Thursday, April 23, 2009

Alumni Win Doyle Cup

Two OHA Alumni, Sahir Gill and James Kerr, helped the Vernon Vipers sweep the Grande Prairie Storm to capture the 2009 Doyle Cup as the Champions of the Alberta Junior Hockey League vs the British Columbia Hockey League.

Gill finished the Doyle Cup with 3 goals and 3 assists through fours games, while Kerr added an assist in two games.

The Vipers now compete for the National Champions Royal Bank Cup in Victoria, BC. They now await the winners of the Dudley Hewitt Cup, Fred Page Cup and Anavet Cup to represent the rest of Canada.

The Royal Bank Cup begins May 2nd, 2009.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Bulldog Wins RBC National Scholarship


Alberni Valley Bulldog’s defenceman, Kevin Ross, has added a few more awards to his growing collection of accolades. Ross was awarded the 2009 Hockey Canada RBC National Scholarship ($5,000), as well as the BCHL RBC Scholarship award, Tuesday.

“Kevin is an exceptional young man and it has been a pleasure to work with him this past year. He is an outstanding role model for other young people and players to emulate.” Tom McEvay, Bulldogs Educational Advisor.

These impressive awards go along with the City of Cranbrook Memorial Scholarship ($3,500), the Tembec Engineering Scholarship ($4,000), Cranbrook Ministerial Association Scholarship ($1,000), the University of British Columbia Harold White Entrance Scholarship($30,000), and the University of British Columbia Presidents Entrance Scholarship ($4,000). To cap an impressive year academically, Ross has committed to attend Princeton University and play for the Princeton Tigers of the Ivy League.

“The dedication to excel in both academics and athletics is personified in Kevin Ross. He committed himself to developing as a student and as a player and has earned the distinction that comes with his achievements. We are extremely proud of Kevin, and want to congratulate him on all his success.” Andy Oakes President

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Alumni Wins Superior International Junior League


Joel Langevin, a former OHA player, and his Fort William North Stars, have captured the Superior International Junior Hockey League. The 6’ Langevin contributed 6 goals and 5 assists through 12 playoff games, helping the North Stars earn a berth in the Dudley Hewitt Cup to compete for the right to play in the Royal Bank Cup National Championships.


In the regular season, Joel notched 31 goals and 44 assists in 49 games. To follow the North Stars, please visit http://fortwilliamns.pointstreaksites.com/view/fortwilliam/home-page-56

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Gill Named Player Of The Week

Sahir Gill, a former Okanagan Hockey Academy player and current Vernon Viper, was named the BCHL player of the week.

Sahir had a strong week, scoring twice including the game winner in triple overtime and adding two assists, while helping the Vipers capture the Fred Page Cup as the BCHL Champions over the Powell River Kings.

“We are pleased to see Sahir rewarded for his strong play. He is offensively talented, and really shined under the pressure of the BCHL Championship series. We want to wish him continued success in the Doyle Cup against the Grande Prairie Storm.” Andy Oakes, President

Monday, April 13, 2009

Alumni Win BCHL Championship

Sahir Gill and James Kerr, both OHA alumni, have helped the Vernon Vipers win the British Columbia Hockey League Championship.

With a 2-1 win over the Powell River Kings, the Vipers won the Fred Page Cup, winning the series in 6 games. Gill contributed to the Vipers playoff success with 8 goals and 9 assists, including the game winning goal in triple over time of game 4 of the championship series. Kerr notched 2 goals and added 4 assists in the 17 game playoff drive of the Vipers.

OHA is proud of both James and Sahir, and wish the them continued success as they take on the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in the Doyle Cup, as they play for a berth in the Royal Bank Cup National Championship.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

OHA Alumni Commits to NCAA


Former OHA goaltender, Matt Turner, has committed to attend Lebanon Valley College next season and play for the Flying Dutchmen. Turner suited up for OHA from 2005-2007 before joining the Washington Junior Nationals of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. In 17 games this season, Matt has posted a 3.33 goals against average and a .911 save percentage


Thursday, April 9, 2009

Gill Scores Winner in OT


Vernon Vipers forward, Sahir Gill, has helped put the Vipers in the drivers seat with his overtime goal in game 4 of the BCHL championship series. Vernon now holds a 3-1 lead over the Powell River Kings in the best of 7 Fred Page Cup Final.


