who will be "on the road" next week.

Gotta say it looks kinda good on the Fish, bleat bleat bleat all year...the Chinese year of the Fish -- destiny looms...crush everybody...the skill, the finesse, the passing, goals, the 'tending oooh!

Get the clubs out ... and plan that upstream swim for next season boys! No Coy Cup, again...
C'mon, just teasing...well, some!

Game 3 Demons/Wolverines (1 p.m. Tamitik in Kitimat today) will determine who has to make a long bus trip next week.

Will it be the Stamps to Hazelton or the more normal fare, Demons to Williams Lake and back to Tamitik for home ice advantage???

h'mmm???????

the steelheads were a hell of a team. I think everyone thought it was their year at some point. Stamps are peaking at the right time. The fish just had no answer for the stamps top players in the third period of both games. If the fish keep that group together they will win a championship at some point... Guaranteed! Great, exciting series. Congrats to smithers on a great season, although it doesn't seem that way now.

Looking ahead at the schedule, game 2 and 3 of the final are on feb 28 and march 1, which only leaves one day before the coy starts on march 3. That makes for a pretty gruelling run of possibliy 6 games in 7 days.

Goodluck to kitimat and hazelton today.

...this year for members of our league.

However it happens, if Hazelton is in Williams Lake for a final series, or similarly the Stamps in Kitimat for one or even two hard games and the two teams are expected to be in Terrace on the Tuesday following to start four, or five games, against rested competition -- rest assured that's a tough row to hoe.

The CIHL reps will have 18 regular season and at least six, maybe as many as nine rugged playoff games behind them. Terrace will be rested, Powell River or North Island will have played six or eight games and practices, and will be replete with ringers.

It'll be a bashed-up and likely shorthanded Stamps, Demons or Wolverines needing a week off work for the tournament. Most local teams will have guys begging to get time off work and getting into night games after 12 hour shifts or a day at work with maybe an hour or two off to travel. Williams Lake won't have the luxury likely, they'll have to go with who's available to get the whole week off..

It's a big commitment for working senior hockey players and I applaud every single participant...no matter what team...and tough on those injured late in the season who have to watch their teams play.

Yup, congrats to all the players, fans, referees, volunteers, and even the guys on this forum who keep things interesting(well, kinda) during the season and playoffs!

Lets Go Wolverines!!!!! I sure hope they beat Kitimat today!!

Congrats Stamps for proving that Stamps1 kinda knowas what he's talking about sometimes! You guys are an awesome team! I'm recalling rubber necking trying to finish checks against you!(watching the puck get passed around, not able to finish... you get the picture.)

Knowing the guys on the wolverines I know Kitimat will be in tough today. Gonna be a beat up Kitimat team(Hazelton team too) if they make it to the Coy! Gonna be beat up for the CIHL final before the coy! Well, a little more beat up than the stamps.

Regardless who wins, Giver Boys!!!! Go Woverines!!!!!!

I predict Williams Lake is going to win the Rio. Kitimat, great run, but your guys look pretty banged up! If you do repeat, Kudo's! Pretty darned good team every time I played against you! And yes, you can boast a bit. You've earned it! Imagine if Smithers was 4 time champs! Hmmmmmm... nope, it could be ugly!

Lets see some safe, clean, exciting hockey today!! but, I still want Hazelton to win!!!!!!!

It will certainly be a tough road for the two cihl finalists, but I think this years island rep will have earned their spot. They have made a great effort to create a league atmosphere down there this year and have been playing games all year... Not the usual 6 games.

Disappointment.

Congratulation to The Stamps and the Ice Demons, both teams earned the title West or East Champs, and now challenge for The Rio Tinto Cup. Later I will give my take on that series.

Here are the points for the pool.

Stamps goals scored by ;
1) Robin Gilbert asst Wilf Robbins, Brent Mciaasc
2) Wilf Robbins asst Aaron Zurak, Willy Sellars
3) Brent Mciaasc asst Wilf Robins
4) Brent Mciaasc asst Aaro Zurak, Wilf Robbins
5) Robin Gilbert asst Francis Johnson, Brent Mciaasc
6) Jason Wright asst Francis Johnson

Steelheads Goals scored by ;
1) Eric Smith asst Randle Groot, Mitch Pederson
2) Dallas Anderson
3) Tylor Koldyk asst Mitch Pederson, Randle Groot
4) Matt Arnold asst Mike Verticchio, Kellin Brown

It was a wierd feeling in the civic arena last night steely. It seemed like the entire place was in shock. It seemed to fall apart so quick for the fish. For the first 30 minutes the game was in control and smithers deserved the two goal lead, but wilf robbins 3-2 goal seemed to completely turn the game. Kyle young going down with the shoulder injury seemed to turn the physical edge from smithers to williams lakes favor. I thought koldyk and brown were the best steelies in the series.

That Wilf Robbins goal was a beauty. He went end to end and put it top right. One of the best i have seen all year. Smithers owned the first 2 periods. It should of been 4-1 Smithers after 1 but sellers earned his dinner. Good game. It was fun. LOL, silent crowd after it went 4-3.