Three members of the Princeton Posse were selected recently by the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) as the best from the Bill Ohlhausen division.
Curtis Gould, who also won two awards at the team’s annual banquet, was named Best Defenceman from among the division’s five franchises.
“Gould is in his third season with his hometown Posse and helped them win the KIJHL President’s Cup as the overall regular season champions for the first time in the organization’s 20-year history,” the league stated.
“Gould had 16 points in 43 games and was a key part of a blue line that allowed 110 goals in 44 games – fourth lowest in the KIJHL.
“Gould averaged 23:30 of ice time and played an average of 3:43 per game on the penalty-kill. Gould also played an average of 1:38 on the power-play.”
It did not take long for net minder Peyton Trzaska to make his mark when he returned to Princeton late in the season.
“(He) equaled his career high of 10 wins from last season in just 12 games this year. He returned to the posse from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Neepawa Titans and played 711 minutes, with a .922 SP and a 2.62 GAA as he allowed 31 goals.”
“Trzaska wrapped up the regular season with four straight wins against Kelowna, Osoyoos, Summerland and North Okanagan,” stated the league.
“In those games, The 6-foot, 180-pound goalie made 116 saves on 124 shots for a .935 SP and a 1.99 GAA.”
Finally, Posse head coach Mark Readman was named Coach of the Year.
Readman in his second full season with the Posse after joining the organization from the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.
“(He) led the Posse to its first ever first-overall regular season finish with a record of 31-7-3-3 in 44 games,” stated the league.
“Last season the Posse were 15-24-3-0 in 42 games. The Posse finished as the third highest scoring team in the league with 181 goals and allowed the fourth fewest goals with 110.”
Each year, the KIJHL presents seven awards for on-ice excellence: Most Valuable Player, Top Scorer, Top Defenceman, Top Goaltender, Rookie of the Year, Most Sportsmanlike Player and Coach of the Year. Winners are named from each of the league’s four divisions prior to the start of KIJHL playoffs, with overall league award winners named prior to the Teck Cup finals.
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