06 BC Interior Stars Forward Ryder Ritchie had 13 points last weekend in the PEP
Teams Grab Gold in Vancouver
Champions were crowned in the Pacific Elite Prospects (PEP) Showcase in Vancouver Monday. PEP attracted 57 teams in nine divisions at eight age levels. Teams came from all over British Columbia and Alberta to take a crack at the PEP title at two facilities Planet Ice and Richmond Ice Center) near the banks of the Fraser River.
Here is a look at the four divisions we followed closest this past weekend, our thoughts on the outcome, scoring leaders and our vote for Tourney MVP.
There were more smiles than goals last weekend at the PEP last weekend
2005
Down the top player in the tournament, Connor Bedard, the Vancouver Vipers pulled themselves together and beat Spartan Alberta 3-1 Monday at Planet Ice in Coquitlam, BC. Grayden Slipec put the Spartans on their heals with two goals. Slipec would leave the tourney with 13 points in six games. Carmello Crandell had 12 points to lead Spartan on their 5-1 weekend.
Semifinalists (leading scorer)
Junior Steelers - Alex Sandhu (7 pts.)
BC Bears - Caden Brown (7 pts.)
Tourney Leading Scorer
Lukas Dragicevic - Selects Hockey BC (4G/13A - 17 pts.)
MVP
Grayden Slipec, VAN Vipers
Vancouver Vipers, 2005 PEP Champions
| Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lukas Dragicevic | 05 Selects Hockey BC | 4 | 13 | 17 |
| Grayden Slipec | 05 Vancouver Vipers | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| Zach Benson | 05 Vancouver Vipers | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Oliver Tulk | 05 Warriors | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Carmelo Crandell | 05 Alberta Spartans | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| Matthew Wood | 05 Vancouver Vipers | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Jamison Sluys | 05 Warriors | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Connor Bedard | 05 Vancouver Vipers | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Andrew Cristall | 05 Vancouver Vipers | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Austin Zemlak | 05 Alberta Spartans | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Marcus Pacheco | 05 Alberta Spartans | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Christopher Riviera | 05 Selects Hockey BC | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Caden Brown | 05 BC Bears | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Alex Cordero | 05 BC Bears | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Alex Sandhu | 05 Jr Steelers Gold | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Connor Dale | 05 Alberta Spartans | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Hoyt Stanley | 05 Vancouver Vipers | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Declan Warburton | 05 Vancouver Vipers | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Ryan Arnold | 05 Alberta Spartans | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Kai Matthew | 05 Alberta Spartans | 3 | 3 | 6 |
2006
The BC Bears faced a tough road to glory in the PEP, but when push came to shove they found a way to win beating the Vancouver Selects 4-3 in overtime to capture the PEP title. Tourney leading scorer Tomas Mrsic netted the winner for the Bears. Diego Buttazzoni led the Selects in scoring with seven points.
Semifinalists (leading scorer)
BC Interior Stars - Ryder Ritchie (13 pts.)
VAN Vipers - Carson Wetsch (8 pts.)
Tourney Leading Scorer
Tomas Mrsic - BC Bears (11G/5A - 16pts.)
MVP
Tomas Mrsic, BC Bears
BC Bears, 2006 PEP Champions
| Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomas Mrsic | 06 BC Bears | 11 | 5 | 16 |
| Jordan Gavin | 06 BC Bears | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| Ryder Ritchie | 06 BC Interior Stars | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Miguel Marques | 06 BC Interior Stars | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Carson Wetsch | 06 Vancouver Vipers | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Dryden Kuramoto | 06 BC Interior Stars | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Macklin Celebrini | 06 Vancouver Vipers | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Ollie Josephson | 06 BC Bears | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Diego Buttazzoni | 06 Vancouver Selects Blue | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Josh Kelly | 06 Vancouver Selects Blue | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Jake Spraetz | 06 Vancouver Selects Blue | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Jesse Heslop | 06 Vancouver Vipers | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Lynden Lakovic | 06 BC Interior Stars | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Reece Liu | 06 Vancouver Vipers | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Maddix Mccagherty | 06 BC Interior Stars | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| EJ Emery | 06 Vancouver Selects Blue | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Nishaan Parmar | 06 BC Bears | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Hiroki Gojsic | 06 Vancouver Selects Blue | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Colton Roberts | 06 Vancouver Selects Blue | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Noah Macdonald | 06 Vancouver Selects Blue | 2 | 2 | 4 |
2006 MVP Tomas Mrsic, BC Bears
2007
Tourney MVP Cameron Schmidt scores for the Vipers Monday
The Vancouver Vipers claimed the PEP title Monday morning avenging an earlier loss to the BC Bears winning 5-3. Cameron Schmidt led the Vipers with two goals in the title game and the tournament with 14 points. BC was led by Markus Lam who had two goals and Savin Virk had 12 points in the PEP to pace the Bears.
Semifinalists (leading scorer)
Junior Steelers - Eliot Compton (10 pts.)
Kelowna Heat - Chris Kilduff (17 pts.)
Tourney Leading Scorer
Chris Kilduff - Kelowna Heat (12G/5A - 17 pts.)
