U18 Canadians Earn One Point vs Thunderbirds

Vlad Ursache scored twice as the U18 AAA Greater Vancouver Canadians managed to earn one point in their home-and-home series against the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds over the weekend, losing 5-1 on Saturday and picking up a 3-3 tie on Sunday.

Through 24 games, the Canadians are now 8-11-3-2, sixth in the U18 division. They are one point out of fifth but just five points out of fourth. 

On Saturday at the Richmond Oval, the Canadians dropped their fourth straight contest in the 5-1 loss. Ursache scored his first goal of the season with 6:48 left in the second period, GVC’s only tally of the game. Liam Leslie made 41 saves for the Canadians. The Thunderbirds scored three goals in either the first or last minute of a period in their victory. 

On Sunday at the Abbotsford Centre, the two teams played to a 3-3 tie as Ursache scored his second goal in as many games, and Kaden Meyer and Hunter Vye-Weedon also scored for GVC. Alan Peregrym started in net for the Canadians and is tied for the lead among goalies in the U18 division for appearances. 

Through 24 games, Kaden Meyer leads the team with 29 points and 23 assists, while Luca Martyniuk leads the way with 13 goals. 

In other U18 Canadians news, captain Nick Drapack has been awarded the BCEHL’s Humanitarian Award for the first half of the 2024-25 season, per the BCEHL website. Players are nominated by their team staff for the award and then selected by the general managers from the division to vote for who is most deserving. Congratulations to Drapack on the honour.