 |
|
Last GameThunderbirds: 1 |
Latest News T-Birds Coaching Staff Remains Intact for 2009-10 SeasonSouth Island Thunderbirds, July 02, 2009If it ain’t broke… you know the rest of the saying and so apparently does the Executive Committee of BC Hockey which has announced the reappointment of Head Coach Rob Milliken and Assistant Coach Max Young for the South Island Thunderbirds Major Midget Hockey Team for the fast approaching 2009-10 season. For Milliken, it will be his fifth season in charge of the Thunderbirds and he looks to continue a very impressive trend line of improvement for his squad since it joined the BC Major Midget League. Milliken has led the South Island team since 2005-06, the Birds accumulating a total of 24 points in 36 regular season games on that maiden voyage, improving to a 27 point total in 40 games in 2006-07, reaching higher to 32 points in 2007-08 and then breaking through to a 17-16-7 record for 41 points and 6th place finish to earn its first playoff berth in the 2008-09 campaign. That regular season success last spring was followed by a first round playoff series victory on the road in Kelowna, upsetting the 3rd place Okanagan Rockets with two straight victories, following which the Birds moved on to the semi-finals in which the team was knocked off by the eventual BCMML champion Vancouver North West Giants. “I am thrilled to be back for another season” was the comment from an enthused Milliken upon confirmation of his “re-up” with the T-Birds. “Each year, the team has made excellent progress on and off the ice and I am committed to building further on last season’s success to keep raising the profile of our players and program. Looking ahead to the August tryout camp, I expect that we will have a good nucleus of returning players that we can complement with some more talented young players to form a very competitive team. Best of all, I take a lot of pride in the fact that our graduates are getting more opportunities and excelling in the junior ranks.” This will be Milliken’s eighth year as a coach overall, after a six season professional playing career that included stops in the ECHL, WCHL, UHL and WPHL and five years in the BCHL before that. Prior to joining the Thunderbirds, he also served as both an assistant and head coach with the Victoria Salsa in the BCHL and has been active as a coach in the BC Best Ever program at the U16 and U17 levels. 25 year old Max Young returns as assistant coach for his second season with the Thunderbirds after coaching stops that have included several years at the Victoria Racquet Club at the Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget levels. He too is active as a coach in the Best Ever program, serving most recently at the U17 level this spring in the BC Cup. The Thunderbirds’ evaluation camp will run from August 7th to 9th, 2009, with the schedule and location details still being finalized. Registration for the Major Midget evaluation camp is open online now through the BCMML link on the BC Hockey website (www.bchockey.net). Bird Droppings: Add four more players to the impressive list of Thunderbird graduates who are moving up to the Junior A ranks. Forwards Steve Axford (2007-08) and Josh Wyatt (2007-08) have both signed with the Power River Kings for the upcoming season, where they will join defenceman Jason Yee (2005-07). Defenceman Nick Buchanan (2007-08) has signed with the Victoria Grizzlies. Forward Chase Kaiser, who spent two years with the T-Birds including last season as captain, is heading to the Cowichan Valley Capitals playing in front of former T-Bird goaltender Taylor Pears (2007-08). And stay tuned for more progress on the BCHL and WHL front as several Thunderbird graduates are headed to main camps later this summer.More News
|
| South Island Thunderbirds Major Midget Hockey Team 430 – 730 View Street Victoria, BC V8W 3Y7 Ph: (250) 978-6606 email: info@sithunderbirds.com |
|