With British Columbia Hockey League connections, the Minot State University men’s hockey team claimed its third American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I title this past spring.
In the Boston area, the top-ranked Beavers shut out No. 3 Adrian College of Michigan 1-0. Scoring the game’s lone goal was White Rock’s Josh Pederson, who played short stints with the BCHL’s Coquitlam Express, Nanaimo Clippers, and Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He was assisted on the goal by Reece Henry, who suited up the Cranbrook Bucks and Wayde Johanneson. Goaltender Jake Anthony turned away all 19 shots that came his way. The Grande Prairie, Alta. product played one season in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League for Selkirk College in Castlegar, B.C. before heading to MSU.
“It felt surreal at the end of that game,” said MSU forward Joey Moffatt, who played for the Cowichan Valley Capitals. “You kind of look around and have to soak in the excitement. Obviously, you’re watching the clock and when it got to about five seconds, we had dumped the puck down the ice and it was an absolute free-for-all on our bench — guys hugging and jumping up and down. It was really good to see our seniors go out on a high like that.”
So, what allowed MSU to triumph this season?
“It is a great group,” said head coach Wyatt Waselenchuk, who played a dozen games with Langley in the BCHL from 2008 to 2010. “Our fourth and fifth-year seniors this year were just not going to be denied. We’ve had a lot of history from our fifth-year seniors — winning in their freshman year to losing in the first game (of the national tournament) last year for the first time in 10 (or) 12 years, to winning this year was just so, so special. I think it was a culmination of a lot of hard work and such a great senior class we had this season.”
The four Beavers with BCHL connections are now all in their second or third year with the team. Moffatt, Henry, and ex-Capitals blueliner Logan Rands all played in the BCHL during the pod season of 2020-21, which was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Henry and Rands came from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League while Moffatt, who also played in the MJHL, was with the North American Hockey League’s Minot Minotauros when those squads’ seasons were shut down.
“Those are high-end players in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League that went out there and saw some success. They bring that skill set that you have to play at that level and at that tempo,” Waselenchuk said.
Rands praised the BCHL as “an extremely skilled league.”
“Having the chance to play in the best junior league in Canada definitely helped prepare me for the jump to college hockey,” he said. “The speed of the BCHL taught me how to make quick decisions with and without the puck and gave me a little taste of how hockey is played at the college level.”
The pod season in 2020-21 brought Portage, Man. products, and friends Rands, Moffatt, and Kian Calder together on the Capitals as teammates. Calder wrapped up his junior hockey career last season with his hometown Terriers and is slated to play at the U SPORTS level for the University of Manitoba in 2023-24.
Moffatt said going through the pandemic while playing hockey in Duncan, B.C. made his time in the BCHL memorable. “Being able to experience it with two of my good buddies from back home for sure. Obviously, it was the pod season, so it wasn’t a normal season but being able to share that with them was super special and, of course, Rands being in Minot here now makes it even more special.”
Waselenchuk has BCHL roots
Although born in Saskatchewan, Waselenchuk feels B.C. is home. The former goaltender got his start in the junior ranks with the Port Moody Black Panthers in the Pacific Junior B Hockey League in 2007-08. During the next season, he played for the Langley Chiefs and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Nipawin Hawks. Waselenchuk suited up for both teams in 2009-10 and also competed for the Black Panthers. He then headed to Minot State to conclude his playing career in the ACHA. Mentioning the BCHL brings back fond memories for the 34-year-old.
“To be able to be playing for an organization like Langley at that time, 20 minutes from home, and in a brand new building… it was so special,” Waselenchuk said. “To be playing with some NHL draft picks and 10 or 12 (NCAA) Division I committed players around you was special. Going to buildings like in Penticton and Victoria, some of those storied franchises that have such a rich history of moving players onto Division I and NHL levels, obviously (the league) has the reputation it does for a reason.”
In addition to BCHL players, MSU has also landed athletes who played at the Junior B level in the province. Pederson spent much of his junior career at that level while goalie Riley Wallace capped his junior career with the Columbia Valley Rockies of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Fifth-year senior Drew Carter competed in the KIJHL for the Grand Forks Border Bruins, Osoyoos Coyotes, Nelson Leafs, and Princeton Posse.
Josh Pederson
Pederson came up big for MSU at the national tournament, recording three points over four games. In addition to scoring the only goal in the championship tilt, Pederson lit the lamp in the semifinals versus Liberty University of Lynchburg, Va. That marker tied the contest before MSU won it in overtime.
While Pederson did play sporadically in the BCHL, he spent much of his junior career with the Junior B Campbell River Storm of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League. On an MSU team stocked with Junior A standouts, Pederson has to battle for playing time.
“All he’s done is work his absolute butt off. He is the first guy over the boards to kill penalties for us and will block a shot with any part of his body to help the team win,” Waselenchuk said.
Pederson had 10 goals and 16 points in 34 regular season games last season.
Joey Moffatt
Moffatt made an immediate impact at MSU in his first season leading the squad with 20 goals in 32 regular season games. He was second on the Beavers with 46 points. At the national tournament, he paced the team with six points, including two goals.
“For him to have the season that he did was no surprise to me,” Waselenchuk said of the talented forward. “I knew that he was going to produce offensively.”
Moffatt played his first three junior seasons for his hometown Portage Terriers. In 2019, he helped the team win a MJHL championship. Moffatt split the 2020-21 campaign between the Minotauros and the Capitals and the following season, he suited up for both the NAHL’s Anchorage Wolverines and MJHL’s Waywayseecappo Wolverines.
Logan Rands
At the start of the hockey season, Rands was playing senior hockey for the Virden Oil Kings of the Tiger Hills Hockey League. Injuries forced Waselenchuk to seek blueline help and, with some intelligence gathered from Moffatt, he was able to bring Rands to Minot after Christmas.
“Just a gift from the hockey gods if you will,” the coach said. “Just the perfect fit.”
Rands slotted into MSU’s top four on defense and posted four assists in 17 regular season games. In junior hockey, he played for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals from 2018 to 2022 with a brief stop in Cowichan Valley in 2020-21.
“The adjustment to playing at the college hockey level while having to balance school at the same time was a bit of a change from what I was used to, but the transition was surprisingly smooth,” Rands said. “I pride myself in my work ethic and my schoolwork. I knew the transition would require some extra work, but I was ready for the challenge.”
“The support that I received from Wyatt, and the entire group of guys on our team coming in after Christmas is something that I am very thankful for,” he continued. “Whether it was questions about school or hockey, everyone was willing to help and made the adjustment super easy for me.”
Reece Henry
Henry is now in his third season at MSU and has been an important contributor during his time there. Henry scored 10 goals and recorded 23 points in 33 regular season contests last season. At the national tournament, he had a goal and two assists.
“(He’s) another big body that has a ton of skill. He has got a good first step,” said Waselenchuk, who praised Henry’s play on the penalty kill and in the defensive zone.
A Regina, Sask. product, Henry also played in the MJHL for the Terriers. He capped his junior career with time with Cranbrook during the unique 2020-21 BCHL pod season.
