Bucks begin regular season in Trail Friday
Season number four has arrived for the Cranbrook Bucks.
The regular season has finally arrived!
The Cranbrook Bucks kick off their 2023-24 BCHL season on the road versus the Trail Smoke Eaters tonight.
Friday, September 22
Cominco Arena
8:00 pm (Mountain Time)
https://t.co/n9X7KOMFsY#GoBucksGo #JoinTheHerd #BCHL pic.twitter.com/ewKzyieDKE
— Cranbrook Bucks (@CranbrookBucks) September 22, 2023
The Bucks begin BCHL regular season action with a familiar dance partner in the Trail Smoke Eaters.
This year’s edition marks the end of an era for the Bucks as only two players from the original 2021 pod season remain with the club, those being forwards Jarrod Smith and Jaden Fodchuk.
It is also a new era for the BCHL as the league begins its first year under an independent model after moving out of Hockey Canada’s umbrella in the offseason.
Bucks coach Ryan Donald says the league’s shift to independence has opened some new doors in terms of recruitment.
“Lots of new avenues in terms of player recruitment, obviously being able to bring in European players to our league is pretty exciting,” says Donald. “It gives us a new player pool to start choosing from, whether that’s younger players across Canada, younger players from the United States, and like I said, overseas.”
The Bucks finished 3-0-1 through their four preseason games, their last exhibition outing was Saturday where they earned a 4-3 win over Trail.
Cranbrook continues their opening weekend Saturday versus the Vipers in Vernon, their first home game is October 6 against the Merritt Centennials.
– Ryan Donald – Head Coach, Cranbrook Bucks (image supplied by Cranbrook Bucks)
