2023–24 BCHL season

2023–24 BCHL season
LeagueBCHL
SportHockey
DurationRegular season
22 September – 31 March
Post-season
5 April – 26 May
Rocky Mountain Challenge
31 May - 1 June
Number of games54
Number of teams17 (BC)
5 (AB)
Regular season
Season championsSurrey Eagles (BC)
Brooks Bandits (AB)
Post-season
BC championsSurrey Eagles
  BC runners-upPenticton Vees
AB championsBrooks Bandits
  AB runners-upSherwood Park Crusaders
Rocky Mountain Challenge
ChampionsBrooks Bandits
  Runners-upSurrey Eagles
BCHL seasons

The 2023–24 BCHL season was the 62nd season of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The 17 teams from the Coastal and Interior Divisions played 54 scheduled games, including two games as part of the BCHL showcase, which were held in Seattle from October 22 to October 26 2023, in partnership with the NHL's Seattle Kraken.[1] The 5 teams in the stand-alone Alberta Division, which was created mid-season, played between 65 and 69 season games.

League changes

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The 2023–24 season was the BCHL's first season as an independent league, following its departure from Hockey Canada.[2]

In an effort to limit the number of games decided by shootout, overtime was lengthened from five minutes to ten minutes. Games would still be decided by shootout if they remained tied after one period of 3-on-3 sudden victory overtime.[3]

Team rosters must have a minimum of three players under the age of 18. Previously, they required one player under the age of 18.[4]

Russian and Belarussian players were barred from the league.[5]

The Wenatchee Wild folded after its owners acquired the Western Hockey League's (WHL) Winnipeg Ice and moved it to Wenatchee.[6]

On January 20, 2024, the league announced that five teams from the Alberta Junior Hockey League would join the BCHL in the 2024-25 season, namely, the Blackfalds Bulldogs, Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Sherwood Park Crusaders, and Spruce Grove Saints.[7] The league had planned to wait until the end of the season to make the announcement, however rumours had already begun to circulate online.[8]

The AJHL responded to the announcement by cancelling most of the five teams' remaining scheduled matches except those between each other. It was then decided that the five Alberta-based teams would play out the rest of the 2023-24 season as a stand-alone division under the aegis of the BCHL.[9]

For the post-season, the Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints, respectively the 4th and 5th placed teams in the Alberta division, played a best-of-5 wildcard series, with the winner advancing to the Alberta division semi-finals along with the top-3 Alberta teams. The rankings for the Alberta division were determined by winning percentage including their regular season records from the AJHL. The semi-final and final rounds each consisted of a best-of-7 series. The Brooks Bandits defeated the Spruce Grove Saints in the final round 4 games to 1.[10][11]

The Surrey Eagles won the BCHL Fred Page Cup championship after defeating the Penticton Vees in 6 games. The Surrey Eagles and Brooks Bandits then met for a best-of-3 competition hosted by Brooks and branded as the Rocky Mountain Challenge. The Brooks Bandits swept the Surrey Eagles in 2 games.[12][13][14]

Standings

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Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout losses, Pts = Points

British Columbia

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Coastal Division
TEAM NAMES GP W L OTL SOL Pts
Surrey Eagles 54 48 8 2 0 90
Chilliwack Chiefs 54 32 17 4 1 69
Alberni Valley Bulldogs 54 33 20 1 0 67
Victoria Grizzlies 54 29 22 1 2 61
Nanaimo Clippers 54 27 23 3 1 58
Coquitlam Express 54 21 29 1 3 46
Langley Rivermen 54 19 28 7 0 45
Cowichan Valley Capitals 54 16 34 3 1 36
Powell River Kings 54 14 35 5 0 33
Interior Division
TEAM NAMES GP W L OTL SOL Pts
Penticton Vees 54 38 10 3 3 82
West Kelowna Warriors 54 33 10 11 0 77
Salmon Arm Silverbacks 54 34 17 0 3 71
Vernon Vipers 54 33 19 20 0 68
Trail Smoke Eaters 54 28 20 6 0 62
Merritt Centennials 54 22 26 5 1 50
Cranbrook Bucks 54 20 31 3 0 43
Prince George Spruce Kings 54 16 35 3 0 35

Alberta

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Alberta Division
TEAM NAMES GP W L OTL SOL Pts
Brooks Bandits 65 58 6 1 0 117
Sherwood Park Crusaders 67 49 16 2 0 100
Blackfalds Bulldogs 68 39 22 6 1 85
Okotoks Oilers 69 38 28 3 0 79
Spruce Grove Saints 66 26 34 5 1 58

Alberta team standings are displayed separately from the rest of the BCHL on the league website.

