Five members of the Squamish Eagles Midget hockey club did not disappoint after being chosen to represent the Greater Vancouver Canucks in an annual scholarship tournament on Saturday (Jan. 26).The Midgets joined forces with regional rivals to form the team and win the 31st annual Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association Midget Scholarship Tournament.
The tournament is meant to promote and reward scholastic achievement and sportsmanship, and one player from each team was chosen for a $500 Vancouver Canucks Special Bursary Award.Goalie Brett Miller, forwards Oliver McQuaid and Keegan Moore, and defencemen Dylan Ackerman and Jesse Anderson represented the Squamish Eagles, which contributed more players than any other team.
With their stellar play, the Canucks won the Fred "Cyclone" Taylor Memorial Cup for the first time since 1999.To be eligible for selection, players were required to have a C+ average and cannot have received a gross misconduct or match penalty this season.
Seventeen-year-olds on 30 hockey teams from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley were split into four teams, each representing their region. Although an Eagle didn't receive the bursary, Miller was named MVP for game two against the Fraser Valley Flames and McQuaid received MVP honours for his performance in game three against the Greater Vancouver Avalanche. Moore had a great opener, scoring a hat trick in the first game against the Fraser Valley Oilers.On Sunday (Jan. 27), after the Eagle's first regular season game back since before the tournament break, Moore said their tournament success is boosting regular season play.
"I feel more confident with my ability to score," he said after having just scored two goals and earned two assists in a 5-0 win against Ridge Meadows.
The tournament may also boost their hockey futures. The Squamish players attracted the attention of scouts from the Pacific International Junior Hockey League's Abbotsford Pilots. The representatives from the PIJHL defending champions expressed particular interest in Moore and McQuaid. The Canucks won two of three round robin games before facing the team they lost to, the FVC Flames, in the final. But they weren't prepared to lose twice. The Canucks dominated most of the game, said Moore.
"We started real strong and played most of the game in their end, hitting pretty hard."
The Flames had very few chances to score in the third period to come from behind, and when they did, Miller was quick to respond in net. The Canucks won the final 5-2.
Now with their full roster together again, the Squamish Eagles are in the middle of a heavy schedule with five games in seven days.
