BCHL Bulletin

BCHL Today: 2020-21 season start pushed back again, Zakall commits to Ivy League school, and more

Brian Wiebe

2020-21 season delayed until January

With the extension of the Public Health Officer’s order of not allowing players over the age of majority to participate in indoor or outdoor sports to January 8, the BC Hockey League announced it has delayed the start of the 2020-21 season to January.

The league initially announced a start date of December 1 in July and pushed it back to December 8 last month. Now, the season won’t start any earlier than January 9.

Zakall commits to Dartmouth

Merritt Centennials defenseman Talon Zakall took to Twitter on Monday to announce his commitment to Dartmouth College.

The 2002-born hometown player for the Centennials led them in scoring during the extended training camp season with two goals and three assists in seven games.

He is expected to head to Dartmouth in the fall of 2022.

Crasa heads to UMass-Lowell in September

Forward Matthew Crasa (25 goals, 19 assists in 51 games with Cowichan Valley in 2019-20) has committed to UMass-Lowell for the 2021-22 season.

The 2001-born product of New York City is with the Fargo Force of the US Hockey League this season and has seven points in nine games thus far.

Scott commits to RIT for 2021-22

2000-born defenseman Douglas Scott (seven goals, 11 assists in 127 games with Coquitlam, Cowichan Valley, Vernon, and Merritt from 2017-20) has committed to play NCAA hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology next fall.

Scott, who’s from North Vancouver, has 10 points in six games this season as captain of the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

Ripley released by Greenville

Defenseman Luke Ripley (two goals, 19 assists in 75 games with Powell River from 2012-14) has been released by Greenville of the ECHL.

The 26-year-old from Kitimat, BC had 12 points in 66 games with the Swamp Rabbits over the last two seasons.

Hope cut by the Solar Bears

Forward Kylar Hope (44 goals, 63 assists in 165 games with West Kelowna from 2013-16), who signed in August to play ECHL hockey in Orlando, was released by the Solar Bears on Monday.

The 25-year-old from Lashburn, Saskatchewan is coming off a four-year NCAA career with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, where he had 61 points in 127 games.

Brian Wiebe

Brian's been involved in the BCHL in a variety of capacities for 17 years. From 2002 to 2012, he served in several roles around the Merritt Centennials organization, including as team president, board member, beat writer, colour commentator, webmaster, media and communications coordinator and marketing assistant. He's been writing about the BCHL since 2008 and served as colour commentator on the TSN 1040 broadcasts in 2012-13. BCHLNetwork is one of Brian's many passion projects that he balances around his full-time job as an instructor in the Radio Arts and Entertainment Program at BCIT in Burnaby.