Since relocating from Langley in 2006, the West Âé¶čAV Warriors have become a British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) staple, often boasting a solid crowd and a skilled lineup with high expectations with each new season.
When the Westside Warriors began their inaugural season playing home games out of the Memorial Arena in Âé¶čAV.
Construction of Royal LePage Place wouldnât be ready until the following year, so the team would bus its fans to Memorial, establishing a strong following right from the get-go.
âWe were quite impressed with how the (Westside) community supported the team when they had to go to Âé¶čAV,â said Warriors president Chris Laurie.
âYear one, there was a lot of excitement. At the time, West Âé¶čAV wasnât a city. It was a municipality, so it maybe lacked some civic pride and maybe we brought that.
âThere were a lot of people that were proud to live in West Âé¶čAV and we brought a bit of an identity that the residents could hang their hat on.â
READ MORE: West Âé¶čAV Warriors support foodbank with takeout event
In the early years, the Warriors roster featured an abundance of homegrown talent.
Coached by Mark Howell, the Warriors played a tough brand of hockey that matched up well against other teams.
Howellâs teams would exceed expectations, making the playoffs in the first two years, but losing in the first round in 2006-07 and the second in 2007-08.
âThose were two of the better years for this franchise,â said Laurie.
âI remember the first year in Royal LePage Place. There was a lot of buzz.
âWe averaged almost 1,200 fans on a routine basis and there was a lot of passion.â
A player that added to the buzz was future Stanley Cup champion Justin Schultz.
The West Âé¶čAV native was a fan favourite for his superior hockey sense and offensive ability, patrolling the blueline from 2006 to 2009.
In his first full season with the Warriors, he registered 40 points in 51 games and was the teamâs number one defenceman as a 17-year-old.
His stellar play earned him a second-round selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, taken 43rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks.
While the Warriors would have some success after the Schultz era, the team didnât make some real noise until the 2012-13 season when the team made the conference finals.
But, then after two first-round exits in 2013-14 and 2014-15, the Warriors finally captured the BCHLâs ultimate prize in 2015-16.
âIn 2016, it was the right mix of players,â said Laurie.
READ MORE: New era for West Âé¶čAV Warriors with new ownership, management and culture
A strong leadership group also made a big impact.
Captain Kyle Marino led the way with a big-physical presence on the back-end, while forward Jonathan Desbiens led the team in scoring.
The Warriors will hope to bring home another championship next season after a rollercoaster of events last year.
With the Warriors heavily relying on rookies to do the heavylifting, the team struggled out of the gate, sitting in last place after the opening two months of the season.
Changes had to be made.
âThis ownership group of John Murphy (governor) and Rod Hume (managing partner) purchased the team in mid-November,â said Laurie.
âThatâs when I joined as well and thatâs when we re-evaluated both on the business side and the hockey side.
âWe made a lot of changes by Christmas time.â
To shake things up, the Warriors hired new coach Simon Ferguson, who played for the Âé¶čAV Rockets in the WHL, and were the most active team at the BCHL trade deadline.
The team finished the year off strong, winning four out of their last five games before losing to the Penticton Vees in the first round of the playoffs.
Since then, the management group has been recruiting hard and has landed some exciting talent for next season.
âWeâve now got an older and a more skilled roster for next season,â said Laurie.
âWeâre very excited for next season.â
