There are nine B.C. Hockey League grads on the long list for the Hobey Baker Award. More than half of them played with the Vernon Vipers.
Defencemen Stevie Weinstein (Bentley Falcons) and Garrett Noonan (Boston Terriers), and forwards Connor Jones (Quinnipiac Bobcats), Kellen Jones (Bobcats) and Mike Collins (Merrimack Warriors) have all been nominated for the honour, which is given to the top NCAA Division 1 player.
Winners are chosen based in small part on the fan voting but also on their on- and off-ice character, academic achievement and compliance with NCAA regulations.
Aside from Noonan, who was with Vernon for just one season (2009-10), each player was instrumental in helping the Vipers earn back-to-back RBC Cup national championships in 2009 and ‘10.
“It’s good to see,” said Vipers’ head coach Jason Williamson, then an assistant under Mark Ferner. “It’s good for the program and they’re all pretty talented players.”
The biggest surprise of the five is Weinstein, a Los Angeles native who posted a modest 10-49-59 in 153 career BCHL games. His offensive production has nearly doubled with Bentley, where he is a point-a-game player (1-27-28 in 21 games) this season.
“He’s putting up bigger numbers than he did in junior,” said Williamson of the 5-foot-10, 175-pound d-man. “He’s just a kid that’s a good teammate and he’s a coach’s dream.”
The Jones twins were game-changers with the Vipers, and have continued that trend with the Bobcats, who were runners-up at the Frozen Four championships last season.
Connor has 7-16-23 in 25 games, while Kellen, a 2010 draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, has 13-16-29 in 25 games.
“The Joneses are going to make any program better,” said Williamson. “When your best players are your hardest workers, it makes everyone else around them want to work harder too.”
Collins, a Boston product, produced 55-71-126 in 119 games with Vernon, and his output has cooled only slightly with Merrimack (46-62-108 in 123 games).
“He’s another a terrifically smart player,” said Williamson. “He finds ways to get pucks into those scoring areas.”
Noonan, taken 112th overall by Nashville in the 2011 draft, is an outstanding two-way d-man with the Terriers, racking up 261 penalty minutes and 76 points (30-46) in 129 games.
“He just wants to be a hockey player,” said Williamson. “He always makes the smart play and he’s engaged in the game at all times.”
Past winners include NHLers Jordan Leopold, Paul Kariya, Brendan Morrison, Ryan Miller, Chris Drury and Neal Broten. The winner will be announced April 11 during the Frozen Four Championships in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, the Vipers continued their win-a-game, lose-a-game trend with a 4-1 loss to the host Merritt Centennials Tuesday night at Nicola Valley Arena.
The Snakes, second in the Interior Division at 22-13-3-4, have alternated losses and wins in their first five games of the 2014 schedule.
After a scoreless first period, Vernon surrendered three second-period goals, including a powerplay snipe by Diego Cuglietta (10th goal) with 39 seconds to go.
Adam Tracey (7th), on a giveaway by Vernon d-man Jared Wilson, and Jeff Wight (16th), beating netminder Austin Smith through a screen, supplied the other goals in period two.
“Our second period seems to be our Achilles heel right now,” said Williamson. “Our composure with the puck wasn’t great.”
Wight added an empty-netter with 10 seconds remaining.
Ryan Renz (3rd), who was Vernon’s best skater on the night, provided the Viper offence, picking up the puck on the left side and beating Devin Kero (21 saves) with a backhand from the middle.
Vernon visits the West Kelowna Warriors (23-12-2-2) tonight at Royal LePage Place. Rylan Ferster’s Warriors, who stuffed the host Penticton Vees 2-1 Wednesday, are the hottest team in the BCHL, going 8-1-1 in their last 10. They trail Vernon by one point and have three games in hand.
The Snakes continue a three-game weekend Saturday against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (12-22-2-5) at Kal Tire Place, followed by a Sunday matinee (3 p.m.) with the host Salmon Arm SilverBacks (20-16-1-5).
“Our guys gotta realize every game is tough and we’ve got to focus on the game in front of us,” said Williamson.
SNAKE BITES: Vernon forward Mason Blacklock is doubtful for weekend action. The White Rock native left last Friday’s game against Penticton with a lower-body injury…Alex Grieve (Warriors, now with Bentley), Matt Ginn (Victoria Grizzlies; Holy Cross Crusaders), Mario Puskarich (Langley Rivermen; Vermont Catamounts) and Joel Rumpel (Vees; Wisconsin Badgers) are also on the 68-man long list for the Hobey award, which is open for fan voting…Ex-Viper Braden Pimm earned Hockey East player of the week honours for his four-goal weekend with the Northeastern University Huskies. Pimm, a Fort St. John, B.C. native, scored the game-tying goal with 34 seconds to go and then followed up with the overtime winner in a 2-1 win over the Providence Friars. He then scored the first and fourth goals in a 4-1 win over UMass-Lowell Riverhawks at the Frozen Fenway game Saturday before 25,600 fans at Fenway Park in Boston.
