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Langley Trappers 2022 PJHL Stonehouse Cup Champions!

by BBakken

The Langley Trappers made history on Wednesday March 30th 2022 when they defeated the White Rock whalers in 5 games to win the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s Stonehouse Cup. The Langley Trappers finished the regular season with 68 points to win the Harold Brittian Conference division but were tied with the North Vancouver Wolf Pack who won the Tom Shaw Division. The Trappers finished the seasons with 33 wins over the Wolf Pack’s 31 wins to take the Regular Season Championship and solidify home ice advantage for the duration of the playoffs.

The Trappers faced the Mission City Outlaws in the first round and took advantage of a tired Outlaws squad who played 8 games in 11 days down the stretch of February. The Outlaws won 4 of those 8 games to beat out the Aldergrove Kodiaks by 1 point for the final playoff position. The Trappers took the first three games of the series before dropping game 4 to the Outlaws by a score of 7 to 5 forcing a game 5 in the series. Hungry for a victory, The Trappers recorded a 4-0 shutout to clinch the series.

Round 2 saw the two top teams in the Harold Brittian Conference face-off. The Ridge Meadows Flames finished the regular season 2 points back of the Trappers with 66 and 32 wins. The Ridge Meadows Flames swept the Chilliwack Jets in convincing fashion scoring 18 times while only giving up 3 goals against. The Flames had a high powered offence all season long with four players over the 40 point mark.

  1. Nicholas Amsler 01′ tallied 24 goals, 58 assists and 82 points in 44 games played
  2. Ryan Denney 01′ scored 47 goals, 34 assists and 81 points in 44 games played
  3. Jack Foster 03′ scored 17 goals, 25 assists and 42 points in 32 games played
  4. Zach Lagrange scored 18 goals 23 assists and 41 points in 44 games played

The Trappers squeezed out a game 1, 3-2 victory over the Flames with Lleyton Shearon scoring the game winner with 1 minute and 5 seconds remaining in the 3rd period. Hayden Yahn and Nicholas Cormack scoring goals 1 and 2 for the Trappers. game 2 was a 1-0 game until late in the third period when Brock Mierzejewski scored the insurance marker off of a Flames defensive zone turnover before placing the puck top corner. The Trapers took the spread to 4-0 before the end of the game. The Flames found themselves in some penalty trouble at the end of the game seeing 4 players levied suspensions including their head coach who was handed a 1 game suspension. The series shifted to Ridge Meadows for game 3. The Flames fell to a 3-0 deficit in the first period with goals from Jamie Hylands, Austin Moar, and Hayden Yahn respectively. The Flames were able to mount a come back closing the score to 3-2 early in the third period with Goals from Nicholas Amsler and Craig Shouten. Brendan O’Grady increased the Trappers lead to 4-2 on the Power Play and sealed the game with an empty net goal with 1 minute 50 seconds remaining. Game 4 was a tight battle seeing The flames blazing on all cylinders. Craig Shouten opened the scoring on the Power play as Flames peppered the Trappers net with 20 shots to the Trappers 6. The Trappers were able to get out of the first period with a goal from Ryan Tong. Craig Shouten tallied again for the Flames on an opportune individual effort. Hayden Yahn brought the game to even before Austin Moar scored the go ahead goal for the Trappers  with just over a minute to go in the second frame.  Anthony Bosnjak secured the insurance marker on the Power Play with five minutes to go in the game. Brendan O’Grady scored the empty net goal solidifying the game for the Trappers with a 5-2 score and a series sweep and a birth. The win would send the Trappers to represent the Harold Brittian Conference in the Ray Stonehouse Pacific Junior Hockey league Finals.

The White Rock Whalers would make their way to the finals Representing the Tom Shaw Conference with wins over the North Vancouver Wolf Pack and the Delta Ice Hawks. The Whalers played a sound defensive structured game and had high offensive octane as well with a couple players leading the Pacific Junior Hockey League in Playoff Points.

  1. Chris Fortems 02′ tallied 7 goals, 15 assists and 22 points in 17 playoff games
  2. Zachary Sherwin 02′ tallied 6 goals, 16 assists and 22 points in 17 playoff games
  3. Jason Beauregard 01′ tallied 11 goals, 4 assists and 15 points in 17 playoff games

The Trappers faced the Whalers in game 1 at the George Preston Recreation Centre which was a tightly fought affair with the Whalers leading most of the game. Austin Moar scored two tallies for the Trappers including a timely slap shot with 1 minute and 58 seconds remaining in the third period sending the game to overtime. With the momentum behind them, the Trappers went on the attack carrying most of the possession and time in the Whalers zone. Cody Bathgate proved to be the overtime hero for the Trappers while driving wide on a Whalers defender before sending the puck top corner on goaltender Keegan Maddocks, ending the game 3-2 in favour of the Trappers.

