Langley Chiefs 2008 -2011

Starting in 2008 this was the website for the Langley Chiefs, a Canadian Junior A hockey team based in Langley, BC playing in the British Columbia Hockey League from 2006 to 2011. The team played in the George Preston Recreation Centre.
Content is from the site's 2008 -2011 archived pages.

Chiefs Get New Home!

The Township of Langley announced today that the Langley Chiefs will have a new home come the 2008-2009 season!

 

The city of Langley got its first taste of junior hockey in 1973, when the Langley Lords became a member of the BCJHL. The Lords competed for 3 seasons in the league which saw them experience regular season success without anything materializing into playoff success.

In 1976, the Lords changed their team name to the Langley Thunder. The team were a bottom feeder for all 3 seasons and ceased operations in 1978.

For the start of the 1981-82 seasons Junior A hockey returned to Langley, as the Langley Eagles returned to the BCJHL. The Eagles competed for 6 seasons in Langley with 1983-84 being the most successful. That season saw the team finish 40-8-2, placing third in the league. In the playoffs the team flew past the Abbotsford Flyers and Nanaimo Clippers to face the Pentiction Knight - placed first in the league - in the finals. That series saw the Eagles sweep the Knights to become the League Champions. The team went on to beat the Prince George Spruce Kings - the Peace Caribou Junior Hockey League champions - two games to none to win the Mowat Cup. In the BC/Alta Championship, Fort Saskatchewan Traders were out bartered, 4 games to 2. The team failed to capture the Abbott Cup as they were ousted 4 games to 0 by the eventual champions, Weyburn Red Wings. The Langley Eagles ceased operations in 1987.

Eight years later, the Langley Thunder reappeared in 1994. The Langley Thunder would compete for 5 seasons with the highlight being a league finals appearance in 1996, which the team lost to the eventual Royal Bank Champions, the Vernon Vipers, 4 games to 1.

The Thunder went on to change their team name to the Hornets. The team experienced some success under the guidance of Rick Lanz however his termination occurred during the 2002-03 season. A league worst team in 2001-02, the team finished 4th the following year, with a first round exit in the playoffs. The Langley Hornets existed until 2006, when the team was relocated to West Kewlona where the team is known as the Westside Warriors.

The Chilliwack has had a prominent team in the BCHL since 1970. The Chilliwack Chiefs have been a top organization in the BCHL ever since its first season as the Chiefs in 1990. However, upon the introduction of the Chilliwack Bruins as a brand new member of the WHL in 2006, the Chilliwack Chiefs Junior A team was relocated to Langley. 2006-07 was the inaugural season for the Langley Chiefs, which played at the George Preston Arena. The Langley Chiefs transferred to the brand new state of the art Langley Events Centre for the 2009-10 season.

 



 

"My uncle was one of the assistant coaches for the Chiefs under Harvey Smyl and was with them for several of their playoff games, including one of the BCHL championships. I attended as many games as possible during this time and remember the intense excitement surrounding this team each time the playoffs became a real possibility. One of the rewards he offered the team after games and practices was relaxing turns playing online slots on several of his laptops, which he carried around for just his purpose. He did not encourage gambling, but made their participation more of a team bonding exercise where they each took turns controlling the play. He used a referral site to find online slots that provided the most free rolls and the biggest payoffs and he funded the games to make it more interesting. He was forced to stop when some of the parents objected to this pasttime, but all the players will surely remember the fun he instilled with the unique exercise in combining rigorous sports with random luck. And he was responsible for their best 2-2-2 defense and their winning double team tactic during penalties. Chiefs forever!" Dotty James

 

   Langley Chiefs: Origins

Chiefs Origins Sixteen seasons, fifteen playoff appearances. Five trips to the BCHL finals and three BCHL championships. One Doyle Cup Championship, one bronze medal and two appearances at the National Championships. With the chiefs comes success, through the years, this organization has proven their place as one of the great powerhouses of the British Columbia Hockey League. Developing players such as Edmonton Oiler Shawn Horcoff and future NHL superstar and one time Canadian Junior “A” Hockey Player of the Year Jeff Tambellini, the Chiefs never seem to let their fans down. This is their legacy.

