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THE WESTERN CANADA CUP

The inaugural 2013 Western Canada Cup, sponsored by Cresent Point Energy, officially called Cresent Point Energy Western Canada Cup was held from April 26 - May 5, 2013 at the Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo, BC and hosted by the Nanaimo Clippers and the BCHL.

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The Inaugural Western Canadian Championship announced, Nanaimo to host event;
Monday, January 16, 2012 - Submitted by CJHL Network

The Canadian Junior Hockey League is pleased to announce a new regional playoff format for its four western provinces beginning in 2013. The British Columbia Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Manitoba Junior Hockey League will move to a five-team tournament and crown the first-ever Western Canadian Champion.

The Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup will be hosted by the Dauphin Kings and the MJHL in 2014, followed by the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL in 2015, and the SJHL in 2016. A Site Selection Committee will be responsible for selecting a host team annually, upon the recommendation of the host league.

WCC logo, other details announced at Nanaimo media conference
Thursday, March 29, 2012 - Submitted by CJHL Communications

The Canadian Junior Hockey League and Nanaimo Clippers held a media conference Thursday in Nanaimo - the host community of the 2013 Western Canada Cup - to introduce the community, media and fans to the newly formed event and a chance to welcome the executives from the four western leagues to the host city.

The CJHL, in conjunction with the host committee, unveiled the official logo for the Western Canada Cup. The Western Canada Cup logo is based on the classic shield and banner motif, and reflects the four leagues through the use of the four stars in the banner. The distinctive Western Canada Cup wordmark reflects a modern, high energy tone and incorporates red to represent Canada. The bold graphic outline and overall balanced composition provide a solid, confident icon to represent the ideals of sportsmanship and excellence in Western Canadian Junior Hockey. The colours used within the Western Canada Cup logo pays homage to the CJHL using the same palette to unite the four leagues under the CJHL.

Canadian Junior Hockey League Chairman Kirk Lamb believes the new regional playoff format will increase exposure for the athletes and further highlight Junior A hockey across Canada, "The Western Canada Cup will create great excitement for our fans, teams and communities across the western provinces. This new event, along with the Fred Page Cup in the East and Dudley-Hewitt Cup in Ontario, will foster an even higher level of competition and talent. The Western Canada Cup represents an extension of the great partnerships being created by the Junior A leagues in the West which have continued to benefit the CJHL."

The 2013 Western Canada Cup will be held from April 26 to May 5. The event will be hosted by the BCHL in 2013, followed by the MJHL (2014), AJHL (2015), and SJHL (2016). A Site Selection Committee will be responsible for selecting a host team annually, upon the recommendation of the host league.

The Western Canada Cup:In January 2012, the Canadian Junior Hockey League announced a new regional playoff format for its four western provinces. The British Columbia Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Manitoba Junior Hockey League will participate in a five-team tournament and award the first-ever Western Canada Cup beginning in 2013.

The Western Canada Cup will include a host team and the champion from each of the four western leagues. The 13-game tournament will include a round-robin schedule followed by two semifinal games and a championship game. The winner and runner-up will both represent Western Canada at the RBC Cup National Junior A Championship.

Clippers and CJHL reveal unique playoff format for inaugural WCC
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 - Submitted by BCHL Media/Nanaimo Clippers

The British Columbia Hockey League and the Nanaimo Clippers are pleased to announce the schedule for the Western Canada Cup (WCC) being held at Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo from April 26 to May 5, 2013.

With two teams from the WCC qualifying for the 2013 RBC Cup, an anticlimactic final - which would result from a traditional round-robin and playoff-style tournament - was avoided due to the unique format created by Clippers gameday operations manager Kyle Anderson through working with Clippers head coach Mike Vandekamp.

After researching dozens of past Junior A tournament formats, Anderson made a schedule that is fair for all five teams and ensures there is something on the line in each of the final three games of the event.

"I looked back on some past RBC Cups and there was always one team that had to play three days in a row and it was always the team that had the first day off," noted Anderson. "We found a way to eliminate the chance of any team playing three days in a row by selectively scheduling those two dates where only one game is played."

Also helping with the competitive balance of the WCC is that the first- and second-place teams after the round robin will then have to be defeated twice in the playoff round to be eliminated.

"In past RBC tournaments with #1 versus #4 and #2 versus #3, only 60 per cent of the time did the top-two teams out of the round robin actually face each other in the final," said Anderson. "We felt it wasn't fair, since we're sending two teams, that a team could win less games and still go to the RBC Cup."

PLAYOFF BRACKET

• Round-robin games to determine rank
• Page playoff format
• (1st vs 2nd) = WCC Champion (RBC Qualifier #1)
• (3rd vs 4th winner) plays (1st vs 2nd loser) = RBC Qualifier #2

The champion of the inaugural WCC will be determined in the #1 versus #2 game on Saturday, May 4th. The other game on Saturday will see the #3 and #4 placed teams in the tournament face-off. This game will have two highly motivated teams as the winner will face the loser of the #1 versus #2 game on Sunday, May 5th for the second berth to the RBC.

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