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Coy Cup kicks off in lakecity

The Williams Lake Stampeders begin quest for fourth Coy Cup
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The Williams Lake Stampeders open its Coy Cup Senior Men’s AA Championship tonight, Tuesday, at 8 p.m. versus the Terrace River Kings.

The Williams Lake Stampeders have begun their quest for a fourth Coy Cup Senior Men’s AA Hockey Championship.

The Central Interior Hockey League’s Stampeders are hosting the CIHL playoff champions, the Terrace River Kings, the Dawson Creek Canucks and the Kelowna Sparta in the tournament, which runs until March 31.

which begins tonight at 5 p.m. at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex with the opener between the Sparta and the Canucks.

An elaborate opening ceremonies will follow at 7:30 p.m., followed by a CIHL final rematch between the Stamps and the River Kings at 8 p.m. to kick things off for the hometown team.

“Everyone’s ready to rock,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Lauzon. “We’ve got our whole lineup for opening night.”

Heading in, Stampeders head coach Dave Lauzon said they know what to expect from the River Kings, however, the Canucks and the Sparta are unknowns as the two teams play in different leagues. The Stamps did face the Sparta in two exhibition games in Williams Lake during Rogers Hometown Hockey, however, Lauzon said their roster could have changed dramatically since then.

As for tonight’s opener against the River Kings, Lauzon said the Stamps will be seeking revenge after they were defeated in two straight games in the CIHL playoff final in February — both by one-goal deficits.

“We’ve had so many good games against them, and they’ve all been one-goal games, so I’m looking forward to a good battle in that opening night game,” he said.

The players, meanwhile, are hungry for a Coy Cup title, Lauzon said.

“I’ve done this for two years now, and this is the reason I’m doing it — to play in the Coy,” he said. “I’m hoping we get huge crowd support. The volunteers have put in so much time and effort into this, and we’re stoked to go.”

The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, March 28

• Sparta vs. River Kings (5 p.m.)

• Stampeders vs Canucks ( 8p.m.)

Thursday, March 29

• Canucks vs. River Kings

(5 p.m.)

• Stampeders vs. Sparta

( 8 p.m.)

Friday, March 30

• Semifinal game (second-place round robin vs. first-place round robin): 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 31

• Championship: First-place round robin vs. semifinal winner

The Stampeders won its first Coy Cup in 2009, followed by back-to-back victories of the storied trophy in 2013 and 2014.



Greg Sabatino

About the Author: Greg Sabatino

Greg Sabatino graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree in 2008.
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