Four players from the Selkirk College Saints hockey program will be watching the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championships with a little more interest after tangling with the Kazakhstan national junior team.
Edward Lindsey, Dylan Heppler, Vince Bitonti and Tayden Woods were selected to the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League’s (BCIHL) Young Stars team that took on the Kazakhs as they prepare for the world championships in Vancouver and Victoria beginning Dec. 26.
In Monday’s game at in Langley, the Kazakhs came out on top with a 2-0 victory in a hard-fought contest. Kazakhstan outshot the BCIHL Young Stars 43-30 in the game.
The Young Stars were made up of players from Selkirk, Trinity Western University, Vancouver Island University, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria.
After a few more warm-up games against Junior ‘A’ teams, the Kazakhs will open the IIHF World Junior Championships on December 27 against Finland.
The BCIHL is now on a holiday break and the Saints will get back to action early in the new year. They will host the University of Victoria at the Castlegar and District Recreation Centre on the Jan. 11 weekend.
