A hockey year worth celebrating

I attended the Valley High School Hockey League’s annual awards banquet last week, and I was struck again this year by the fact the VHSHL is doing a pretty good job both of attracting the best high school-aged players - and keeping them.

High school hockey is a popular ticket around here these days for the players and, increasingly so, for the fans. Those who took the time to check out the VHSHL this past winter – in fact, the past several winters – got to see some pretty good hockey and players that are exciting to watch.

Despite a regular season of 20 games maximum, the VHSHL final stats for 2007/ 2008 showed no fewer than 14 players with 10 goals or more. Leading the pack was Jeremy Bent of Bridgetown, whose 75 points (42 goals, 33 assists) in just 18 games works out to slightly more than four points a game – impressive stats for any level of hockey. In case you think Bridgetown was a one-man team, linemates Dennis Frost (25-34-59) and Geoff Burke (15-30-45 in 17 games) were second and third in the scoring race.

At the same time, the VHSHL isn’t just offense either. Middleton’s Spencer Aldred had a nifty 2.12 goals against average, and Horton’s Matt Jenner wasn’t far behind at 2.42. NKEC’s goaltending duo of Trevor Samson (2.46) and Brandon Whitney (2.59) both allowed fewer than three goals a game, and Jason Boutilier of Horton (3.12) and Middleton’s Ryan McAloney (3.13) weren’t all that far over.

This indicates a league that has something for everybody: a lot of offense and low-scoring, defensive battle.

One of the best things about the VHSHL is the fact all the Valley teams play in the same league, regardless of the size and affiliation of their schools. This integration is especially beneficial to a Division 3 team like Bridgetown, a perennial provincial D-3 contender due largely to the fact the Trojans compete with D-1 and D-2 teams all winter. Bridgetown finished a strong third in the VHSHL regular season, with an 11-5-2 record. NKEC and Middleton, both D-2 teams, and Bridgetown, a D-3 team, all finished higher in the regular season standings than Horton, a D-1 team good enough to finish as regional runner-up and advance to D-1 provincials.

I felt the league fathers broke new ground by choosing Horton goalie Jenner as the VHSHL player of the year. It was an unusual choice – a goalie on a fourth-place team – but totally deserving given Jenner’s all-round performance as a student/ athlete and proven leadership qualities - on and off the ice. You would almost have to see Horton play to appreciate just how much of a factor Jenner was in their success.

The MVP award could just as easily have gone to Jeremy Bent – or Dennis Frost or Kris Bigelow or Jesse Bent or Zack Morse or a handful of others whose accomplishments don’t necessarily always show up in the scoring summaries.

I also continue to be impressed with the smooth operation of the VHSHL season after season, despite being overseen by a surprisingly small group.

Hats off to the VHSHL for another successful season: in fact, one of their best and most competitive in recent memory. Keep up the good work, guys!