The 2009 Western Canadian Championships will go down in history as one of the most competitive since the inception of the event.

Both the Men’s B and C level was exciting from each game of the round robin to the eventual championship games on Sunday afternoon. The excitement of the event can only be attributed to the fantastic job each of the participating Provincial Associations are doing in growing and fostering the sport of ball hockey.

The host city of Edmonton along with Wild Rose Ball Hockey Association and Edmonton Metro Ball Hockey did an amazing job for setting the stage for what all 16 teams from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will not soon forget. A fantastic championship!

B division ball hockey at this tournament is never dull and this year was certainly no exception. The top teams from the West were here to battle and battle is what they did. The semi-finals saw an all BC war in one match with the Surrey Satans vs. Delta Jaguars while the other match saw and all Manitoba semi-final Winnipeg Players vs. Winnipeg CTO. Both games were squeakers with the Satans edging out the Jaguars 4-2 with an empty net goal and the Players narrowly defeating the CTO 3-2. These events are pure endurance tests with the finalists playing 5 games in a 48 hour period. The Winnipeg Players endured the storm in the finals to capture Gold Medal in the championship game 4-0 over a worn out Silver Medalist Surrey Satans club. Both the Delta Jaguars and Winnipeg CTO were awarded Bronze Medals for their great efforts.

B Division Awards:

Most Valuable Forward                   Chris St. Jacques (Edmonton Nighthawks)
Most Valuable Defenceman             Sunny Gill (Surrey Satans)
Most Valuable Goaltender               Darren Lodge (Winnipeg CTO)
Top Scorer                                         Kevin Marchuk (Winnipeg Players)
Tournament MVP                            Scott Cameron (Winnipeg Players)

The C division was no slouch this year to the B. In fact there were a couple teams that could have competed in the B tournament and we hope to see these teams advance up a division in 2010. BC Provincial Champs Victoria Devils from 2008 faced the Winnipeg Evolution in the first semi-final and crushed the hopes of the Manitoba squad with a 6-0 victory. The second semi-final saw an all Alberta battle with the Edmonton Predators, who were finalists in the 2008 event, match up against the Edmonton Top Shelf who also attended the 2008 event in Vancouver. The Top Shelf overwhelmed the Predators with their fast and furious attack game and advanced to the finals with a 6-2 victory. Again in the championship game we saw a battle of endurance between the Victoria Devils and Edmonton Top Shelf. Perhaps it was the tired legs of the veteran Devils squad from attending the BC provincials only a week before, but the Edmonton Top Shelf endured the battle to come out as Gold Medalists for the 2009 event with a 5-1 victory. Edmonton Predators and Winnipeg Evolution both received Bronze Medals for their great efforts.

C Division Awards:

Most Valuable Forward                   Darren Shaw (Edmonton Predators)
Most Valuable Defenceman             Rick Kelly (Edmonton Top Shelf)
Most Valuable Goaltender               Gordie Stone (Victoria Devils)
Top Scorer                                         Brandon Forbes (Edmonton Metro Warriors)
Tournament MVP                            Gene Jones (Edmonton Top Shelf)