The Beaver Valley Nitehawks are a junior 'B'

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team based in Fruitvale,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. They are members of the Neil Murdoch Division of the Kootenay Conference of the

Kootenay International Junior Hockey League The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) is a Junior "B" Ice Hockey league in British Columbia, Canada sanctioned by Hockey Canada. The winner of the Teck Cup competes with the champions of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJ ...

(KIJHL). The Nitehawks play their home games at Beaver Valley Arena. Stephen Piccolo is the team's president and Terry Jones is the general manager and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

since 2015. They are currently co-captained by forward Morgan Peace and Angus Amadio who were awardedd a bursary in 2020. The Nitehawks joined the league in 1981 as an

expansion team An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...

. In its KIJHL history the team has won the

Keystone Cup The Keystone Cup is the Junior B ice hockey championship and trophy for Western Canada. From 1983 to 2017, the championship was the culmination of the champions of 12 hockey leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwe ...

once in 2014; the

Cyclone Taylor Cup The Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament serves as the British Columbia Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship. The annual tournament is held amongst the champions of British Columbia's three Junior B, C, D, Junior B ice hockey leagues, as well as a hos ...

four times, in 1997, 2001, 2014 & 2017; and have won the KIJHL Championship eight times, in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2012, 2014 and 2017. They won nine division playoff titles as a member of the Neil Murdoch Division from 1996-2014; one conference playoff title as a member of the Kootenay Conference from 2007 to 2014. The Nitehawks have retired four players' jerseys in their team history—Rocky Dickson (2),

Barrett Jackman Barret D. Jackman (born March 5, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators. Jackman was selected 17th overall in the 1999 NHL E ...

(6),

Adam Deadmarsh Adam Richard Deadmarsh (born May 10, 1975) is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey player who played in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings. Deadmarsh was later a video coordinator ...

(12) and Sam Swanson (29).

Team history

1979-1981: KIJHL application

The idea of starting a junior hockey team in Fruitvale was born when Shirley Levesque, manager of the Beaver Valley Midgets, and Darrell Dickson, their coach, hosted a Beaver Valley Minor Hockey Tournament. During this tournament they noticed people from the valley, who had never before been inside the 10-year-old building, coming to games at six in the morning to watch the young talent. This was a good indication that there were many local hockey fans just waiting for some exciting and entertaining hockey; Darrell suggested to Shirley that they start a junior team, and the work began. First they had to convince the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League that there were enough young hockey players in the area to man another junior team. This was not an easy task, as many KIJHL teams at the time were situated within a half-hour of Fruitvale, and a new team might cause them to lose players they had counted on—but on the other hand it was also appealing to them: they knew that great rivalries would begin, bringing new fans to their arenas. Since BVMH was one of the strongest minor hockey programs around at the time, it seemed fitting they should have their own junior team to go with it. Once the KIJHL accepted, an executive was formed consisting of Darrell Dickson, Shirley Levesque, Roy Taylor, Noel Smith and Stuart McPhee. There was a contest to choose the name, and when Robbie Taylor of Fruitvale suggested Nitehawks the executive knew they had a winner. Kim Campbell of Trail designed the hawk for the jersey crest, the first coaches were Tom Gawryletz and Murry Price, Darrell Dickson was the manager, and the trainers were Barry Marshall and Leo Campeau.

1981–82

The 1981-82 KIJHL season saw the first Beaver Valley Nitehawks hit the ice, led by captain Tyler Bolduc. The first year was very successful: the team went into a wild playoff with the

Trail Smoke Eaters The Trail Smoke Eaters are a junior A ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. History The Smoke Eaters (aka ''Smokies'') have existed as both junior and senior teams since th ...

, and additional bleachers had to be brought into the arena for these exciting games. The Nitehawks were up two games to none, but when Trail came back to win the series they set the tempo of rivalry for years to come.

