here in Fernie scoring a few nice goals with his great wrist shot. The deal with Invermere was Boldon would go back to Invermere this season with the high scoring # 8 Matt MacDonald. So it turns out that Boldon was just loaned to Fernie and the interest was MacDonald. The thought process was that both players would be twenty this year and you can only have 4 twenty year old players.

 A few of last year’s players are heading off to school in the fall where they will play hockey. First of all  Tim Crawley who was the Team Captain last year is off to the Portage College Voyageurs.

Once again here’s Will Verner  ”We are pleased to announce that Tim Crawley will be heading to Portage College to go to school and play hockey for the Voyageurs.
“Tim played the better parts of 4 seasons with our club and was a member of the 2007 championship team. This past season Tim did an outstanding job captaining our club to a leagues best 41-7-2 record. Tim will take general 1st year courses and do some upgrading during his 1st year of post secondary schooling. We wish team much success with his new adventure”.

Jason Greenwell, who starred with the Ghostriders in net for the last three seasons, is heading off to Norwich University. Greenwell won a Championship here in Fernie and his departure will leave a big hole in the lineup this year. Here’s the press release. 

The Fernie Ghostriders are pleased to announce that Jason Greenwell has committed to attend Norwich University, a private University located in Northfield Vermont.

  Jason will study communications and he will be among three goalies competing to be the starting goaltender for the Norwich Cadets.  The Cadets are coming off their 3rd national championship in 10 years after beating St. Norbert 2-1 in double Overtime.  The Cadets play at the NCAA Division III level and are in the ECAC confernece. The team is coached by Coach Mike McShane who was also honored this year as the 2009-2010 AHCA Coach of the year.  We wish Jason well with his studies and his new hockey adventure.  More information on Norwich University can be found at www.norwich.edu 

James Werner wore # 17 last year and was one of the top Ghostrider forwards will also head off to College. Werner is a little different as he was eligible to play this season but elected to further his education  at Iowa State University. Below is the press release.

Fernie Coach Will Verner
“The Fernie Ghostriders are pleased to announce that James Werner has accepted the opportunity to play hockey at Iowa State University for the Iowa State Cyclones. In 2009-2010 The Cyclones were a top team in the ACHA Conference, Division 1 as they recorded a record or 30 wins, 12 losses and 4 ties finishing 2nd in the Nation.

James is the 3rd commitment to play hockey at the college level from our roster and we wish him well with his new adventures both on and off the ice. Congratulations James.
And finally the final press release from Will Verner

The Fernie Ghostriders have acquired the CHA playing rights of goaltender Matt Johnson, 1991, from the Squamish Wolf Pack for future considerations. Matt is 6′2″ 190 Lbs and a veteran of two seasons at the Junior ‘B’ level. During the 2008-2009 season Matt played for the Abbotsford Pilots who represented the PIJHL at the Cyclone Taylor Cup in Richmond. Matt is familiar with the Kootenays as he played his 2007-2008 season with the major midget Kootaney Ice. To add a goaltender with 2 years of experience and a player who has been apart of the Cylcone Taylor Cup is exciting for our club. Matt will attend a NAHL and BCHL camp prior to coming to Fernie. It is important that we continue to add depth to our organization as we look to build a team to win the Gold medal at the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Camp is going to be very competitive at every position and we are working hard to ensure that our team is very competitive from the drop of the 1st puck September 10, 2010.

The Fernie Ghostriders held their Annual General Meeting and Election of Officers on May 11 this year and the big news at the meeting was that for the first time in six years (or since the Riders joined the KIJHL) the hockey team lost some real money. The damages last season were $17,067. But reigning Team President Phil Iddon -photo-was not too worried about the loss and even said, “The sky is not falling” Iddon pointed out to the faithful at the meeting there were a few one time expenses that were the difference between a balanced budget and the loss the team had last season and that there were a few things they could change to stop the bleeding.

 Some of the onetime costs the team had last season were, The live game broadcasts on the internet that cost $3300. The new computer for the web casting that cost $2400 and a New makeover of the Ghostrider web site that totaled $2400, And the new faces at the AGM meeting… “Priceless”

… Treasurer Holly Buliziuk pointed out that attendance was down about 200 fans per game last year and the one time trip to Whitehorse cost the team a home gate. Iddon also reminded us that the playoffs were only two four games series and one five game series and that made a big difference, in fact Iddon says with even two more weekend playoff gates the team could have had a balanced budget.

So with about $8000 in web expenses already paid the team will not have that bill to foot this year. The web casting has been taken over by the KIJHL Marketing group and will not cost the team anything next season. It was about $100 a game last year. Advertising is another revenue source that will have to be pushed harder and if you add all these things up the hockey team should be alright. A couple of things will go up though as Campbell’s Harmonized Sales tax will cost the Riders more and some extra money for players will be needed as this is a Cyclone Taylor year and it will cost money to compete at that level.

