NEBC Trackers gets set to host championship for best U-18 teams in B.C.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The minor hockey community is steadily preparing for the opportunity to host the best teams in the province.

The North East BC (NEBC) Trackers have been selected to host the BC Hockey Tier One Provincial Championship, as confirmed by the U-18 program in a Facebook post on Thursday, January 29th.

Eight teams representing regions from around B.C. will play games to determine the best U-18 team in the province.  

According to the tournament’s host committee chair, Natasha Brown, two teams have already been confirmed alongside the NEBC Trackers: the West Kootenay Crusaders and East Kootenay Avalanche U-18 squads, with more to follow as league post-seasons conclude throughout February.

“[Those] two are already guaranteed to come. I don’t believe they had a playoff,” said Brown. “The rest of the teams are in the playoffs right now, so we won’t know the remaining teams for the next few weeks.”

Brown’s two sons both play in the NEBC Trackers system. She said for these players, it represents what could be a last opportunity to play in front of a boisterous crowd as most will graduate from organized competitive hockey.

She pointed to the Trackers’ annual Christmas game as a good example of what one could expect from games during the championship.

“Some of these kids will probably be done with hockey after this,” said Brown. “My youngest son said he was trembling before he went out on the ice because he could hear the crowd.”

With an event of this magnitude, Brown told Energeticcity.ca that fundraising is key. The team is organizing a Burger and Beer night at the North Bar and Grill on February 18th.

The host committee is also looking for volunteers and sponsors for the event. 

“We are currently looking and collecting donations for that right now,” said Brown. “We have our sponsor letter, which we just released yesterday. So we got the kids hitting the ground and trying to get cash donations or even people’s time.”

While Brown is managing the logistics of the event, overseeing it for BC Hockey is Trudy Alexander. 

Alexander is the liaison, acting as the go-between for the NEBC Trackers and the province’s governing body.

According to her, due to geography, the NEBC Trackers play regular seasons in the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL), where they currently sit with the second-best record in the league’s north division with 13 wins, five losses and three ties for 29 points. 

However, because of differing rules between Alberta and B.C., the Trackers are allowed to cross over to play in the tier one championship in their home province.

“We don’t get to go into [Alberta] playdowns [sic] even if we win the league,” said Alexander. 

The BC Hockey Tier One U-18 Provincial Championship starts on Saturday, March 14th and will wrap up on Wednesday, March 18th, with games taking place at the North Peace Arena and the Pomeroy Sport Centre.

Admission to all games is free. To view the full schedule, see BC Hockey championship’s website.

To inquire about volunteers or sponsorship, contact Brown at u18trackermanager@gmail.com.