The Quesnel River Rush is a junior ice hockey team based in Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. The team plays in the Bill Ohlhausen Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The team plays its home games at the 1,300-seat West Fraser Centre. Before moving to Quesnel in 2024, the team was based in Armstrong, British Columbia and was known as the North Okanagan Knights.
| Quesnel River Rush | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Quesnel, British Columbia |
| League | KIJHL |
| Division | Bill Ohlhausen |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Home arena | West Fraser Centre |
| Colours | |
| Owner(s) | Tracy Mero |
| General manager | Dale Hladun |
| Head coach | Dale Hladun |
| Website | quesnelriverrush |
| Franchise history | |
| 2009–2024 | North Okanagan Knights |
History
editThe Knights joined the KIJHL in 2009, but finished dead-last in the Okanagan Division with a record of 11–35–0–4, missing the playoffs. In 2010–11, the Knights joined the new Doug Birks Division, but finished last again, losing 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs to Revelstoke. For 2011–12, the Knights improved to third place in the Doug Birks Division, with a record of 35–16–0–1, before losing to Kamloops in the first round of the playoffs. The following year the Knights won the Doug Birks Division for the first time, and reached the league championship series, losing in six games to Castlegar. For 2013–14, the Knights were moved to the Okanagan Division, following the relocation of the Okanagan Division's Penticton Lakers to 100 Mile House. They finished fourth in their new division, but defeated the division champions Summerland Steam in seven games in the first round, before losing to Osoyoos. In 2014–15, the Knights struggled immensely, finishing with a record of 6–41–1–4, and failed to make the playoffs. The following year, the Knights compiled a 14-30-3-0-5 record, finishing fourth in the Okanagan Division. They lost, 0–4, to Osoyoos in the first round.
The North Okanagan Knights relocated to Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada in April 2024.[1]
Season-by-season record
editNorth Okanagan Knights
editNote: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, PTS = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 50 | 11 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 149 | 250 | 7th of 7, Okanagan 15th of 17, KIJHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2010–11 | 50 | 18 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 146 | 198 | 4th of 4, Doug Birks 14th of 18, KIJHL |
Lost Division Semifinals, 1-4 (Grizzlies) |
| 2011-12 | 52 | 35 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 71 | 202 | 165 | 3rd of 5, Doug Birks 7th of 20, KIJHL |
Lost Division Semifinals, 3-4 (Storm) |
| 2012-13 | 52 | 34 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 72 | 214 | 149 | 1st of 5, Doug Birks 4th of 20, KIJHL |
Lost in Finals, 1-4 (Rebels) |
| 2013-14 | 52 | 24 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 168 | 195 | 4th of 5, Okanagan 12th of 20, KIJHL |
Lost division finals, 1-4 (Coyotes) |
| 2014-15 | 52 | 6 | 41 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 93 | 235 | 5th of 5, Okanagan 20th of 20, KIJHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2015-16 | 52 | 14 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 116 | 159 | 4th of 5, Okanagan 16th of 20, KIJHL |
Lost Division Semifinals, 0-4 (Coyotes) |
| 2016-17 | 47 | 15 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 119 | 167 | 4th of 5 Okanagan 15th of 20 - KIJHL |
Lost Division Semifinals, 0-4 (Coyotes) |
| 2017-18 | 47 | 14 | 26 | 3 | 4 | 35 | 110 | 174 | 5th of 5 Okanagan 16th of 20 - KIJHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2018-19 | 49 | 16 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 129 | 197 | 5th of 5 Okanagan 17th of 20, KIJHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2019-20 | 49 | 13 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 32 | 110 | 174 | 4th of 5 Bill Ohlhausen 18th of 20, KIJHL |
Lost Division Semifinals, 1-4 (Chiefs) |
| 2020–21 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 17 | Remaining season cancelled due to COVID-19 | |
| 2021–22 | 42 | 10 | 25 | 0 | 7 | 27 | 106 | 166 | 5th of 5 Bill Ohlhausen 17th of 19, KIJHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2022–23 | 44 | 22 | 16 | 0 | 6 | 50 | 143 | 144 | 3rd of 5 Bill Ohlhausen 13th of 19, KIJHL |
Won Division Semifinals, 4-1 (Coyotes) Lost division finals 1-4 (Posse) |
| 2023–24 | 44 | 18 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 42 | 123 | 158 | 2nd of 5, Bill Ohlhausen 13th of 20, KIJHL |
Won Division Semifinals, 4-0 (Coyotes) Lost Division finals 3-4 (Posse) |
Playoffs
editRecords as of March 18, 2024.[2][3][4]
| Season | Division Semifinals | Division Finals | Conference Finals | KIJHL Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2010-11 | L, 1–4, Revelstoke | — | — | — |
| 2011-12 | L, 3–4, Kamloops | — | — | — |
| 2012-13 | W, 4–1, Kamloops | W, 4–0, Sicamous | W, 4–3, Osoyoos | L, 1–4, Castlegar |
| 2013-14 | W, 4–3, Summerland | L, 1–4, Osoyoos | — | — |
| 2014-15 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2015-16 | L, 0–4, Osoyoos | — | — | — |
| 2016-17 | L, 0–4, Osoyoos | — | — | — |
| 2017-18 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2018-19 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2019-20 | L, 1–4, Kelowna | — | — | — |
| 2020-21 | Playoffs cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic | |||
| 2021-22 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2022-23 | W, 4-1, Osoyoos | L, 1-4, Princeton | — | — |
| 2023-24 | W, 4-0, Osoyoos | L, 3-4, Princeton | — | — |
References
edit- ^ Peebles, Frank (4 April 2024). "Quesnel confirmed: River Rush the newest KIJHL team". Quesnel Cariboo Observer. Black Press Media. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ KIJHL.ca, Playoff Bracket 2011–2012. Archived 2012-05-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "KIJHL.ca – Playoff Records". Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ^ KIJHL.ca, Past KIJHL League Champions.
Sources
edit- McMillan, Rob (26 January 2024). "LETTER: Junior hockey dream for Quesnel possibly dashed by local gov". Quesnel Cariboo Observer. Black Press Media. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- Peebles, Frank (29 January 2024). "LETTER: Quesnel Kangaroos support idea of Junior hockey, but only if paid $100k". Quesnel Cariboo Observer. Black Press Media. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- Henderson, George (29 January 2024). "Quesnel Kangaroos clear the air over junior hockey proposal". My Cariboo Now. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- Peebles, Frank (31 January 2024). "Financial guarantee is a shot way wide of the Quesnel net: KIJHL". Quesnel Cariboo Observer. Black Press Media. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- Henderson, George (13 February 2024). "Quesnel is one step closer to getting a junior hockey team". My Cariboo Now. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- Kelly, Austin (8 October 2024). "Quesnel Kangaroos take massive win at home opener". Quesnel Cariboo Observer. Black Press Media. Retrieved 1 November 2024.