The Ghostriders held their annual windup banquet ending what turned out to be another successful year both on the ice and off it. The team got off to a rough start with out a coach in place until late August and no ice in Fernie until mid September but everyone persevered and by the end of the year Ghostrider Head Coach and General Manager Will Verner had his team in first place in the Murdoch East with the lowest goals against in the league. The Riders went on to fight it out it out with Kimberley, Beaver Valley and Kamloops in the playoffs winning their second KIJHL title in a row and a Bronze Medal in the Cyclone Taylor Cup.

The Ghostrider Team Awards

MVP & Inspirational – At times throughout the year different players took the spotlight on the ice but Scott Traverse was always one of the best players and as the team’s Captain he was a leader both on and off the ice and was usually a game star in the close games. Traverse was also second on the team in scoring in the regular season and first overall in the playoffs. #17 Scott Traverse is your Most Valuable and Most Inspirational Player.

Exciting– Jordan Reid missed the end of the season and playoffs with a concussion but when he was healthy he was playing with an edge and scoring a couple of points a game. A healthy Reid all year would have challenged for the KIJHL top scorer and made a difference in the Cyclone Taylor Cup. #20 Jordan Reid is your Most Exciting Player this year.

Defenseman– Not much doubt about the “D” award this year. Cody Reinbold was the top scoring defenseman who played lots of minutes and made life miserable for anyone skating in the the Riders end of the ice. Reinbold was very hard to play against and the former Rookie of the Year (2005-06) and all around warrior #9 Cody Reinbold is your Best Defenseman.

The Top Scorer Award went to the electrifying puck handling hi-lite reel scorer Dave McIvor who with 34 goals and had 65 points was the Top Scorer on the team, and Rider fans can look forward to next year because at 19 number #15 can play one more year.

Rookie– This year all the Ghostrider rookies made huge strides in their development and by the end of the year were playing like seasoned veterans, but defenseman Jeff Zmurchyk stood out from the crowd and went from a timid can’t get rid of the puck fast enough blue liner to an impressive smooth skating puck moving defneseman who can play in all situations and shutdown all the best players. Seventeen year old #27 Jeff Zmurchyk is your Rookie of the Year.

Improved– # 18 Josh McEwan started in Fernie as a 5” 10” 165 pound sixteen year old but no one told him how big he was so he acted like he was 6′ 200 and he hit and fought as much as he could and by the end of the year he had scored some important goals and and his defensive play improved so much the coaches selected Josh McEwan as the Most Improved Player.

A couple of new awards were presented for the first time this year. The Most Sportsman Like Player went to a defenseman who got better and better as the year went on and in the end was always on the ice. Brandon Stevens was the Most Sportsman Like Player.

Unsung Hero- is another new award and with blazing speed and lots of grit # 10 Robbie Shaw was selected as the Ghostriders Unsung Hero.

Playoff MVP -Is another new award this year and if you watched the playoff games you will know that the one player who always showed up and made the big save when it was needed and almost never let in a weak goal was Jason Greenwell. This year your Playoff MVP was Jason Greenwell.

Scholastic Award- The Ghostriders are a junior team and recognize the importance of not only keeping the younger players in school but having them get good marks . With that thought in mind Jordan Sullivan was the Scholastic Player of the Year.

Scholarships Each year the Ghostriders organization awards two $1000 scholarships and this year Travis Harrad and Cody Reinbold were the recipients.

Four of the Ghostriders 20 year olds can not return next year and are graduating. All four of the players received a watch from Jay’s Jewellers, their Jersey’s and a Championship Hoodie from the booster club. The players are Jordan Reid, Darryl Gagnon, Cody Reinbold and Ryan Hill.

The Ghostriders organization wishes these players all the best in the future.