Overall this was a pretty good meeting with most importantly several new faces attending. For the last several years only the executive showed up to the meeting so it was great to see some interest from the community in how the team is run.

The hockey team is blessed with a few longtime executive members including Phil Iddon who was named as President for the tenth year in a row, it’s a huge job that takes a special person to do successfully. The duo of Dave and Holly Buliziuk (Vice President and Treasurer) who seemingly do everything and Lynda Moulton,(Bingo and Billeting) who is also the longest serving member. A few of the others are Jenny Tress (Booster Club) Rose Mangone, Rocky Feregotto, Jerry Teeple, Cam Kennedy, Dale Nicholson and new comers Wes Horvath and Jeremy Adams. The fans are lucky they have these volunteers.

A sign of the times ? There were no newspaper or radio reporters at the meeting… local news first…go figure… the biggest draw in town and they miss it.

Most Valuable Player was # 31 Jason Greenwell
Jason is a KIJHL All-Star who played three seasons with the Ghostriders winning one KIJHL Championship and a Bronze Medal at the Cyclone Taylor. Good luck in the future Jason.

The Most Exciting Player was # 17 James Werner. Easily the most talented player the Riders had this season and he is only 19 and can play another year.

The Rookie of the Year Was Brendan Hawryluk. Brendan and his Brother Bond and whoever they played with, dominated when they were on the ice.

The Most Improved Player was Brendon Mangone. Mangone came in as a sixteenyear old kid but will leave Fernie as a seventeen year old man. Great improvment over the season !

Best Defenseman Scott Anderson Scott has played in Fernie since he was sixteen each year getting a little better and now he’s the Top Defenseman.Was nice watching you grow Scott… Good luck in the future.

Most Inspirational Player Mitch Board
A real old style player who can catch and punish even the fastest players in the league.

The Unsung Hero Award Mark Strachan
Mark isn’t in on a lot of the scoring but they don’t score on us when he’s on the ice either.. does all the little things the coaches love.

The Top Scorer Jesse NiemiJesse came to Fernie near the end of last season and led the team in scoring in the playoffs. Then this season he did it again and in the regular season. Good luck in the future Jesse !

Top Play Off Player Bond Hawryluk

Bond scored the most goals in the playoffs, when he and Brendan were on the ice this year even if they didn’t score they had control of the puck limiting any scoring chances against.

The Twenty Year Olds
GOOD LUCK IN THE FURURE YOU GUYS

Assistant Coach Shawn Potyok has just completed
his sixth season with the Fernie Ghostriders. The hockey team can not thank him enough.

Holly and Dave Buliziuk two of the most important board members. Holly looks after the money and dave looks after everything else.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Nelson Leafs take game two by a 5-2 score.

The Leafs scored two in the first and three in the third for a 5-2 win in Fernie on Friday night. Leaf goal scorers were. Dane Rupert from Braeden Hikichi, – Adrian Moyls from Tyler Parfeniuk, – Chris Cucullu (unassisted), Dane Rupert from Dallon Stoddart and Gavin Currie into the empty net.

Rider goals came late in the third and came off the sticks of Darrell Boldon from Mike Wiest and Jesse Niemi from Scott Anderson and Brendan Hawryluk.

Photo- Darrell Boldon– Notes
The Nelson Leafs eliminated some of the fancy stuff and even fired the puck out of their end off the glass a few times thus eliminating several of the giveaways they were guilty of in game one. Shawn Mullin who is normally the Trail Smoke Eater’s radio guy but is doing the Fernie Nelson radio broadcast in the West Kootenays since Trail got knocked out of the playoffs, said it best, “ Nelson simplified their game”…

The stars were, 1/ Dane Rupert with two goals, 2/ Chris Cucullu with a goal and Jesse Niemi with a goal….With his goal Niemi now has 5 goals and 10 assists in ten games and leads the Riders in scoring… But he is paying a price as he took a big hit in game one and was hit hard a couple of times in game two… he dished out some nasty but can’t continue to take those type of hits in a long series…Jared Cardinal –photo to the left- got even though, he made the Leafs pay a price for touching the puck and did it several times until early in the third when he and Cody Abby had a spirited bout…Darrell Boldon scored the Riders first goal, a bullet into the top corner getting even for a sure goal he missed in game one…nicest goal was from Adrian Moyls who got the breakaway when he was released from the penalty box and scored on the backhand, it was Leaf “D” man Tyler Parfeniuk who fed him the puck… and for my money Parfeniuk, who did everything, blocking shots & passes and got the puck out of his end effectively was the Leafs best defenseman…Jason Greenwell made some great saves but was caught out of position the third and fourth goals… He may have to quit his third defenseman routine against these guys… Brendon Mangone laid a big hit on Mike Spring in the third and seconds later Spring got him back starting another fight…. A big difference from game one as the Leafs stand up for themselves in the hit department and with a couple of fights.

