Saints get taste of World Junior Championship
By Bob Hall
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 in the Lower Mainland.
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 who are preparing for the World Championships that will take place in Vancouver/Victoria starting on December 26.
In the Monday night game at the Langley Events Centre, 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 College, 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 & District Recreation Centre on the January 11 and 12 weekend.
