Skip to content

Flames host two games in Maple Ridge this weekend

Kochan named player of the week, new expansion team in PoCo
31694701_web1_230127-MRN-NC-flames-roundup-pic_1
Tyler Blatz of the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds made his PJHL debut on Wednesday night with the Flames. (Flames Twitter/Special to The News)

The Ridge Meadows Flames lost 5-3 in Langley on Wednesday night, and will be back in action on Friday night, Jan. 27, hosting the North Vancouver Wolf Pack.

Theo Kochan, Pierce Whyte and Zack Lagrange scored for the Flames on Wednesday against their Langley rivals, who they are battling for first place in the Harold Brittain Conference.

It was essentially a one-goal game, but with the Flames down 4-3, Langley’s Hayden Yahn got an empty netter for his hat trick goal.

With the win, the Trappers move well ahead of the Flames in the standings, as they have 64 points to 57 by the Flames. Both teams have played 41 games. The Flames have only seven games left on the schedule to reel in the Trappers, but the two meet in their final regular season game on Feb. 10 at Cam Neely Arena.

• Kochan, the Flames talented rookie out of Pitt Meadows, was named a player of the week in the Pacific Junior Hockey League for the week ending Jan. 22, after his five-point outing against Alderdrove. Kochan now has 36 goals and 68 points in his rookie season.

• The PJHL has announced that a new franchise will be playing in Port Coquitlam next season. The club, which does not yet have a name, will play out of the newly renovated Port Coquitlam Community Centre (PCCC), in the Jon Baillie Arena which seats 780 spectators. It will be the PJHL’s 14th franchise, owned by a group headed by Rob Toor.

“We are proud to welcome a new franchise in Port Coquitlam to our league,” said PJHL commissioner Trevor Alto. “Rob and his partners have shown us they are prepared to do what it takes to run a successful team so it made sense to offer Junior hockey to players and fans in that community.”

• The Flames have two games at Cam Neely Arena this weekend. They host the Wolf Pack on Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m., and will also host the Mission City Outlaws on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 8:45 p.m.

READ ALSO: Vancouver Canucks fan has last word on NHL team’s legacy of losing

READ ALSO: PODCAST: What does championship weekend look like in the NFL?


Have a story tip? Email: ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.


Neil Corbett

About the Author: Neil Corbett

I have been a journalist for more than 30 years, the past decade with the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News.
Read more