In 15 playoff games, Sahir has notched 7 goals and added 9 assists, while spending 4 minutes in the penalty box.


The native of Terrace, BC laced up his skates for the Okanagan Hockey Academy's top team in 2007-2008.
To follow all the BCHL playoff action, please visit http://www.bchl.bc.ca/

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Alumni Commits to NCAA Division 1


Former Okanagan Hockey Academy goalie, Steven Legatto, has committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, to play for the NCAA Division 1 Mavericks.


The 20 year old Legatto is currently playing for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. This season he has posted a 3.02 goals against average and a save percentage of .901. His strong leadership and hard work have led Steven to realize a dream of playing in the NCAA Division 1.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

OHA Alumni Wins ECAC-NE Championship


Former Okanagan Hockey Academy player Kevin Richardson and his Nichols College Bison, won the ECAC-NE Championship and a place in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.

Through 29 games with the Bison as a freshman, Kevin picked up 9 assists while helping Nichols to a school record 25-4 season. The Nichols Bison were the first in school history to be nationally ranked this season.

“There is nothing like winning a championship and once everything kind of sank in, I began to think of how I ended up here and where everything started. Although we did lose in the 1st round to a very strong 3rd seeded Hobart, we proved to be a team capable of competing at the national level. I am proud to be an Okanagan Hockey Academy Alumni and owe a lot to the opportunity and experiences I gained there for two years. I guarantee without the experiences from OHA I would not be the same person, athletically, academically or socially.” Kevin Richardson, Nichols College Bison

Monday, April 6, 2009

BCHL Leads Western Canada in NCAA Commitments


The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) has more college commitments than the Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Manitoba Junior A leagues combined. The BCHL is sitting at 82 compared to the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) at 38, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) at 16, and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) at 3.

The BCHL is considered the best junior A league in Canada and a close second only to the United States Hockey league (USHL) in North America.

The NCAA consists of two divisions being division 1 and division 3. Division 1 is the top caliber that consists of 6 conferences and 58 teams. At this level teams primarily offer scholarships from 100% where the player pays nothing to a sliding scale where the school and player pay a certain negotiated percentage. The Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Princeton do not offer scholarships but rather a financial aid package based on family income.

The NCAA division 3 consists of 8 conferences and 89 teams. At this level the teams primarily offer financial aid and bursaries rather than scholarships. There are many good academic and hockey programs at this level as well.

To have an opportunity in playing at one of the NCAA programs mentioned above there are 3 very important areas. These 3 areas are your high school GPA, your SAT scores and the caliber of your hockey. To keep as many doors open it is important for players to apply themselves in all areas and not eliminate options by not meeting academic levels of certain schools.
The SAT prep classes are underway and I encourage every player in the academy to write the actual test in either May or June. June makes more sense as the prep classes will be completed prior to the test date. The SAT can be written as many times as you wish with only your best scores counting.

To register to write the SAT or to acquire more information on the NCAA go to http://www.collegeboard.com/

If you have any questions please let me know.

Alan Kerr, Vice President of Hockey Operations

OHA Players Help Less Fortunate

Two Okanagan Hockey Academy Players, Chris Kerr and Kenny Whitford, have travelled to Mexico to help provide assistance for people in need.
The two players are helping a family in Vincente Guerrero, a poverty stricken town on the Baja Peninsula. This area is steeped in poverty, with the local farm workers earning about $9.00 a day. Residents of Vincente Guerrero live in makeshift homes constructed of any material they can find. Children in this area go without shoes and are forced to wear the same clothes, unwashed, everyday. Chris and Kenny are part of a team helping to build simple houses for the local people. The houses are then furnished and stocked with necessary food. The families are then provided with clothing, shoes and toys for the children. Each player had to raise $1100.00 to help give these families a new life.
“We are extremely proud of these two young men. They are helping people in a situation that fortunately many of us will never have to experience. To see them making a difference for these people is a source of great pride for the Okanagan Hockey Academy and for each one of us as individuals.” Andy Oakes, President

