Penticton to play host to 2017 Western Canada Cup

PENTICTON – The road to the 2017 National Junior A hockey championship, the RBC Cup, will pass through Penticton in two years.

The Penticton Vees will host the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup between April 29 and May 7, 2017.

The Vees will participate in a five team tournament that will also include the champions of the BCHL, Alberta Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Two of the five teams will qualify for a berth in the 2017 RBC Cup to be played in Cobourg, Ontario.

Penticton Vees coach Fred Harbinson says in a media release the Vees have raised their corporate advertising and season ticket base to a level that gives them an opportunity to bring the Western Canada Cup to Penticton.

“The entire City of Penticton along with our faithful fans will benefit from this marque championship,” Harbinson says in the release.

The 13-game tournament is made up of a round-robin schedule and two semi-final games followed by a championship game.

This will be the first time the three-year-old championship has been held in the Okanagan.

The Penticton Vees are currently the defending WCC champions, winning the cup in Fort McMurray, Alberta, last year.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.