This is the 2018 Russ Barnes Trophy tournament. The tournament was to determine the Alberta Junior B Provincial champion. The tournament was held at the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John, British Columbia hosted by the North West Junior Hockey League's Fort St. John Huskies. On December 15, 2016 it was announced the Fort St. John Huskies were awarded the bid to host the event. Teams in the North Peace Region of British Columbia have traditionally played under the supervision of Hockey Alberta at the junior and senior levels as the region is isolated from rest of the province and the travel is much easier to Alberta than the coastal areas of the province.
The Huskies had tried to bid out the 2017 in celebration of the team's 50th anniversary but lost out to St. Paul, Alberta whose St. Paul Canadiens who were celebrating their 75th anniversary.
Unlike previous years, the tournament winner did not advance to the 2018 Keystone Cup being held in Thunder Bay, Ontario hosted by the Thunder Bay Northern Hawks. Hockey Alberta has announced that the tournament champion will not participate in the Keystone Cup tournament. The three leagues that comprise the Junior B level in British Columbia have also announced they will not participate in the event. Both have given expenses and player safety as their primary reasons for the decisions.
Participants[]
- Host: Fort St. John Huskies
and the league champions of:
- Calgary Junior Hockey League: CBHA Rangers did not participate-replaced by runners-up CRAA Gold
- North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League: Wainwright Bisons
- North West Junior Hockey League: Fort St. John Huskies (North Peace Navigators qualify as league representative)
and the playoff champion and runner-up of:
- Capital Junior Hockey League: Beverly Warriors (Runner-up) and Wetaskiwin Icemen (Champion)
- Heritage Junior B Hockey League: Coaldale Copperheads (Runner-up) and Red Deer Vipers (Champion)
Format[]
The teams were divided up into 2 four team pool and play a single round robin within the pool. The first place team from one pool play the second place team from the other pool in the semifinals. The semifinal winners meet in the championship game for the Russ Barnes Trophy and the semifinal losers met in the consolation game.
Round Robin Schedule/Results[]
March 29
- Red Deer Vipers defeated CRAA Gold 4-1
- Wainwright Bisons defeated Wetaskiwin Icemen 5-0
- North Peace Navigators defeated Beverly Warriors 5-2
- Coaldale Copperheads defeated Fort St. John Huskies 5-0
March 30
- Red Deer Vipers defeated North Peace Navigators 5-4
- Wetaskiwin Icemen defeated Coaldale Copperheads 8-7
- Wainwright Bisons defeated Fort St. John Huskies 5-3
- Beverly Warriors defeated CRAA Gold 7-5
March 31
- Coaldale Copperheads tied Wainwright Bisons 1-1
- North Peace Navigators defeated CRAA Gold 9-5
- Wetaskiwin Icemen defeated Fort St. John Huskies 4-2
- Red Deer Vipers defeated Beverly Warriors 6-2
Round Robin Standings[]
| Pool A | |||||||||
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Red Deer Vipers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2nd | Beverly Warriors | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 13 | 4 | |
| 3rd | North Peace Navigators | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 2 | |
| 4th | CRAA Gold | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 20 | 0 | |
| Pool B | |||||||||
| Place | Team | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Wainwright Bisons | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 5 | |
| 2nd | Wetaskiwin Icemen | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 14 | 4 | |
| 3rd | Coaldale Copperheads | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 9 | 3 | |
| 4th | Fort St. John Huskies | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 0 | |
Semifinals[]
March 31
- Red Deer Vipers defeated Wetaskiwin Icemen 3-2
- Wainwright Bisons defeated Beverly Warriors 4-3
Medal Round[]
April 1
Bronze Medal Game[]
- Beverly Warriors defeated Wetaskiwin Icemen 3-2
Championship Game[]
- Wainwright Bisons defeated Red Deer Vipers 5-1
2018 Russ Barnes Trophy champions Wainwright Bisons