The Contenders: Final Four Teams

Without defending provincial B.C. Senior AA champions, Fort St. John Flyers, in the mix and with none of the Final Four teams ever having won the Coy Cup, this year’s eventual winner will have a spot in the history books.

Host Whitehorse Huskies have had their eye on the Coy Cup since before the season even began and the tone in the locker room has been all business.

This season the Huskies have only played home games, so the ice at Takhini Arena, where all of this week’s games will be played, is familiar territory.

Hanging from the rafters is a championship banner from the 1993 season, when the Huskies won the Allan Cup, the Senior Male National Championship.

The road back to contention hasn’t been easy for the Huskies. Since being rebanded in 2014/15, they’ve made the Coy Cup Final Four once in 2016, but were knocked out by the Flyers in the semifinals.

The Huskies would love to hoist the Coy Cup on home ice, but will have their work cut out for them against the new kids on the block, the Kelowna Sparta, the always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Terrace River Kings, and the revitalized North Island Capitals.

All games will take place at the Takhini Arena. First games of the evening kick off at 4 p.m. and the host Huskies play at 7 p.m. nightly.

The round-robin ends Thursday night with semifinals running Friday at 7 p.m. and finals taking place at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Huskies start their Coy Cup finals bid against the North Island Capitals tonight. They face the Terrace River Kings on Wednesday night and the Kelowna Sparta Thursday night.

North Island Capitals

Port Hardy, B.C.

This year’s island flavour comes in the form of the North Island Capitals. The Caps are in their second season since reforming after a hiatus. They played in the Coy Cup in the mid 2000s and have been the runner-up before, but have never won.

The Caps were supposed to face the Powell River Regals (who last won the Coy Cup in 2009/10), but the series was cancelled by the Regals at the last minute, allowing the Caps to take a bye into this week’s tournament.

The Capitals open play against the Whitehorse Huskies tonight at 7 p.m. The last time the teams met was in January 2016, when the Huskies swept the series 2-0.

Number - Name - POSITION

3 REED ALLEN - DEFENCE
4 MITCH WALKER - FORWARD
8 SHELBY COCKELL - FORWARD
9 RYAN RUSHTON - DEFENCE
10 TYREN DUSTIN - FORWARD
13 STEVE SCHMIDT - FORWARD
15 TY MORTON - FORWARD
16 STEWART LEE - FORWARD
17 JACK KENNELLY - FORWARD
19 JOHN MURGATROYD - FORWARD
22 KARL HAGG - FORWARD
24 THOR ROSBACK - DEFENCE
29 JACKSON GARRET - FORWARD
39 CHAD MACKENZIE - DEFENCE
46 ETTIENE CHENARD - DEFENCE
61 ERIC KENNELLY - FORWARD
68 DARRYL COON JR - DEFENCE
77 BRIAN RIDEOUT - DEFENCE
91 COLE SCHNEIDER - FORWARD

1 JACK SURGENOR - GOALTENDER
2 AARON HINTON - GOALTENDER
STEVYN RUEL - GOALTENDER

HEAD COACH - JOHN MURGATROYD

Whitehorse Huskies

Whitehorse, Yukon

The Whitehorse Huskies are finally at full power. The roster, which has been marred with injuries all season is back to what coach Michael Tuton had imagined at the beginning of the season.

Tonight’s game will see the return of captain Evan Campbell, who has been out recovering from a shoulder surgery since the fall.

The hosts of this year’s Coy Cup, the Whitehorse Huskies, had a bye into the Final Four and were 7-1 this season, their only loss coming from the Kelowna Sparta in December.

The Huskies open play tonight at 7 p.m. against the North Island Capitals.

Number - Name - POSITION

2 TYRELL HOPE - FORWARD
3 SIMON NUGENT - DEFENCE
4 KALEB DAWE - DEFENCE
5 JON RUDOLPH - DEFENCE
9 KANE DAWE - FORWARD
10 ROB STUCKEY - FORWARD
11 KEVIN PETOVELLO - FORWARD
16 ALEX DZIELSKI - DEFENCE
17 ROB WARNER - FORWARD
19 ADAM HENDERSON - FORWARD
22 JARED TUTON - DEFENCE
24 ANDREW PETTITT - FORWARD
27 DEREK KLASSEN - FORWARD
48 CLAYTON THOMAS - DEFENCE
53 TED STEPHENS - FORWARD
65 BURT STEPHENS - DEFENCE
66 CHARLES DAGOSTIN- DEFENCE
79 EVAN CAMPBELL - FORWARD
88 BRETT ROULSTON - FORWARD
91 DANIEL CLETHEROE - FORWARD
96 COLIN DENDYS - FORWARD

