The British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) is a university ice hockey league based in British Columbia. The BCIHL was created with the purpose of offering a venue for competitive, high-calibre hockey for players beyond their junior hockey careers. Teams play a 24-game regular season schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs consisting of a best-of-three semifinal round, and a best-of-three championship series. Prior to 2012 the championship had been decided through a round-robin tournament.
 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| First season | 2006-07 |
| No. of teams | 5 |
| Country |  Canada |
| Headquarters | Burnaby, British Columbia |
| Most recent champion(s) | Vancouver Island University |
| Most titles | Simon Fraser University (5) |
| Official website | bcihl |
The league operates as one of two Division 2 leagues in Canada when compared to the Division 1 U Sports league, the other being Alberta's ACAC. BCIHL teams, however, regularly play U Sports and NCAA teams.
History
editIn 2011, the BCIHL accepted its first US-based team in Eastern Washington University, which had previously played in the American Collegiate Hockey Association at the Division II level. Before 2011, the BCIHL consisted entirely of teams from British Columbia.
The 2016–17 season would see the BCIHL get its first NHL alumni as former Montreal Canadiens forward Patrick Holland would join the University of Victoria.[1]
Vancouver Island University was confirmed as the sixth team to join the BCIHL in 2017, and joined the league for the 2017/2018 season.[2]
In 2019, Trinity Western University's men's and women's hockey programs were officially accepted into the Canada West Universities Athletic Association starting in the 2020-21 season.[3] The Spartans would finish their final season in the BCIHL as regular season champions.[4]
In March 2021, Selkirk College announced it would be discontinuing the Saints men's hockey program due to budget constraints as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] This departure marked the first time a former BCIHL Champion has dissolved.
On June 22, 2021, the Okanagan Lakers were added to the BCIHL via expansion and became the league's first independent club, consisting of student-athletes from both the University of British Columbia-Okanagan and Okanagan College.[7][8]
On February 8, 2022, the Logan Lake Miners were added to the BCIHL via expansion, consisting of student-athletes from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Merritt. The team plays out of the Logan Lake Recreation Centre.
In addition to the Okanagan Lakers, the BCIHL is currently reviewing expansion proposals for two other teams: the Thompson Okanagan Pioneers and the Fraser Valley College Brigade.[9][needs update?]
Teams
edit| Institution | Team Name | Location | Joined BCIHL | Championships | Championship Years | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Fraser University | SFU Red Leafs |  Burnaby, British Columbia | 2006 | 5 | 2008, 2010, 2011, 2022, 2023 | sfuhockey.com[10] |
| University of Victoria | UVic Vikes | Victoria, British Columbia | 2006 | 4 | 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017 | vikeshockey.com[11] |
| Vancouver Island University | VIU Mariners | Nanaimo, British Columbia | 2017 | 1 | 2024 | viuha.ca[12] |
| University of British Columbia-Okanagan / Okanagan College | Okanagan Lakers | Kelowna, British Columbia | 2021 | 0 | okanaganlakers.com[13] | |
| Thompson Rivers University / Nicola Valley Institute of Technology | Logan Lake Miners | Logan Lake, British Columbia | 2022 | 0 | https://www.loganlakeminers.com/ |
Former teams
edit| Institution | Location | Championships | Joined BCIHL | Year Left |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selkirk College | Castlegar, British Columbia | 4 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) | 2007 | 2021 |
| Trinity Western University | Langley, British Columbia | 2 (2018, 2019) | 2006 | 2020 |
| Eastern Washington University |  Cheney, Washington | 0 | 2011 | 2018 |
| University of the Fraser Valley | Abbotsford, British Columbia | 0 | 2006 | 2011 |
| University of Northern British Columbia | Prince George, British Columbia | 0 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Okanagan College | Kelowna, British Columbia | 0 | 2009 | 2012 |
| Thompson Rivers University | Kamloops, British Columbia | 0 | 2009 | 2014 |
Championships
editThe championship results for each season are listed below.[14][15][16][17][18]
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | University of Victoria | Simon Fraser University | 4-0 (round robin) |
| 2007–08 | Simon Fraser University | University of the Fraser Valley | 3-1 (round robin) |
| 2008–09 | University of Victoria | Simon Fraser University | 3-1 (round robin) |
| 2009–10 | Simon Fraser University | Thompson Rivers University | 3-1 (round robin) |
| 2010–11 | Simon Fraser University | Thompson Rivers University | 3-1 (round robin) |
| 2011–12 | University of Victoria | Simon Fraser University | 4-0 (round robin) |
| 2012–13 | Selkirk College | Simon Fraser University | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2013–14 | Selkirk College | Trinity Western University | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2014–15 | Selkirk College | Simon Fraser University | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2015–16 | Selkirk College | Trinity Western University | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2016–17 | University of Victoria | Trinity Western University | 2-1 (best-of-3) |
| 2017–18 | Trinity Western University | Selkirk College | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2018–19 | Trinity Western University | Vancouver Island University | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2019–20 | Playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||
| 2020–21 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||
| 2021–22 | Simon Fraser University | Vancouver Island University | 2-0 (championship tournament) |
| 2022–23 | Simon Fraser University | Vancouver Island University | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
| 2023–24 | Vancouver Island University | University of Victoria | 2-0 (best-of-3) |
Notable players
edit- Patrick Holland - Montreal Canadiens
- Jordan Wood - Huntsville Havoc
- Anthony Collins - Rapid City Rush
- James Isaacs - Fife Flyers
- Elijah Vilio - Atlanta Gladiators, Rapid City Rush, Norfolk Admirals (ECHL), Savannah Ghost Pirates
References
edit- ^ "Former Hab Holland finds a home with Vikes hockey team".
- ^ "BC Intercollegiate Hockey League - Powered By esportsdesk.com". www.bcihl.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ "SPARTANS JOIN CANADA WEST IN MEN'S & WOMEN'S HOCKEY". May 9, 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-06-30.
- ^ http://www.bcihl.ca/leagues/standingsTotals.cfm?leagueID=11139&clientID=3692
- ^ "Selkirk College Saints". Archived from the original on 2010-11-29.
- ^ "Selkirk College no longer offering men's hockey". March 31, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-07.
- ^ "BCIHL votes to grant lakers membership for 2021/22 season". Archived from the original on 2021-05-13.
- ^ "BCIHL Announces Addition of Okanagan Lakers and 2021/22 Season Overview". June 24, 2021. Archived from the original on 2008-03-31.
- ^ "BCIHL reviewing expansion proposals in Kamloops, Kelowna and Chilliwack". May 13, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-06.
- ^ http://www.sfuhockey.com/
- ^ https://www.vikeshockey.com/
- ^ http://www.viuha.ca/leagues/front_pageMariners.cfm?clientID=6440&leagueID=29088
- ^ https://www.okanaganlakers.com/
- ^ "History: Championships". bcihl.ca. BC Intercollegiate Hockey League. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ "BCIHL season wraps-up: Selkirk wins championship". HockeyNow. 21 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2015.
- ^ "Selkirk College Saints Repeat as BCIHL Champions". Selkirk College. 17 March 2014.
- ^ "2015 BCIHL Playoffs". BCIHL.ca. BCIHL. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
- ^ "BCIHL announces official cancelation of 2020-21 season". November 26, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19.