The year was 1990 and the Chilliwack Chiefs opened their inaugural season with a win on September 22nd versus the Bellingham Ice at the Chilliwack Coliseum. The game consisted of many firsts for the Chiefs including the team’s first penalty shot; an unsuccessful attempt by Joey Potskin. Potskin also recorded the team’s first goal 4 minutes and 36 seconds into the first period on the power play. Marc Gagnon was awarded the Chief’s first penalty, a minor for high sticking only 42 seconds into the game and Jason Reisinger scored the first short handed goal for the Chiefs at 5:27 of the first period. Jason Bilous was the Chief’s netminder stopping 34 shots to register the impressive 9-2 win. The game put the Chiefs future into perspective as they cruised to a 39-18-3 regular season record, good enough for 1st overall in the BCJHL. The Chiefs made it all the way to the Interior Conference finals before falling 4 games to 2 to the Vernon Lakers.

The 1990-91 campaign proved to be a breakout season for forward Joey Potskin. Not only did he set a team record of 8 points in one game with a victory over the Nanaimo Clippers, but he captured the league scoring title with 146 points, and right on his tail was fellow Chief Marc Gagnon with 145 points. To this day Potskin’s 61 goals and 146 points still stand as Chiefs single season records.

Under a new coach and a new General Manager the Chiefs went into their second campaign with a lot to live up to. They opened the season against the Surrey Eagles on September 21st, 1991. 235 penalty minutes and one line brawl later, the Chiefs chalked up their first win of the season with a score of 6-3. With eight straight wins under their belt they suffered their first loss of the season to Paul Kariya and the Penticton Panthers with a final score of 6-4. The Chief’s lineup that year was not only skilled but tough as another line brawl erupts in a 6-3 loss to Kelowna. The regular season also ended in a brawl in a 6-4 loss to the second place Penticton Panthers. 276 penalty minutes were assessed in the match-up, however, the Chiefs prevailed, taking second place in the Interior Conference, 1 point ahead of the Panthers, and sweeping them in the first round of the playoffs. In the second round the Chiefs season was cut short yet again, at the hands of the Vernon Lakers, defeating the team 4 games to 2.

After missing the playoffs for the first and only time in the 1992-93 season, Harvey Smyl was brought on as head coach to bring new energy to what appeared to be a lifeless team. Smyl seemed to be the perfect fit as he’s held his spot firmly on the Chiefs bench ever since. The team returned to the playoffs in Smyl’s debut season but despite losing to the Kelowna Spartans in the first round the newly inspired Chiefs could smell playoff success just around the corner.

In a year that held hockey fans without the NHL, the Chilliwack community rallied around their local team in the 94-95 campaign, to watch what some call the most exciting team to play in town in years. With experienced veterans on the line-up including blueliner Chad Nelson who helped the Olds Grizzlies capture a national championship the previous season, and Captain Peter Zurba, a member of the Centennial Cup winning Vernon Lakers, more then 2000 fans flocked to the Coliseum each night to watch what would be the first Chief’s Championship. The Chiefs took first place in the mainland division that season with a record of 39 wins, 18 losses, and 3 ties. The regular season seemed to be no problem for the Chiefs, but the playoffs proved to be a new test for the team. Every series was a battle. Facing the Surrey eagles in round 1, it took an overtime winner by the captain to put the Chiefs in the semi finals against Kelowna. In game 6 of round 2 the Chiefs found themselves facing elimination and a real test of heart, forcing game 7 with a triple overtime goal by Shawn York. It was smooth saying from there on out as the Chiefs captured the BCHL title in front of 2600 fans. “Ill never forget that night,” Zurba recalls, “Chiefs’ fans were loud all year but they raised the roof that night. It was a great feeling when we rewarded them with the championship; they certainly played a big part in our success.” It wasn’t over there however; their next opponent would be the Calgary Canucks in the battle for the Doyle Cup. The Chiefs quickly captured a 3-1 series lead and held a 3-1 lead in game 5 but couldn’t finish, and continued to lose the battle as the series reached seven games. Calgary took game 7 along with the Centennial Cup. “It’s been 11 years and I still think of it at least once a week,” explains Zurba, “It hurts even more knowing that Calgary went on to win it all”