Cody Bathgate 04′ Scoring in overtime game 1 of the PJHL Stonehouse Cup Finals

The Trappers got out to an early lead in game 2 with goal by Lleyton Shearon. Cole Svendson tied the game up at 1’s before Kyle Graham put the Trappers in the lead. White Rocks Caleb Cruz tied the game up or the Whalers at 2’s before Anthony Bosnjak sent the Trappers ahead 3-2. Bosnjak would be the hero in the game scoring the 4th goal insurance marker ending the game with a 4-2 score and a 2-0 series lead for the Trappers. The series would shift to White Rock for games 3 and 4. The Whalers who usually play their games at Centennial Arena were displaced due to ice allocation issues.  Games were played  at the South Surrey Arena located three blocks to Centennial Arena’s south. White Rock is a big, strong, tough team who had an outstanding home record through the regular season and playoffs. South Surrey Arena is a big ice sheet that creates time and space for players to make decisions. The Trappers were able to take advantage of the big ice taking a 2-0 lead in game 3 with goals from Hayden Yahn and Nicholas Cormack respectively. White Rock tied the game up with goals from Jason Beauregard and Jacob Dorohoy taking the momentum advantage late into the game. An unfortunate White Rock Whalers penalty gave the Trappers an opportunity to score late in the game. Lleyton Shearon took advantage and scored the third goal for the Trappers while sitting uncheck off the back post. That is all the Trappers would need to win 3-2 while also taking a 3-0 series lead in the Pacific Junior hockey League finals. Game four was a tightly fought affair seeing both teams gong toe to toe ending with a Whalers 2-1 victory. The Series shifted back to Langley for game 5. White Rock would lead most of the game with goals by Chris Fortems, and Cole Svendson. Nicholas Cormack and Ryan Tong would score for the Trappers allowing the game to have a 2-2 score late into the third period. The Trappers pressed hard late in the frame and were rewarded on a hard forecheck when Anthony Bosnjak took possession of the puck behind the net and wrapped the puck around the goal post, sliding it in under goaltender Keegan Maddocks’ pad. The goal sent the Trappers into the lead for the first time in the game with 37 seconds remaining in the third period. White Rock would call a time out but, the Trappers would not allow the Whalers to gain full possession in the remaining seconds. Time would run out and the Trappers proved to be victorious with a 3-2 score and ultimately winning the Pacific Junior Hockey League’s Stonehouse Cup.

Austin Moar celebrating the PJHL Stonehouse Cup victory. Austin Moar was a trade deadline acquisition for the Trappers and was a pivotal piece in the Trappers success down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Jamie Hylands celebrating with the Stonehouse cup. Jamie Hylands, a 2004, 17 year old player led the Langley Trappers in points throughout the regular season. 

The Langley Trappers receiving the Stonehouse Cup from Sue Stonehouse after the 3-2 game 5 victory over the White Rock Whalers

The victory would also send the Trappers to represent the PJHL in the Cyclone Taylor Cup against the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League’s Peninsula Panthers, the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Revelstoke Grizzlies, and the host team Delta Ice hawks.

Trappers leading scorers through the Regular Season:

  1. Jamie Hylands 04′ tallied 25 goals, 24 assists for 49 points in 44 games played
  2. Ryan Tong 03′ 15 goals, 32 assists for 47 points in 41 games played
    * Ryan tong spent time with both the Langley Trappers and Port Moody Panthers
  3. Brendan O’Grady 01′ tallied 20 goals, 26 assists for 46 points in 40 games played
  4. Nicholas Cormack 02′ tallied 13 goals, 24 assists for 37 points in 44 games played
  5. Hayden Yahn 02′ tallied 19 goals, 13 assists for 32 points in 39 games played.

Trappers leading scorers through the Playoffs:

  1. Lleyton Shearon 03′ tallied 7 goals, 14 assists and 19 points in 14 Playoff games
  2. Brendan O’Grady 01′ tallied 8 goals, 7 assists and 15 points in 14 playoff games
  3. Anthony Bosnjak 02′ tallied 5 goals, 9 assists for 14 points in 14 Playoff games
  4. Nicholas Cormack 02′ tallied 5 goals, 7 assists for 12 points in 14 Playoff games
  5. Hayden Yahn 02′ tallied 6 goals, 4 assists for 10 points in 14 playoff games

Trappers Playoff Goaltenders:

A great deal of the Trappes playoff success can be owed to the goaltending duo of Taje Gill and Caedon Bellmann who sported:

  1. Taje Gill 04′–10 wins 1 loss, 17 GA in 11 games, .946 SV%, 1.54 GAA, 2 SO
  2. Caedon Bellmann 01′–2 wins 1 loss, 8 GA in 3 games, .905 SV%, 2.80 GAA, 1 SO