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.