After an MVP performance season in the Rocky Mountain Hockey League the previous year, Castlegar native Shawn Horcoff joined the Chiefs in the 1995-96 season. In his 17 year old season Horcoff led the BCJHL in scoring with 49 goals and 96 assist in only 58 games. Although finishing with an impressive 44-12-4 record on the season, the Chiefs were upset in the second round of the playoffs to the Langley Thunder. Horcoff was sidelined early on in the series and Chiefs struggled without him. Not only did Chilliwack lose the series but they also lost Shawn to Michigan State University were over four season he compiled 50 goals and 102 assists in 155 games, and caught the eye of NHL scouts. He was taken 99th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. Not only is Horcoff a star in the National Hockey League but he has helped Canada win two gold medals at the World Championships in 2003 and 2004.

In the 1998-99 season the Chilliwack Chiefs refused to let history repeat itself. Being knocked out of the playoffs two years in a row by mainland rivals the South Surrey Eagles, revenge couldn’t have been sweeter. The Chiefs swept Cowichan Valley in the first round but were unable to dominate their second round opponents, the Victoria Salsa, in the same way. It took the maximum 5 games to reach the 3rd round of the playoffs but they did just that and found themselves looking their past straight in the face as they arrived at South Surrey Arena yet again. Surrey took game 1 by a whopping 10-2. With momentum on their side the Eagles gained a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 was all Chilliwack coming back to win 5-3 in Surrey’s barn, With an impressive game 6 shutout performance by Chiefs’ netminder Wade Dubieliewicz, the boys forced game 7 in which 600 fans invaded the Eagles’ nest making it impossible to let them down. Travis Banga’s third period goal sent the game into overtime. Chief’s blueliner Jeff Yopyk notched a breakaway goal in the first overtime to send the Chilliwack Chiefs to the BCHL final. The dreams ended there however, as the Vernon Vipers beat the Chiefs in 5, and went on to win the national championship.

