Burnaby, B.C. – It was a familiar result for a team from the Burnaby Winter Club (BWC) in the final game of the 2022 Pat Quinn Classic. BWC HCSS Academy U15 Prep scored a 6-3 victory over SLS – U15 Prep (Shawnigan Lake School) to take the gold medal in the U15 Integrated Elite division.
“It’s exciting that we’re able to win the tournament,” says BWC Head Coach Dan Cioffi. “All credit to the players – they came together this week and played outstanding. It’s a great competition. We’re just so happy that upon the return of the tournament, we were able to be successful. It was awesome.” BWC Academy teams also won the top trophy in 2019 and 2017.
“It’s just great to be here and see the quality of the hockey,” says Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, who took part in the ceremonial puck drop in the final game and then handed out the trophy and medals. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Mayor says “we are really starting to build again and next year we will be bigger and better.”
Burnaby has hosted a holiday season minor hockey tournament since 1962. “It is a tremendous tradition here in Burnaby,” adds the Mayor.
In the U15 Integrated Elite division bronze medal game, Sno-King Junior Thunderbirds 14 U AAA (Seattle) defeated U15 AAA Cariboo Cougars (Prince George) 4-3.
Medal Results: scores and standings.
U13 Integrated Elite
- Gold – Burnaby Winter Club
- Silver – North Shore Winter Club
- Bronze – Kamloops MHA
U13 Integrated Flight 1
- Gold – Chilliwack MHA
- Silver – Langley MHA
- Bronze – Victoria Racquet Club MHA
U15 Integrated Flight 1
- Gold – Yale U15 Lions
- Silver – Coquitlam MHA
- Bronze – St. Georges HCSS Academy
Quotes
“We are glad to be here this year. It’s a good tournament, very well run,” says Head Coach Daneau Menard, Yale U15 Lions. “I think our expectations were high coming into the tournament with some tough teams. Tournaments are always hard to win. Things have to go your way and fortunately for us, they did.”
“It was awesome it was fun playing against the teams. I had a few good games.” says Mateo Di Stefano, centre, Yale U15 Lions. “It’s been a while since a tournament.”
U15 Integrated Flight 2
- Gold – Comox Valley MHA
- Silver – Port Coquitlam MHA
- Bronze – Burnaby MHA
Quotes
“It was a ton of fun, it was well put on,” says Head Coach Cody King, Strathcona Bears (Comox Valley MHA). “The arenas were amazing. For kids to come here and know that there are scouts around and that the games are being live streamed, you can’t ask for a better venue for these kids to experience hockey. We really enjoyed it. We will be back.”
“This is our first time here, it’s cool to see,” says Kash Nixon, left wing, Strathcona Bears. “It’s very exciting, there were some great teams here and we had fun. I’m very happy at how we performed.”
The 2022 Pat Quinn Classic featured 41 teams in six venues; Bill Copeland Sports Centre, Burnaby Lake Arena, Burnaby Winter Club, Kensington Arena, Scotia Barn and Planet Ice Coquitlam.
MEDIA CONTACT: info@patquinnclassic.com
BACKGROUNDER – THE PAT QUINN CLASSIC
The Burnaby Minor Hockey Association began hosting the annual December Bantam hockey tournament in 1962. It is now the longest-running event of its kind in the world. The tournament became the Pat Quinn Classic in 2015, named after the legendary player, coach, general manager and team owner. Pat Quinn is internationally-recognized as one of the hockey’s greatest coaches and ambassadors. Proceeds go to the Pat Quinn Scholarship Fund. Managed by Hockey Canada, the fund supports players in post-secondary education after their hockey careers. Quinn is one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian sport and has made an enormous contribution to sport in British Columbia and Canada.
The objective of the Pat Quinn Classic is to create a top international-calibre tournament in Western Canada to showcase local teams alongside some of the strongest programs in Canada, the U.S. and around the world. Organizers worked with the Quinn family to create a unique tournament that strikes the right balance between exciting hockey, skill and leadership development and community engagement. Pat motivated players at all levels to work hard on the ice and live with passion and integrity off the ice. The vision of this tournament exemplifies his love of hockey and his unwavering commitment to give back to the community.
After being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pat Quinn Classic returned for a sixth edition in December 2022.