1982-present

Over the next three decades the Nitehawks won their division championship nine times, the KIJHL championship five times (in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2012), and two provincial championships for the

(in 1997 and 2001). When they won the Cup in 2001, their playoff win–loss record was a perfect 16-0. Entering the 2013-14 KIJHL Playoffs, the Nitehawks have made nineteen consecutive playoff appearances since the 1995-96 season; winning six-out-of-nine KIJHL Championships and winning one-out-of-four

s in that span. They set a record in junior hockey for the longest winning streak, which started in the 1997 season and ended in the 1998 season after 39 straight wins. Many players receive scholarships and continue on to play college hockey but, of course, the pride of Fruitvale and the Nitehawks is

, who not only won the

World Cup of Hockey The World Cup of Hockey is an international ice hockey tournament. Inaugurated in 1996, it is the successor to the Canada Cup, which was held every 3 to 5 years from 1976 to 1991 and was the first international hockey championship to allow nati ...

with

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but also brought the coveted

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

home to the Beaver Valley Arena in 1996. Other players drafted by the NHL teams were Ed Cristofoli from the 1983 team,

Neil Eisenhut Neil R. Eisenhut (born February 9, 1967) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who spent parts of two seasons in the National Hockey League in the mid-1990s. Eisenhut was born in Osoyoos, British Columbia. He was selected 233rd o ...

from the 1985 team, and

from the 1997 team.

Season-by-season record

''Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, D = Defaults, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against'' Final records as of February 18, 2018.

Playoffs

Cyclone Taylor Cup The Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament serves as the British Columbia Provincial Junior B Hockey Championship. The annual tournament is held amongst the champions of British Columbia's three Junior B, C, D, Junior B ice hockey leagues, as well as a hos ...

Keystone Cup history

Western Canadian Jr. B Championships (Northern Ontario to British Columbia)
Six teams in round robin play. 1st vs 2nd for gold/silver; 3rd vs 4th for bronze.

NHL alumni

Awards and trophies

(4) *1997, 2001, 2014, 2017

(1) *2014 KIJHL Championship (8) *1996-97, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2011–12, 2013–14,
2016-17 Coach of the Year *Terry Jones: 2002-03, 2004–05, 2005-06 (Divisional) *Terry Jones: 2011-12 (Divisional and League) Most Sportsmanlike *Tyler Waycott: 2003-04 (Divisional) *Kyle St. Denis: 2005-06 (Divisional) *Ryon Sookro: 2010-11 (Divisional and League) *Chris DerochieL 2011-12 (Divisional) *Ryan Edwards 2013-14 (Divisional and League) *Michael Pruss: 2014-2015 (Divisional) Most Valuable Player *Jake Morissette: 2001-02 (Divisional) *Kevin Koopman: 2005-06 (Divisional) *Craig Martin: 2011-12 (Divisional) *Dallas Calvin: 2012-13 (Divisional) *Mitch Foyle: 2014-2015 (Divisional) Rookie of the Year *Conner Jones: 2006-07 (Divisional) *Kellen Jones: 2006-07 (Divisional) *Steve Koshey: 2007-08 (Divisional) *Dallas Calvin: 2010-11(Divisional) *Craig Martin: 2011-12 (Divisional) *Connor Brown-Maloski: 2012-13 (Divisional) *Ross Armour: 2014-2015 (Divisional) Top Goaltender *Louis Menard: 2002-03 (Divisional) *Ryan Riddle: 2003-04 (Divisional) *Michael Persson: 2004-05 (Divisional) *Justin Mulholland: 2005-06 (Divisional) *Patrick Sullivan: 2006-2007 (Divisional) *Hunter Young: 2019-20 (Divisional and Leaque) Top Scorer *Jake Morissette: 2001-02 (Divisional) *Scott Morisseau: 2009-10 (Divisional and League) *Chris Derochie: 2011-12 (Divisional) More about their team records can be found on their website.

References

External links

Official website of the Beaver Valley Nitehawks

{{Cyclone Taylor Ice hockey teams in British Columbia 1981 establishments in British Columbia Ice hockey clubs established in 1981