Although the Chiefs lost some talent in the off season, the team was looking forward to the first puck drop. With the additions of sniper Jeremy Jackson and blueliner Rob Marshall, the new line-up seemed promising. With 19 wins and only 4 losses out of the gate, Smyl continued to make changes within the lineup, in a situation in which most coaches wouldn’t even change their underwear. But newcomers Ashlee Langdone and Jody Lapeyre seemed to fit the mold as Chilliwack captured first place in the Mainland Division, only to have it slip away to the Langley Hornets. The first round of the playoffs was no test to the Chiefs as they swept the Cowichan Valley Capitals outscoring them 21-9. The second round proved to be a different story as Chilliwack fell two games to one in a best of five series to Nanaimo. In game four Brad McFaul was the man of the hour as notched a pinball shot from the point sending the boys back to Chilliwack to wrap it up on home ice. In the Mainland Division finals the Chiefs faced the top ranked Langley Hornets which featured former Boston Bruin Ivan Huml. The Hornets were coming off a second round bye and were well rested which showed in game 1, a 4-3 victory for Langley. The Chiefs soon found their edge as they came back to take the series 4 games to 2 outscoring their opponent 41-24. Next the Chiefs found themselves against a familiar opponent, the Vernon Vipers, a team that they had faced multiple times in past league finals. Both teams appeared to be evenly matched going into game 1 sharing identical 35-20-5 regular season records, but on ice, the Chiefs proved to be superior as they took the league championship on home ice in 5 games. Although losing the Doyle Cup to the AJHL champions, the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, the boys gained automatic entry into the Royal Bank Cup because the Barons were the host team and took the host spot. A success at the Doyle Cup would have been sweeter for the Chiefs but they would take a chance to be the national champs anyway they could get it. In the RBC semi final the Chiefs faced Rayside Balfour Sabrecats, a team which had not lost a game in regular season action and defeated the Chiefs 8-7 in the tournament opener. Despite dominating the third period the Chiefs could not climb back from their 2 goal deficit losing the game, and a shot at the championship. Luckily for Chilliwack there was a small light at the end of the tunnel because this year a bronze medal match would be held. 15 year old Ryan Cyr backstopped the boys to an overtime win making him the youngest goaltender to register a win at a national championship. His mask now hangs in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Like every year before it, the Chiefs had high hopes for the 2001-2002 season. The line-up was stacked. Returning on offence were Jeff Tambellini, Gabe Gauthier, Kaleb Betts, David Van der Gulik, Matt Gibbons and Micah Sanford. Manning the blueline were veterans Mark Woytika, Jeff Barlow and Bobby Henderson. It was a record breaking season for Chilliwack, with a regular season record of 46-10-4 compiling 96 points, good for first place, and a new record in the organization. To go along with that, Tambellini, Gibbons, Van der Gulik, and Sanford all obtained 100 points and above tying the current league record. With Gauthier suffering a late season injury sidelining him for the remainder of the campaign he was unable to reach the 100 mark finishing with a close 99 points. Tambellini shared the scoring title with Cowichan Valley’s Matt Ellison with 117 points on the season. He was also named Coastal Conference MVP and most sportsmanlike player. With statistics like this in your line up the Chiefs couldn’t go wrong. Being 48 points ahead of the expansion Coquitlam Express, it wasn’t hard to blow past them and into the second round. The South Surrey Eagles were the next stop on the road to the BCHL finals. Their archrivals put up a strong effort but were no match for the determined Chiefs and were swept in the best of fives series. In the Coastal Conference finals the Nanaimo Clippers were the next victims. Quickly building up a 3 game series lead, game 4 was held at the Chilliwack Coliseum but the boys couldn’t hold off the Clippers and the game headed into overtime. Scoring his very first goal of the season, Shawn Germain was the unlikely overtime hero, sending the Chiefs to the BCHL finals. Like a broken record, it was a Chilliwack, Vernon match-up for the title. With the league rotating home ice advantage between conferences each season, it was the Interior’s turn, even though the Chiefs finished 24 points ahead of the Vipers. Home ice seemed to help the Vipers as they wrapped up a 2 game lead before heading to Chilliwack. The rest of the series was all Chilliwack as they landed their third BCHL title in 4 straight wins. Being unsuccessful at their previous Doyle Cup attempts, the Drayton Valley Thunder posed a threat to their so far unstoppable campaign. The Thunder built up a 2 games to 1 lead in Drayton Valley and the balance of the series was to be played in Chilliwack. With the support of their local fans the Chiefs came from behind to win three straight against the Thunder. With the Chiefs trailing by 1 goal with 2 minutes left in the final frame of game 6, blueliner Jeff Barlow hammered one in from the point sending the game into overtime. The teams were neck in neck in the first overtime but at 8:14 of the second overtime period, David Van der Gulik sniped, giving the Chiefs their first Doyle Cup Championship and a birth in the Royal Bank Cup in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Facing the countries best in the round robin round of the championship the Chiefs found themselves in the semi final against OCN. Through their best efforts the Chilliwack was defeated 4-3 and their storybook season came to an end. However, Coach Smyl had no complaints. “I’m proud of them and the organization is proud of them. They carried themselves very professionally this whole tournament. They were well deserving of being at the tournament and a bounce here or there maybe have seen a different outcome.” Breakout forward Jeff Tambellini was the tournament scoring leader and was honoured with tournament MVP, and Canadian junior “A” Hockey Player of the Year award, while teammate Jeff Barlow picked up the tournaments best defencemen honors.

