It may have been 16 years since the Saanich Braves last won the IslandB次元官网网址檚 junior B title, but there are plenty of championships and players to celebrate this season as the team turns 45.
Current owners Ed Geric and Norm Kelly are leading the 45th anniversary celebration for the Braves, which started playing junior hockey in 1967, with a number of promotions.
One of the moves the Braves did was to hire artist Lucas Bell to design a 45th anniversary logo. Lucas' brother Chris is a former captain of the team and last winter Lucas designed the Braves' VIJHL all-star logo.
B次元官网网址淲e want to embrace the community and are welcoming Braves alumni back. This team has been around for a long time and a lot of great people have come through here,B次元官网网址� Kelly said.
The Braves most notable alumnus is Adam Cracknell, who played for the 2010-11 St. Louis Blues and was captain of the BluesB次元官网网址� AHL affiliate Peoria Rivermen last year.
Recent pros and NCAA players who came through the Braves in the last decade are Lee Baldwin of the New York Rangers AHL affiliate Connecticut Whale, and Brian Nugent of the NCAAB次元官网网址檚 Northern Michigan University. Both suited up for the 2009 RBC Cup hosting Victoria Grizzlies. The Crowder brothers Paul and Tim also wore the Braves crest before hockey took them to the NCAA, ECHL, AHL and Europe. Both played under former Braves coach Dick Crowder, their dad.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e always got a guy moving up to to junior A or the WHL,B次元官网网址� Kelly said. B次元官网网址淎nd weB次元官网网址檙e off to a great start this season. The stands are full and I donB次元官网网址檛 know if thatB次元官网网址檚 because weB次元官网网址檙e winning, but weB次元官网网址檝e got a great team right now.B次元官网网址�
It canB次元官网网址檛 hurt that the first 45 fans at last FridayB次元官网网址檚 game, an 8-0 win over the Kerry Park Islanders, were treated to a coupon for a free Subway sandwich.
It was the Braves third win in three nights, with a 5-2 win over the Westshore Wolves on Wednesday and 5-2 win over the Nanaimo Buccaneers on Thursday.
B次元官网网址淔riday was a great showing, the score aside, no matter who we were playing we were responsible and competed really hard,B次元官网网址� Braves head coach Brad Cook said.
B次元官网网址淭his year the maturity is showing for us. Last year we lost eight one-goal games, but we got the core group back who learned how to win those close games and so far weB次元官网网址檝e been able to grind them out,B次元官网网址� Cook said.
The BravesB次元官网网址� season continues on Friday when members of the Canadian national rugby team, which will suit up for the Americas Rugby Championship in Langford in two weeks, will be on hand to drop the puck, 6:30 p.m. at Pearkes arena versus the Buccaneers.
Braves history
The Braves are steeped in the legacy of the league. From 1978 to 1996, the Braves won six Brent Patterson Memorial trophies as the top team in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. The trophy, however, wasnB次元官网网址檛 renamed in PattersonB次元官网网址檚 honour until later. A former Braves player, Patterson was the VIJHL MVP in 1977. He died shortly after leaving a game at the 1977 Cyclone Taylor Cup in Quesnel from heart complications.
sports@vicnews.com
