Lough commits to St. Lawrence, Ness pledges ownership shares,

(Image:Dave Cusson)

Lough Commits To St. Lawrence University

PRESS RELEASE

May 18, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are very proud to announce that Ryan Lough has committed to the NCAA Division 1 hockey program of St. Lawrence University. The St.

Lawrence University Saints play in the Eastern College Athletic Conference of the NCAA.

St. Lawrence University is named for the St. Lawrence River, which is about 15 miles from the campus. The university, founded in 1856, is located in Canton, New York, and offers diverse liberal arts programs. The university boasts of a student-faculty ration of 12:1.

“The Alberni Valley Bulldogs are very excited for Ryan and his commitment to St. Lawrence University," said Alberni Valley Bulldogs Head Coach Kevin Willison. “As we all know, this is the ultimate goal for these young hockey players who play in the BCHL. To get to that next level takes dedication, commitment and a lot of hard work,” added Willison. “Ryan has shown those qualities over the last year and that has allowed him the opportunity to play NCAA Division 1 hockey following his junior career. Congratulations to Ryan and his family for his commitment.”

Lough will compete against several BCHL alumni in the ECAC, including current

Alberni Valley Bulldogs forward Evan Tironese who recently committed to the RPI Engineers who play in the same conference.

“I'm very excited for the opportunity St. Lawrence University has provided, to live my dream of playing NCAA Division 1 hockey,” said Lough. “After playing so many years away from home, I am very lucky to be able to play at St. Lawrence University which is only an hour away. It's a great school with a great hockey program,” added Lough. “I would like to thank the entire Alberni Valley Bulldogs organization especially the coaching staff and Tom McEvay for helping provide this opportunity. I would also like to thank Notre Dame, my family for all their support, my billet family The Mesics for opening up their home, and the community of Port Alberni for the support everyone have shown me.” Lough closed by saying, “I look forward to playing here in Port Alberni and striving to win a championship with the Bulldogs before leaving to go on to St. Lawrence.”

Lough will be joining the St. Lawrence University Saints for the 2014/15 season.

For more information please contact Assistant Coach Adam Hayduk at

250.723.4412 or adam@albernivalleybulldogs.ca.

Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society
Our Community Our Team Our Commitment
May 17, 2012 For Immediate Release

Bulldog Minority Owner Pledges Shares To Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society 

Alberni Valley Bulldog minority owner Dr. David Ness has announced his full support behind the Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society’s bid to purchase the team. After eight years as an owner Ness has pledged to donate his 20% share in the Bulldogs to the Society should they be successful in purchasing the 51% majority shares from Okanagan Hockey Schools of Penticton.
 

Ness was one of the five local owners who bought the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in 2004 and has remained loyal to the team and the community throughout other ownership changes. He thinks this is the time for the team to move toward community non-profit ownership and he is willing to help in a very significant way. In a statement this week Ness described his offer and his motivation. “My offer is only for the community of Port Alberni, because I feel that it really is a great hockey community. I firmly believe that the Bulldogs have made a positive contribution during their 10 year tenure in Port Alberni, especially in the growth and development of minor hockey which has benefitted many of the youth (both male and female) of the community.”

Ness emphasized that, “My wish is for the community to obtain control of the Bulldogs, and to make the team a perennial part of the social fabric of the Valley. My offer is, however, contingent upon the community stepping up to affirm my belief in it. If the Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society do not get enough support in their bid to buy the team, then I have no doubt that the Bulldogs will eventually be sold to some other buyer.”

Ness was clear that, “I would not be willing to extend this offer to any other community. Nor would I be willing to protest the re-location of the Bulldogs to some other community, despite having a 20% interest in the team. In other words, the community of Port Alberni has an opportunity to obtain control of the Bulldogs, and I am willing to make a significant contribution to this process, but if it is not successful, then I will not oppose a sale to any other buyer or re-location to a different area.”

Ness also clarified that the offer is solely based upon his own personal feelings and preferences, and should not in any way reflect negatively upon the other owners, both of whom have contributed significantly to the development of the Bulldogs. Ness stressed that he has every intention in staying involved with the team on the medical side of the operation and he will remain a loyal fan who seldom misses a game.

Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society President Darren Deluca was extremely appreciative of Dr. Ness’s pledge. “David Ness has shown a true love of the Alberni Valley and the value he believes this franchise has to the greater good of his community. To show this type of confidence and support for what we are trying to do sends an incredibly strong message to all of us to make every effort to do our part.” Deluca urged the rest of the community to, “please help us take advantage of the opportunity we have while we have it. There is a bit of complacency out there because we haven’t been playing the negative card and stressing enough that this team could be lost to the Alberni Valley.

We need people to step up and make a pledge big or small to show your support.” Society Director
Bob Cole echoed these sentiments by saying, “we will not make a bad deal to buy this team but we need to show that the community is behind us and that we have the financial clout to make any deal at all. David Ness’s contribution puts us in an even stronger position and we thank him sincerely.”
 

If individuals, organizations or businesses want to make a tax deductible donation, full details are available on the website at www.pajhs.com or call the office at 250-724-1356. Pledges can be made by cheque or credit card and will not be processed until the Society knows they can move forward. If the Society is unable to purchase the team all pledges will be returned.
 

For further information contact:
Society President – Darren DeLuca at cell 250-720-7453 or email dfdeluca@shaw.ca
Society Director – Tom McEvay at cell 250-720-7624 or email tmcevay@sd70.bc.ca

Here's hoping we get great weather for the long weekend, AND everyone is SAFE and SMART!

More to come....

Hammer