Spokane Chief forward Blake Gal has been named to Team Pacific’s 22 man roster that will compete in the 2009 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni and satellite communities from December 28 – January 4.
Gal, the Chiefs second round selection in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft, has four goals and five points and is +5 in 18 games this season.
The World Under 17 Hockey Challenge is the first step in Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence that continues at the national level with the Under 18 Team and National Junior Team.
Team Pacific is comprised of 11 players from BC and 11 players from Alberta. Each province held a provincial camp over the summer to identify a set number of players; these players were evaluated during the first part of the season by the high performance evaluators.
“The staff of Team Pacific is pleased to announce the selection of the 22 players that will lead the region in Port Alberni in December,” said Team Pacific head coach Tim Kehler. “Our staff feels that the players selected represent the right mix of skill, competiveness and character that will lead our Team to a gold medal at the World U-17 Challenge.”
Team Pacific will compete against four (4) other teams from Canada (Team Ontario, Team West, Team Quebec and Team Atlantic) and five (5) International Teams (Finland, Germany, Slovakia, United States and Russia). The 10 teams will compete against each other for the right to be named the 2009 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge Champion. Team Pacific will look to improve on their fourth place finish in the 2008 World Under 17 Hockey Challenge
The 2009 Team Pacific will look to capture gold for the first time in the history of the tournament. The squad has been carefully put together by the coaching staff and evaluators. Team Pacific will have the home field advantage as the fans in Port Alberni are patiently waiting for their team to arrive. Team Pacific will be in action Sunday, December 28 at 7:00 pm, at the Port Alberni Multiplex when they take on Team USA in exhibition play.
