KIJHL grows to 20 teams
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Nelson Daily Sports
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League is getting a little bigger.
The league accepted bids by Chase and Summerland at the recent KIJHL meetings.
Chase saw its franchise move to Rutland during the summer and applied to the league board for the opportunity to make a return for next season.
Summerland also made a bid, but needs B.C. Hockey approval. Both teams will join the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference, bringing the number of teams to 10 and the league to 20.
Also at Sunday’s meeting, League governors honoured Doug Birks by re-naming the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference, Shuswap Division to Okanagan/Shuswap Conference Doug Birks Division.
Doug Birks passed away this past summer. His death was a major loss to his family, his friends, and the Sicamous hockey community.
Birks was a founding member of the Sicamous Eagles Junior Hockey Club along with Wayne March in 1994, and was very proud of the young men who played for the Eagles and went on to become great ambassadors for the community of Sicamous, not only in hockey, but in life.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