MVP
Cameron Schmidt, VAN Vipers
Vancouver Vipers, 2007 PEP Champions
| Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Kilduff | 07 Kelowna Heat White | 12 | 5 | 17 |
| Cameron Schmidt | 07 Vancouver Vipers | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| Savin Virk | 07 BC Bears | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| Eliot Compton | 07 Jr Steelers Gold | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Jakob Oreskovic | 07 BC Bears | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Grayson Johnston | 07 Kelowna Heat White | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Ben Kindel | 07 Jr Steelers Gold | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Ty Coupland | 07 Vancouver Vipers | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Owen Ivanov | 07 Kelowna Heat White | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Shea Busch | 07 Vancouver Vipers | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Keeghan Dunn | 07 BC Bears | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| William Sharpe | 07 BC Bears | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Markus Lam | 07 BC Bears | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Cole Mekelburg | 07 Jr Steelers Gold | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Levi Benson | 07 Vancouver Vipers | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Jake Skogstad | 07 Vancouver Vipers | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Zachary Pantelakis | 07 Vancouver Vipers | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Brayden Yee | 07 BC Lightning | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Jack Ferguson | 07 BC Bears | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Kori Belanger | 07 BC Bears | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Markus Lam, BC Bears (photo from Future Legends April '18, Toronto)
2008
The '08 Vancouver Vipers rolled through the PEP outscoring its opponents 44-10 sweeping the showcase with a 5-0 record. The Vipers' final victim was the Fraser Valley Sturgeon, winning 4-2 Monday morning in Coquitlam. Jonathan Bitoni and Liam Ruck connected three times (Bitoni 2G/1A, Ruck 1G, 2A). The duo had 44 combined points in five games (Bitonia 23, Ruck 21) to lead the tournament.
Semifinalists (leading scorer)
Junior Steelers - Sam Auld (10 pts.)
BC Bears - Jonathan Lee (7 pts.)
Tourney Leading Scorer
Jonathan Bitoni - Vancouver Vipers (15G/8A - 23 pts.)
CO-MVP
Jonathan Bitoni and Liam Ruck, VAN Vipers
Vancouver Vipers, 2008 PEP Champions
| Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Bitonti | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 15 | 8 | 23 |
| Liam Ruck | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 9 | 12 | 21 |
| Eli Barrett | 08 BC Lightning | 11 | 3 | 14 |
| Tyus Sparks | 08 Fraser Valley Sturgeon | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Markus Ruck | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 5 | 8 | 13 |
| Mathis Preston | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Kanjyu Gojsic | 08 Fraser Valley Sturgeon | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Nickolas Kovich | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Sam Auld | 08 Jr Steelers Gold | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Jake Banicevic | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| Nathan Ramos | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Keegan Sanders | 08 Fraser Valley Sturgeon | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Jonathan Lee | 08 BC Bears | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Nathaniel Danielson | 08 BC Lightning | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Caleb Malhotra | 08 Jr Steelers Gold | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Kaeden Kalkat | 08 BC Bears | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Nate McPhee | 08 Fraser Valley Sturgeon | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Jake Henderson | 08 Vancouver Vipers | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Jaiven Mann | 08 BC Bears | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Ryan Lin | 08 BC Bears | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Matthew Parmar, BC Bears makes a save Sunday
2009
Top scorers Kayden Pratt (BC Lightning) and Grayson Tash (Jr. Steelers) tangle up at the PEP
Outscoring their opponents 46-5 in six games, the '09 Fraser Valley Sturgeon won the PEP knocking off the BC Lightning 3-0 Monday. Luke Grabinsky had a goal and an assist to finish the PEP with 15 points. The Lightning was led by tourney leading scorer Kayden Pratt who had 17 points in six games.
Semifinalists (leading scorer)
Junior Steelers - Bennett Tash (9 pts.)
BC Bears - Bennett Wheatley (9 pts.)
Tourney Leading Scorer
Kayden Pratt - BC Lightning (9G/8A - 17 pts.)
MVP
Luke Grabinsky, Fraser Valley (15 pts.)
Fraser Valley Sturgeon, 2009 PEP Champions
| Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kayden Pratt | 09 BC Lightning | 9 | 8 | 17 |
| Luke Grabinsky | 09 FV Sturgeon Green | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| Ellis Quashie | 09 FV Sturgeon Green | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| Liam Pue | 09 FV Sturgeon Green | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| Jacob Dumansky | 09 FV Sturgeon Green | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Micah Sidhu | 09 FV Sturgeon Green | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| KANE CLOUTIER | 09 Vancouver Vipers | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| CAMERON ZONAILO | 09 Vancouver Vipers | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| Bennet Wheatley | 09 BC Bears | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Grayson Tash | 09 Jr. Steelers Elite | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Eli McKamey | 09 Island Stars | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Christiano D'Abbaddo | 09 BC Lightning | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| PETER BANICEVIC | 09 Vancouver Vipers | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| JEVYN GILL | 09 Vancouver Vipers | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| MACGUIRE NEWMAN | 09 Vancouver Vipers | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Byron Chin | 09 BC Bears | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| Tobin Schaefer | 09 Jr. Steelers Elite | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| JACE HICKIN | 09 Vancouver Vipers | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Jayden Simpson | 09 Jr. Steelers Elite | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Kishan Saggu | 09 Jr. Steelers Elite | 4 | 2 | 6 |
Kayden Pratt, BC Lightning '09 leading scorer
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