Now the 20-year-old Victoria native — who had previous B.C. Hockey League stops with his hometown Grizzlies, Cowichan Valley Capitals and Vernon Vipers, before settling into Penticton this season — is focusing on a Western Canada Cup.
Meek and his Vees teammates open play tonight against the SJHL-champion Battlefords North Stars. BCHL runners-up, the Chilliwack Chiefs, AJHL-champion Brooks Bandits and MJHL victors, Portage Terriers, round out the five-team competition.
The Western Canada Cup winner and runner-up advance to the Royal Bank Cup in Cobourg, Ont., beginning May 12.
“We’re ready to get going, we’re all champing at the bit and excited,” said Meek. “North Battleford is a physical, older team, but we’re excited and always up for a challenge. Every team we play here is going to be like playing in a [league] final.”
The Vees defeated Chilliwack 1-0 in overtime in Game 7 of the B.C. Hockey League’s Fred Page Cup final. Meek finished with three goals and four assists in the playoffs, with his goal total matching his regular-season total in which he also added 16 assists.
“It really showed our true character in Game 7,” he said of his Vees teammates. “I was happy with how I performed. All that matters in playoffs is how your team does. Individual stats get put away. We won it all and that’s all that matters.
“Five years [in the league], it was nice to finally win it,” he said of the championship season. “We’re a confident group heading in [to the Western Canada Cup]. We’re hard working and that’s what we hang our hats on.”
Meek, who’s a product of the Saanich and Victoria Racquet Club hockey programs, will head to Michigan Tech University next season to continue his hockey.
He is not the only Victoria connection to the Western Canada Cup tournament. Former Grizzlies backup netminder Mitchel Benson plays goal for the Bandits, traded there early this season. The Windsor, Ont., native, who will attend Alaska-Fairbanks next season, had an incredible 2016-17 campaign.
In 41 games played, Benson was 36-3-2 with seven shutouts, a 1.73 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in the regular season. He was even stronger in 13 playoff outings, where Benson was 12-1 with four more shutouts, a 1.21 GAA and .949 save percentage. The one post-season loss was in overtime.
Victoria native Connor Logan plays for Battlefords, where he had seven goals and five assists in 12 playoff games after racking up 24 goals and 29 assists in 58 regular-season games.
mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com
Twitter.com/tc_vicsports