Friday, April 3, 2009

Okanagan Hockey Academy Experience


Hey everyone, how is everyone doing? If anyone didn't know I played for the Academy for 4 years. My last season I played in the WSHL league and I have to say it doesnt even compare to the caliber of hockey up in Penticton whether I was on midget AA or on the Summerland Sting. I was always challanged on and off the ice there. Lucky for me the academy taught me to be routine and work hard by my self to further my skill and conditioning, therefore I still improved during the season as my team went downhill. I got a chance to play for the Wennatchee Wild in the NAHL this season which was a treat and just showed me how hard I need to work to make yet another level in hockey. If anyone has any questions at where I am at or want to enroll your kid at the academy and want to hear the experiences your son will get first hand from someone who has done all levels there give me a call or e-mail me at rjcetnarowski@yahoo.com or (425)508-961 - RJ Cetnarowski

OHA Alumni To Play For BCHL Championship

Game 1 of the best of 7 series for the Fred Page Cup as the BCHL Champions gets underway tonight and when the puck drops, two OHA Alumni will help the Vernon Vipers in their quest to claim the ultimate prize.

James Kerr, a former Okanagan Hockey Academy standout with a commitment to attend Princeton University for next season, and Sahir Gill, a talented rookie forward have helped contributed to the Vipers success.


In 11 playoff games, Gill has notched 4 goals and 7 assists. During the regular season, Sahir finished finished with 18 goals and 21 assists. Kerr, who split his time with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and the Vipers picked up 8 goals and 5 assists through 48 games this regular season. So far in the Vipers playoff drive, James has 1 goal and 4 assists in 11 games.

To follow the Okanagan Hockey Academy alumni playing in the BCHL, please visit http://www.bchl.bc.ca/. Good luck boys!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Alumni Updates

To all our alumni, billets, families and players, feel free to use this blog as a forum for you to keep us all up to date on what your doing now. Please comment on this article and we will highlight your story!

Player Highlight


Every week, we will be highlighting one of our Okanagan Hockey Academy players and helping letting you get to know them more in depth. This week, we are featuring Connor Tamai. Connor currently plays for the AAA Midget 1 team, for Coach Robert Dirk where he serves as team Captain.

Born in Aurora Colorado, Connor grew up in Fairbanks Alaska. Connor is currently in his second year with OHA after spending his first season playing for Dixon Ward.

Connor's favourite memory from the Okanagan Hockey Academy has been the trip to Boston last season, where are all 3 midgets team spent 10 days in Massachusetts. His favourite hockey memory was this season tying POE # 1.

Connor billets with his mom, who splits her time between Penticton and Fairbanks. When Connor is not with his mom, he stays with his billets from last year, the Webbers. "They are an amazing family. They are all such big hockey fans, they make so comfortable for me to stay there. Last season was an easy adjustment to living away from home being with the Webbers." Connor Tamai.
The youngest of 3, Connor's two older sisters are currently attending the University of Portland and Santa Clara University. His favourite food is pasta, and in his spare time, Connor likes to play football.

Connor's eventual goal in hockey is to earn a scholarship to an NCAA Division I school. His favourite team is the New York Rangers, who currently have 2 fellow Alaskans Scott Gomez and Brandon Dubinsky playing for them.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Alumni Update

Here is a recent submission from one of our OHA alumni families. Please feel free to comment with your own update.
"I love the idea of staying connected to the Academy. My name is Jeralie Hymas and we had 6 wonderful years with OHA. Our one son Nathan is currently attending BYU, is married to a wonderful gal and is playing hockey for the university. Next season, he will be the marketing director for the team. Cameron our younger son is currently serving a two year mission for the LDS church in Pennsylvania. Though he wears a white shirt and tie 6 days a week, he manages to stick handle a little every day in his apartment. We are currently serving a mission in Guyana and though it is hot and sort of ugly here, I did find an air hockey table the other day. So no matter where you go, hockey seems to be a part of our lives. Let me know if I can send pics of Nathan and Cameron. Thanks again for providing this so we can keep in touch with friends and fellow team mates."
 
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