The Chiefs placed first in the 2002-03 season, and the Coquitlam Express finished at the bottom of the mainland division. Despite the wide 25 point gap between the two clubs, Coquitlam gave Chilliwack a run for their money and took the first round of the playoffs to 7 games. The Chiefs had a 3 goal lead going in to the third period but the Express came storming back to bring the game into overtime. Tyler Burton of the Chiefs scored the series winning goal. In the second round of the playoffs the Chiefs swept the Powell River Kings and continued on their way to the BCHL finals ending their rival Surrey Eagles season in 5 games. In the BCHL finals Chilliwack faced Vernon yet again but was defeated in 4 straight games.

The 2004 playoffs marked the final time the Chiefs would play in the Chilliwack Coliseum. For the third year in a row Coquitlam would be the first round opponent. The Chiefs took the series seven games and advanced to the second round. The Chiefs played their final game on March 21st 2004, falling 3-1 to the Nanaimo Clippers in the Coastal Conference semi finals. Peter Bogdanich was the last Chief to score a goal in the Coliseum, a power play goal assisted by Jordan Ellams and Chris Tarkir. The Chilliwack Coliseums all time record was 301 wins, 100 losses, 2 ties, 9 shoot out losses and 8 overtime losses. On September 11, 2004 the Chiefs made their Prospera Centre Debut. Just over 7 minutes into the first period, veteran Henri St. Arnault scored the Chiefs first goal in their new arena. The game headed to overtime tied at 2, Peter Bogdanich scored on Eagles tender Aaron McKenzie christening with its first win. 3,953 people came out to support, the most ever to attend a Chiefs game. Chilliwack only made it as far as the second round in the 2005 playoffs being swept by the eventual BCHL champions the South Surrey Eagles.

Saying “Goodbye” to Chilliwack, the Chiefs have taken all their success, glory, and achievements to their new home in Langley where they will continue to build more memories, and more accomplishments.

   Langley Chiefs: Awards

Most Valuable Player

Player Name Number Postion Year
Colton Beck 19 LW 2009 - 2010
Milos Gordic 11 C 2008 - 2009
Kurt Jory 35 G 2007 - 2008
Kyle MacKinnon 15 C 2006 - 2007

Orland Kurtenbach Award, Top Denfeseman

Player Name Number Position Year
Dennis Robertson 5 D 2009 - 2010
Brad Bakken 4 D 2009 - 2010
Jessie Tresierra 20 D 2008 - 2009
Nolan Julseth-White 16 D 2007 - 2008
Nolan Julseth-White 22 D 2006 - 2007

Kurt Alberts Rookie of the Year, Top Rookie

Player Name Number Position Year
Tim Daly 8 D 2009 - 2010
Brad Goss 10 C 2008 - 2009
Derek Grant 27 LW 2007 - 2008
Taylor Stefishen 18 RW 2006 - 2007

Harmony Cup, Unsung Hero

Player Name Number Position Year
Mark Friesen 1 G 2009 - 2010
Wyatt Galley 33 G 2009 - 2010
Brad Goss 10 C 2008 - 2009
Joe Walter 8 C 2008 - 2009
Trevor Elias 21 RW 2007 - 2008
Rob Warner 21 C 2006 - 2007

Don Nichols Award, Most Dedication to the Community

Player Name Number Position Year
Colton Beck 19 LW 2009 - 2010
Brad Bakken 4 D 2009 - 2010
Evan Atkinson 7 D 2008 - 2009
Neeco Belanger 9 C 2007 - 2008
Nolan Julseht-White 22 D 2007 - 2008
Derek Janzen 32 G 2006 - 2007
Kyle MacKinnon 15 C 2006 - 2007

Fan Favourite Award

Player Name Number Position Year
Josh Myers 23 RW 2009 - 2010
Trevor Elias 21 RW 2008 - 2009
Neeco Belanger 9 C 2007 - 2008
Kyle Nason 19 RW 2006 - 2007

