Dauphin to host new Western Canada Cup hockey tournament

Portage Terriers captain Cody More hoists the ANAVET Cup in 2011. A new junior A hockey regional championship tournament, the Western Canada Cup, will replace the former ANAVET Cup and the Doyle Cup. (DAVE DARICHUK)

Dauphin has been selected as the host community for the 2014 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup, the new junior A hockey regional championship tournament which will decide the Western regional representatives for the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship.

Dauphin will host the five-team tournament on April 26-May 4, 2014. The 13-game tournament will include a host team -- the Dauphin Kings -- and the champions from the four Western junior A leagues in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Both the champion and the runner-up in the Western Canada Cup will advance to the RBC Cup national championship. The Western Canada Cup will replace the former ANAVET Cup (Manitoba-Saskatchewan) and the Doyle Cup (B.C. Alberta) where the winners of those two tournaments had earned RBC Cup berths.

The new playoff format will begin in the 2012-2013 season with the inaugural Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup to be played April 27-May 5 at Nanaimo, B.C. The event will rotate after that to Manitoba (2014), Alberta (2015) and Saskatchewan (2016). A site selection committee, which includes a representative from each of the four Western leagues, chooses the host site from bids by interested teams/communities.

"There were three solid bids from within the league (MJHL) membership for the right to host the 2014 Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup," said MJHL commissioner Kim Davis in a statement. "The winning proposal from Dauphin, with its recent major event experience, strong host committeee and fan/corporate support within the region, bodes well for the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup as the four western junior A leagues try to establish a winning brand presence for this major regional playoff format event."

The tournament will include a round-robin schedule, two semifinal games and a championship game. The last ANAVET Cup was won last April by the Humboldt Broncos who beat the 2011 ANAVET Cup champion Portage Terriers 4-3 in the best-of-seven series.

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.