Former Colony standout finishes VIJHL season 10th in scoring

VANCOUVER ISLAND, British Columbia — Former Colony High School standout Blake Huppert finished the 2008-09 season 10th in scoring in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.

The 2008 graduate of Colony High posted 14 goals, 41 assists and 55 points for the Peninsula Panthers of the Junior B league.

Huppert was third in the league with 41 assists.

Peninsula was the top team in VIJHL during the regular season, with 75 points and a 35-8-2 mark. The Panthers advanced to the second round of the league playoffs, but were eliminated by Victoria.

Huppert faced off against a pair of prep teammates during Peninsula’s first-round sweep of the Westshore Stingers.

Colony classmates Andrew Bargelski and Chris Breck skate for the stings.

Bargelski, a forward, tallied two goals, seven assists and 188 penalty minutes in 48 games. Breck, a defenseman, finished with one goal, 10 assists and 176 penalty minutes in 43 games.

Both were held scoreless during four playoff games.

Huppert had two goals and seven assists in nine playoff games.

NOR PAC Hockey League

Valley product skating in NOR PAC finals

SEATTLE, Wash. — Spencer Galvin, who skated for both Palmer and Wasilla during his high school career, helped lead the Seattle Totems advance to the Junior B NOR PAC Cascade Cup.

On Tuesday, Galvin scored twice to lead Seattle to a 3-1 win over the Helena Bighorns during the first game of the best-of-five series. He posted a power-play goal during the second game of the series, a 6-2 loss to Helena, on Wednesday.

Galvin finished the regular season third in scoring with (45-39-84) 84 points in 43 games. He has four goals and four assists in 10 playoff games.

Paulos Shiferaw, a former member of the Alaska Avalanche, is also playing for Seattle. Shiferaw posted eight goals and 16 assists in 12 regular season games, and has five goals and eight assists in 10 playoff games.

After Shiferaw left the Avalanche after the 2006-07 season, he spent a year and a half in the British Columbia Hockey League.

Galvin and Shiferaw are not the only Valley connections to the NOR PAC. The following are among others who have skated in the Valley

• Former Palmer High blueliner Cody Gable finished his three-year career with the Billings Bulls. Gable recorded two goals and seven assists in 45 games this season, and finished his stay in Billings with eight goals, 42 assists, 50 points and 354 penalty minutes in 129 games.

Gable had four assists in five playoff games this year.

• Michael Frei, a one-time member of the Alaska Avalanche, led the Eugene Generals in scoring with (46-43-89) 89 points during the regular season. He was also third in the NOR PAC.

Frei, who holds the Eugune franchise record with 303 career points, skated in just six games with the Avs during the 2007-08 season.

Another former Avalanche player, defenseman John Strahle, posted 12 goals and 25 assists in 45 games with the Generals. Strahle is a native of Anchorage.

Brendan Weimer, a Houston High School product, appeared in seven games for Eugene.

• Former Houston standout Jake Henkel posted six goals, 13 assists, 19 points and 146 penalty minutes in 40 games for the River City Jaguars. Henkel also had a goal and three assists in six playoff games.

The Jaguars, an affiliate of the Avalanche, also included two former Avs players.

Tyler Schwartz had eight goals and six assists in 14 games, and Nick Kelly had two goals and seven assists in nine games.

EJHL

Former Avs goalie leads team in wins

Former Alaska Avalanche goaltender Nathan Corey posted a team-high six wins for the New England Junior Huskies of the Eastern Junior Hockey League this season.

Corey was 6-5-3 in 16 games, and logged a 3.29 goals against average and .899 saves percentage.

A pair of former Avalanche blueliners skated for the Bay State Breakers of the EJHL. Former Alaska captain J.C. Richardson posted a goal and six assists in 44 games, while one-time Av Tim Niedzelak had five goals and seven assists in 43 games.

Corey, a former South Anchorage standout, appeared in 29 games during the 2007-08 season.

Richardson skated in 62 games for the Avs during the 2006-07 season and the 30 games the following year.

Niedzelak appeared in 12 games during the final stretch of the 2007-08 campaign.

— Jeremiah Bartz