Most Improved Player

Player Name Number Position Year
Brad McBride 21 C 2009 - 2010
Trevor Gerling 18 RW 2008 - 2009
Milos Gordic 11 D 2007 - 2008
Jessie Tresierra 20 D 2006 - 2007

Playoff MVP

Player Name Number Position Year
Jordan Sims 20 C 2009 - 2010
Joe Rodwell 35 G 2008 - 2009
Alex Angers-Goulet 10 C 2007 - 2008
Trevor Elias 21 RW 2006 - 2007

Crunch of the Year

Player Name Number Position Year
Brad Bakken 4 D 2009 - 2010
Travis Irving 25 RW 2008 - 2009
Coleton Thielmann 17 LW 2007 - 2008
Kyle Nason 19 RW 2006 - 2007

Joey Potskin Award, Most Points in Regular Season

Player Name Number Position Year
Colton Beck 19 LW 2009 - 2010
Milos Gordic 11 C 2008 - 2009
Taylor Stefishen 18 RW 2007 - 2008
Kyle Mackinnon 15 C 2006 - 2007

Century Pacific First Star Award, Most Three-Star Points

Player Name Number Position Year
Colton Beck 19 LW 2009 - 2010
Milos Gordic 11 C 2008 - 2009
Taylor Stefishen 18 RW 2007 - 2008
Derek Janzen 32 G 2006 - 2007

Cliff & Bess Brew Award, Most Dedicated Player

Player Name Number Position Year
Matt Cronin 7 D 2009 - 2010
Brad Bakken 4 D 2008 - 2009
Justin Smith 24 RW 2007 - 2008
Rob Warner 21 C 2006 - 2007
Trevor Verwolf 7 D 2006 - 2007

Ross Beebe Scholastic Award, Top Scholar

Player Name Number Position Year
Dennis Robertson 5    

 

Langley Chiefs: Captain's Club

2008-2009 Jessie Tresierra
2007-2008 Nolan Julseth-White
2006-2007 Kyle Nason
2005-2006 Matt Butcher
2004-2005 Sheldon Lee
2003-2004 Adam Powell
2002-2003 Bobby Henderson
2001-2002 Jeff Barlow
2000-2001 Shawn Landry/Kevin Estrada
1999-2000 Travis Banga
1998-1999 Brian Maloney
1997-1998 Corey DeMoissac
1996-1997 Bryan Yackel
1995-1996 Tyler Quiring
1994-1995 Peter Zurba
1993-1994 Doug Ast
1992-1993 Doug Ast
1991-1992 Gunnar Henrikson
1990-1991 Russ Rogers

 



 

COASTAL CONFERENCE
TEAM GP W L T OL TP
Powell River 51 38 8 3 2 81
Surrey 51 32 16 1 2 67
Langley 55 27 20 1 7 62
Victoria 52 28 21 0 3 59
Nanaimo 53 25 22 1 5 56
Alberni Valley 52 22 23 4 3 51
Coquitlam 50 18 22 1 9 46
Cowichan Valley 53 19 26 1 7 46

 

PLAYER GP G A PTS
Josh Myers 54 34 37 71
Trevor Gerling 54 29 34 63
Matt Ius 41 24 38 62
Brandon Thompson 55 12 42 54
Brad McBride 51 24 25 49
Darnell Dyck 53 13 36 49
Tim Daly 51 8 20 28
Kody Dhaliwal 54 10 17 27
Kevin Tuohy 50 2 23 25
Mike Tebbutt 46 12 11  

 

Player Star Points
Wyatt Galley 23
Matthew Ius 10
Josh Myers 9
Darnell Dyck 8
Stan Smrke 6
Cole Huggins 6
Mike Tebbutt 5
Tim Daly 5
Trevor Gerling 5
Brad McBride 4
Kody Dhaliwal 1
  0
  0
As of October 19, 2010

 

 

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