Post-season

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2024 BCHL Fred Page Cup playoffs

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First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Fred Page Cup Final
        
Surrey 4
Cowichan Valley 1
Surrey 4
Victoria 2
Victoria 4
Nanaimo 1
Surrey 4
Alberni Valley 3
Chilliwack 4
Langley 0
Chilliwack 0
Alberni Valley 4
Alberni Valley 4
Coquitlam 3
Surrey 4
Penticton 2
Penticton 4
Prince George 0
Penticton 4
Vernon 1
Vernon 4
Trail 1
Penticton 4
Salmon Arm 3
West Kelowna 4
Cranbrook 3
West Kelowna 1
Salmon Arm 4
Salmon Arm 4
Merritt 2

Alberta Division

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Wildcard (Bo5) Semifinals (Bo7) Final (Bo7)
      
Brooks 4
Okotoks 3
Okotoks 3
Spruce Grove 0
Brooks 4
Sherwood Park 1
Sherwood Park 4
Blackfalds 0

Rocky Mountain Challenge

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Best of 3
  
Brooks 2
Surrey 0

Scoring leaders

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GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, P = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes

Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
Caden Cranston Surrey Eagles 51 30 56 86 16
Aaron Schwartz Surrey Eagles 51 34 47 81 10
Felix Caron West Kelowna Warriors 54 31 38 69 54
Mike Murtagh Nanaimo Clippers 53 27 36 63 51
Nicholas Beneteau Alberni Valley Bulldogs 54 17 46 63 36
Michael Felsing Merritt Centennials 53 16 42 58 32
Hayden Stavroff Alberni Valley Bulldogs 46 35 20 55 82
Luke Buss Nanaimo Clippers 52 29 26 55 20
Anthony Yu Powell River Kings 53 18 37 55 16
Callum Arnott Penticton Vees 53 18 37 53 8

Leading goaltenders

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Note: GP = Games Played, Mins = Minutes Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTL = Overtime Losses, GA = Goals Against, SO = Shutouts, Sv% = Save Percentage, GAA = Goals Against Average.

Player Team GP Mins W L OTL GA SO Sv% GAA
Will Ingemann Penticton Vees 32 1817 22 6 1 56 6 .919 1.85
Ajeet Gundarah Surrey Eagles 33 1904 25 6 1 68 2 .931 2.14
Andrew Ness Penticton Vees 25 1419 16 3 2 52 2 .915 '2.20
Eli Pulver Salmon Arm Silverbacks 38 2320 23 13 0 89 3 .915 2.20
Rorke Applebee West Kelowna Warriors 41 2396 24 6 8 105 3 .902 2.30

Award winners

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BCHL And Seattle Kraken To Host 2023 Event in Seattle". BCHL. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  2. ^ "BCHL To Become Independent League". BCHL. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  3. ^ "BCHL Annual General Meeting Recap". BCHL. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  4. ^ "BCHL announces roster rules and important dates for 2023-24". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  5. ^ "BCHL announces roster rules and important dates for 2023-24". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Wenatchee Wild Announce Move To Western Hockey League Ahead of 2023–24 Season". Wenatchee Wild. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  7. ^ "B.C. Hockey League releases schedule for 2024-25 season". Global News. Corus Entertainment. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  8. ^ "BCHL agrees to terms with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  9. ^ "BCHL announces finalized franchise agreements and integration with five Alberta-based teams". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  10. ^ "BCHL announces Alberta playoff format and BC postseason refresher". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Brooks Bandits capture 2023-24 Alberta Cup". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  12. ^ "BCHL announces Alberta playoff format and BC postseason refresher". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  13. ^ "BCHL announces Rocky Mountain Challenge Postseason Series". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Brooks Bandits win 2024 Rocky Mountain Challenge". bchl.ca. British Columbia Hockey League. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
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