29 BRIAN POWER - GOALTENDER
30 JON OLTHUIS - GOALTENDER
31 JJ GAINSFORTH - GOALTENDER

HEAD COACH - MICHAEL TUTON ASSISTANT COACH - JAY MASSIE & BARRY BLISNER
TRAINER: - CAM MALLOCH
EQUIPMENT ASSISTANT - MICHAEL SUMNER

Terrace River Kings

Terrace, B.C.

The River Kings have made the Coy Cup final for the past three years. Each time they’ve been runners-up.

“It’s been pretty disappointing the last few years, but we’re trying to get on the right side of that final game this year,” captain Steve Cullis told CFTK TV last week.

The River Kings enter the Coy Cup Final Four on a high. They beat the 2012/13 and 2013/14 Coy Cup Champions, Williams Lake Stampeders, in a best-of-three series to become Central Interior Hockey League champions and earn their berth this year.

The River Kings open play at 4 p.m. today against the Kelowna Sparta.

Number - Name - POSITION

4 KEN NORDSTROM - DEFENCE
7 TANNER BRAID - DEFENCE
9 JOSH MURRAY - FORWARD 10 ROBERT ORREY - FORWARD
11  LUKE WALKER - FORWARD
12 BRETT DOWNIE - FORWARD 13 BEN REINBOLT - FORWARD
14 TRISTAN MURRAY - FORWARD
15 CORY DEKELVER - DEFENCE
16 COLTEN BRAID - FORWARD
19 LUKE GORDON - FORWARD
21 BRYAN LOMAS - FORWARD
24 JEREMY VANDENBROEK - DEFENCE
25 LIAM ALBRIGHT - FORWARD
26 ERIC VANDEVELDE - DEFENCE
41 CORBIN LEGROS - DEFENCE
55  STEVE CULLIS - FORWARD
77 GREG TUCKERMAN - DEFENCE
88 AUSTIN LEGROS - FORWARD
93 WILLIAM ORREY - FORWARD

1 JARED RATHJEN - GOALTENDER 33 PATRICK LEAL - GOALTENDER

HEAD COACH - KEVIN LEGROS
GENERAL MANAGER - ROSS SMITH

Kelowna Sparta

Kelowna, B.C.

A new addition to the league, the Kelowna Sparta are in their first season of B.C. Senior AA hockey.

The Sparta won their berth in the Coy Cup after beating the South Island Knights 9-2, 10-6 in a two-game series.

“We are excited to head to Whitehorse for the Coy Cup and hopefully come home with a championship,” number 17, Kelly Loudoun, told the Vernon Morning Star after the team locked down its Coy Cup Final Four berth.

This will be their third trip to Whitehorse this season.

The Kelowna Sparta open play at 4 p.m. today against the River Kings.

Number - Name - POSITION
7 KOLBY BARNSTABLE - DEFENCE
10 AARON BUAT - FORWARD
14 JASON DELEURME - FORWARD
17 KELLY LOUDOUN - FORWARD/DEFENCE
19 SCOTT WASDEN - FORWARD
21 TYLOR BRANZSEN - FORWARD
22 DAVE MANN - DEFENCE
24 STEVEN KOSHEY - DEFENCE
44 JORDAN URBAN - DEFENCE
61 MATT ELIA - FORWARD
71 KEVIN WALROD - FORWARD
77 COLTON SEMENOK - DEFENCE
88 JAMIE JENSEN - FORWARD
89 LAYNE STOPANSKI - FORWARD
91 BRANDEN REDSCHLAG - DEFENCE
96  SASHA GOLIN - FORWARD
DANE RUPERT - FORWARD
TRENT REDSCHLAG - DEFENCE
SHAWN MUELLER - FORWARD

27 TYLER BRIGGS - GOALTENDER
31 TRAVIS INGRAM - GOALTENDER

HEAD COACH - KIM BARNSTABLE
MANAGER - BRIAN REDSCHLAG