The 2022-23 KIJHL season was the 56th in league history. The season began on September 23, 2022, and finished on February 11, 2023, with the playoffs beginning the following week and running until April 10 when the Kimberley Dynamiters defeated the Princeton Posse 3–2 in Princeton to win the Teck Cup Finals 4–3, for the fourth time in franchise history. The season was originally scheduled to feature all 20 teams in the league but the league's sole U.S. franchise, the Spokane Braves withdrew on August 3 resulting with the season continuing with just 19 teams.
Regular season Teams played 44 games throughout the course of the regular season: six games against each team in the division, two games against each team in the other division within the same conference and one game against each team in the other conference. To make up for the absence of the Spokane Braves, teams in the Doug Birks hosted a sixth game against a Bill Ohlhausen team, the Eddie Mountain division played one extra home and away game within the Division, and the Neil Murdoch would play two extra games against each of the other three teams within the division. League map
Standings The final standings were as follows. TeamColumbia Valley Rockies319466218126Kimberley Dynamiters2913260171113Golden Rockets2516553175168Fernie Ghostriders2314753163138Creston Valley Thunder Cats1923240147189 TeamGrand Forks Border Bruins2516353146133Nelson Leafs2415553150137Beaver Valley Nitehawks2417351192136Castlegar Rebels1128527103169 TeamPrinceton Posse317668181110Osoyoos Coyotes2713458188140North Okanagan Knights2216450143144Summerland Steam1424634104165Kelowna Chiefs63441695205 TeamRevelstoke Grizzlies30776715395Kamloops Storm2613557145105Sicamous Eagles2615355158111100 Mile House Wranglers1624436111167Chase Heat103042493194
2022 BCHC prospects game The BCHC held its first annual prospects game in Chilliwack on November 22, 2022, with team KIJHL defeating the PJHL team 4–3 with Jonathan Ward of the Princeton Posse scoring the game-winning goal 2:09 into the third period.
Leafs-Nitehawks line brawl On December 31, 2022, all ten players dropped the gloves in a line brawl instigated by the Leafs at the start of the second period of the New Year's Eve Classic between the Neil Murdoch Division Rivals. The brawl was possibly instagted by an open-ice hit on the Leafs' goaltender late in the first or a cross-check to the head of a Leafs player at the buzzer that left his jersey covered in blood, as neither incidents earned a call the referee in charge of the game. A total of 172 penalty minutes were handed out (75 to Beaver Valley, 97 to Nelson). After the game, Leafs' head coach Adam Dibella resigned for his role in the fight and faced harsh criticism from Leafs fans and a harsher suspension from the league. In addition, the league suspended the nine Leafs' players involved for a total of 35 games and the five Nitehawks' players for 9 games. The Leafs would go on to win 3–1.
Awards AwardLeague WinnerEddie Mountain WinnerNeil Murdoch WinnerDoug Birks WinnerBill Ohlhausen WinnerMVPLuke Chakrabarti, Creston ValleyLuke Chakrabarti, Creston ValleyNathan Dominici, Beaver ValleyCarter Bettenson, RevesltokeJack Henderson, OsoyoosTop ScorerLuke Chakrabarti, Creston ValleyLuke Chakrabarti, Creston ValleySpencer Horning, Grand ForksRyan Larsen, KamloopsJack Henderson, OsoyoosTop DefencemanCameron Reid, KimberleyCameron Reid, KimberleyTyson Lautard, NelsonNicholas Hughes, SicamousCurtis Gould, PrincetonTop GoaltenderJozef Kuchaslo, RevelstokeTrystan Self, KimberleyConnor Stojan, Beaver ValleyJozef Kuchaslo, RevelstokePeyton Trzaska, PrincetonRookie of the YearKeenan Ingram, Columbia ValleyKeenan Ingram, Columbia ValleyRussell Kosec, Grand ForksOwen Aura, KamloopsAustin Seibel, North OkanaganMost SportsmanlikeMatthew Johnston, North OkanaganNick Morin, GoldenChad Bates, Grand ForksJack Mulder, 100 Mile HouseMatthew Johnston, North OkanaganCoach of the YearMark Readman, PrincetonChuck Wright, GoldenDave Hnatiuk, Grand ForksNick Deschenes, SicamousMark Readman, Princeton
Playoffs The 2023 playoff format was as follows: the top four teams in the Doug Birks, Bill Ohlhausen, and Eddie Mountain Division would make the playoffs as would the top three teams in the Neil Murdoch and the best ranked Kootenay Conference team not already in the playoffs which would be referred to as the "crossover team". In each of the Okanagan Divisions and the Eddie Mountain division the 1st Seed would play 4th and 2nd would play 3rd. In the Neil Murdoch division, if the crossover team was 4th in the Neil Murdoch the format would be the same as the other three divisions. However, if the crossover team was the 5th ranked team in the Eddie Mountain, the 1st seed in the Neil Murdoch would have the choice of Neil Murdoch #3 or Eddie Mountain #5 in the first round. As it happened the Creston Thundercats earned this crossover spot and the Neil Murdoch champion, Grand Forks chose to play them over the Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
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