Five lakecity hockey players were recently selected to play at the BC Cup — a tournament for the top players in the BC Hockey high performance program.
Tyler Povelofskie qualified for the under-17 tournament, Justin Bond, Jaxon Nohr and Kolten Carpenter will play in the under-16 boys tournament and Alena Mayer earned a spot in the under-18 girls tournament.
Each of the players attended their respective north region training camp prior to being selected for the teams.
The BC Cup is the second stage of the BC Hockey high performance program, which will eventually determine who will play for Team B.C. at next year’s national championship tournament.
The under-16 boys camp, held March 30 and April 1 in Vanderhoof, saw Bond (centre), Nohr (goaltender) and Carpenter (defenceman) — who all played their Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association seasons with the Williams Lake Bantam Tier 2 Timberwolves — chosen as a group of the top 30 players in the region.
“We just went to the tryout, there were eight of us, and we were the three who made it from Williams Lake,” Carpenter said.
Nohr explained the players who are selected to play in the BC Cup are then drafted by the various coaches onto eight different teams, who will then compete at the BC Cup. The under-16 BC Cup goes this weekend, April 12-15, in West Kelowna.
“It’s kind of like a draft,” Nohr said. “Each coach picks a player from any region they want and they all get mixed up. It’s a great chance for every team to bond, and you meet new people.”
Bond added he’s looking forward to the opportunity to play at the tournament.
“I think it will be fun to play with other players and get coached by other coaches and just see the other kids out there,” he said.
Povelofskie, who spent his past season in Prince George with the Cariboo Cougars of the B.C. Major Midget League, played last year at the under-16 BC Cup and said he is once again looking forward to competing at this year’s tournament mid-May.
With a year’s experience playing in the tournament, Povelofskie had some words of advice for his peers.
“They have to play well, obviously, and they have to make themselves noticed in any way possible,” he said.
“There are scouts for every Western Hockey League team and every Junior A team there.”
Mayer, 16, who plays left wing, said her zone camp tryouts were in Prince George on March 30 and April 1.
She was the only player from Williams Lake to attend and make the next stage.
“It’s going to be way harder,” she said, and noted she hopes to advance as far as possible in the program.
“I would like to make it to the provincial camp, and past that step and definitely past the summer camp in July, because then it’s Team B.C.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it and it’s going to be fun, but definitely more intense.”
Following the BC Cup 46 players will be asked to the next stage — the BC provincial camp in May, prior to another round of cuts and the Team BC Summer Camp, held in July.
The national tournaments will be held next November.
