The 2022 Cyclone Taylor Cup in Delta has arrived. The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) Teck Cup champ Revelstoke Grizzlies are facing the Delta Ice Hawks (host), Langley Trappers (Pacific Coast Junior Hockey champs) and the Peninsula Panthers (Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League champs). In this edition of the KIJHL Notebook, the focus is on the Grizzlies approach.
“We want to represent our league properly and do the KIJHL justice at this event,” said Ryan Parent, Head Coach and GM of the Grizzlies as they look to win back-to-back Cyclone Taylor Cup championships.
The Grizzlies defended their KIJHL Teck Cup Championship with a five-game series victory against the Nelson Leafs. Winning at the Revelstoke Forum, Parent said, made for a “very exciting moment.”
“I think the whole town went crazy. To win in front of our hometown fans was an awesome experience,” he said.
Now the focus has shifted to the B.C. provincial championship. What makes this championship tournament special, Parent said, is that you have the best teams from the three Junior B leagues.
He knows every game is going to be tough.
“It’s different from a seven-game series. Every game means more,” he said. “If we lost our first two games in 2019, we probably wouldn’t have been in the finals. Every game does mean more. You just have to be dialed in from puck drop and have to make sure that you are assertive and ready to go. You have to play your best each game.
“We want to make sure we are dialed in when we arrive there and are set and ready to compete when Thursday’s game starts (7:30 p.m. on HockeyTV),” he continued. “We will have the utmost respect for the other leagues and make sure that we are preparing for them.”
When they won in 2019 in Campbell River, Parent remembers the competition being strong. He also remembers opening the championship with a loss to the Victoria Cougars after a long trip. They won their remaining games besting the Cougars in a rematch in the Gold Medal game, 5-1.
“We had to be well prepared and execute in every game in order to have success there,” he said. “I don’t think anything will change.”
