Comox Valley Glacier Kings forward Mitch Ball, the leading scorer in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s North Division, is moving on up.
The Yetis announced Wednesday that Ball has been called up to the Cowichan Capitals of the BCHL for the remainder of the season.
“Mitch has been called up for the rest of the year to Junior A, which is good for him, he deserves it and he is certainly capable of playing at that level, which he has proven this year,” explained Bill Rotheisler, head coach of the Glacier Kings.
In addition to losing Ball (whose 27 goals and 24 assists were fifth best in the league), the Glacier Kings are without power forward Jack Kennelly, who is recovering from an upper body injury.
“With Kennelly being out, I thought the boys really stepped it up,” Rotheisler said. “Even though we didn’t beat Saanich, we’ve won previous games and we came close to Saanich, playing a good hard game, and the boys just need to keep stepping it up.”
Rotheisler went on to add, “Kennelly’s surgery went really well and the good news is there is a good chance he’ll be back for playoffs.”
The Glacier Kings host the Victoria Cougars on Friday night. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Comox Valley Sports Centre Arena #1. The Capital City Cats boast the best record in B.C. Junior B hockey at 33-1-2.
Without two of their top snipers, the Icemen (16-16-2) are chasing down the Nanaimo Buccaneers (20-14-2) for first place in the North Division.
– Comox Valley Glacier Kings