Riders Keanan Patershuk and Evan Burgess were back in the lineup, Kaydon Trumbley and Mike Anderson were out as was Zach Fridella who missed both games with an injury. Fridella’s size and hostile attitude were needed and missed by the Ghostriders in game two. that’s Zach in the photo

Leafs were without Scott Jago, Sean Muller and Jarrett Burke who were out with injuries from game one.

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Riders win game one 2-1

Photo – first star Matt MacDonald- The Fernie Ghostriders get a 2-1 win in game one against the Nelson Leafs. Jesse Niemi scored in the first and Mitch Board scored in the third for the Riders while Adrian Moyls scored the lone Leaf goal.

A few notes…

The Ghostriders did just what they had to in this game and that was jump on a tired Nelson Leaf team… The Leafs must have been tired coming of a seven game series with Spokane on Tuesday, then with only one day off  traveling to and playing in Fernie on Thursday…The Leafs made constant mental errors all night. They insisted on trying to beat Fernie players instead of just using the glass to get the puck out of their end and they did the same trying to get the puck past the Rider D. Their defense also let the Riders sneak in behind them allowing several breakaway’s for the Ghostriders. It was almost comical how open they got. Again, these guys must have been tired.

-photo Jesse Niemi scored shorthanded-
Billy Faust was great in the Nelson net making several great saves including an unbelievable one in the third with his toe off of a Darrell Bolden shot. The second goal Faust let in went in off a skate… But Mitch Board was deserving as he had a strong game and punished the Leafs with his hits and persistent checking… Jesse Niemi scored the Riders first goal shorthanded after making some nice moves on the Leaf D to get a shot away….

Jason Greenwell continued his great goaltending as the Leafs managed several good scoring chances. Greenwell also caught the Leafs on a terrible line change and passed the puck up to the Leaf blueline where Niemi was waiting creating yet another golden opportunity for the Riders… The Leafs ended up with a good hit on the top scorer a few seconds later.

-photo Scott Anderson-
The stars were 1/ Matt MacDonald who won faceoffs and was skating & hitting (like a 200 pounder) all night. 2/ Taylor O’Neil, had an assist and made lots of great plays for the Leafs and seemed to shake off a hard shot in the skate in the third. And the 3rd star was Scott Anderson who stood up the Leaf forwards all night. And the Leaf forwards are hard to deal with as they try to beat you constantly and are easily the most skilled group this writer has see all season. They showed more skill in the first period then we saw in the last eight games before.

On a sad note, longtime Ghostrider fan Shirley Brown passed away. Shirley and the Brown family have been Ghostrider fans and sponsors since day one. There will be a moment of silence before the game tonight.

 In round three of the KIJHL Playoffs the Ghostriders play the Nelson Leafs.. The winner of this seven game series will play the winner of the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference for the KIJHL Championship either Princeton or Revelstoke.

Nelson: The Leafs have played and won two seven game series’ to get this far. Their first series was against their main rivals in
Beaver
Valley and in round two they played
Spokane. The Leafs finished the
Spokane series last Tuesday in Nelson with a 7-1 win. The home team won every game. The Leafs top scorers in the playoffs so far are Brett McKinnion 12pts., 16 yr. old Braydon Sherbinin 11 pts. Gavin Currie 10 pts. 16 yr. old Gus Correale 10 pts.  Scott Jago 10 pts. and Mike Spring 10 pts. Nelson’s Billy Faust is their # 1 goalie with a 6-6 record.

Nelson finished second overall in the KIJHL with 76 points, Fernie ended up with 84. The two teams split their regular season’s games. Nelson won at home 5-1 in December and Fernie won at home 6-5 in overtime.  

Your Ghostriders : The Riders won their first two series’ in eight games straight. The first series was against Golden and series two was against Creston. Rider Coach Will Verner picked Mark Strachan, Jason Greenwell and Bond Hawryluk as the “Three Stars “ of the Creston series.

Here’s Will Verner on his Three Star Picks.
 We were able to get good efforts from all of our players throughout the series.  Greenwell was solid in net and has to be one of the stars of the series.  His stats are excellent and show how difficult it is for teams to score against our club (goals against average of 2.0 for the series and a save percentage of 92.6% and his overall record this playoff season is 8-0 with a 1.23 GAA and 95.24SV%).  Scott Anderson and Cody Boekestyn were excellent during the 2nd round.  The star of the series on the back will go to Mark Strachan.  Mark is so smart with the puck and competes so hard below the dots Creston found it very difficult to get any offensive zone pressure when Strachs was on the ice.  Upfront the usual crew of 10,28,2 were threats.  The pp was 4-4 at one point and the re-emergence of Matt MacDonald and the continued top play of Brendon Mangone was a big factor in the 4 game series.  The star up front for the 2nd round was Bond Hawryluk.