RELEASE | VIU to host inaugural Tom Harris University Showcase

NANAIMO, BC – The Vancouver Island University Mariners are set to host the inaugural Tom Harris University Showcase from January 5th to January 7th, 2024.

The 2024 showcase features six teams: the Vancouver Island University Mariners, University of Victoria Vikes, and Simon Fraser University Red Leafs from the BCIHL, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Trojans and the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder from the ACAC, and the Korea University Tigers from the KUSF (Korea University Sports Federation) U-League based in Seoul, South Korea.

The addition of Korea University to the showcase marks the first time that the Tigers will face BCIHL competition, and the first time since 2018 that a BCIHL team has faced a non-American international opponent when the University of Victoria, Trinity Western University, and the 2019 BCIHL All-Star Team faced the Kazakhstan U20 World Junior Hockey Championship team.

Korea University is considered one of the top private universities in South Korea, with a heavily contested rivalry both on and off the ice with Yonsei University. The program competes in the eight-team KUSF U-League, where they currently sit tied for first place with the aforementioned Yonsei University after two games. The program also competes in the Korea National Ice Hockey Championship, where they have won 8 times since 1971 with the most recent title coming in 2003.

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Trojans return to BCIHL action for the first time since 2019 when they faced the now defunct Selkirk College Saints and the Trinity Western University Spartans. This season, SAIT has an 8-4-0 regular season record and a 10-7-0 overall record and sits third in the ACAC standings behind Briercrest College and NAIT. The Trojans hold an overall 5-3-0 record against BCIHL competition since their first appearance in 2013.

Up Highway 2 in Edmonton, the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder have had a challenging start to their season, sitting 6th only ahead of Portage College with a 3-9-0 in-conference record and a 5-10-1 overall record. The Thunder will be appearing in their third BCIHL matchup of the year after not appearing in BCIHL competition since 2017, defeating the University of Victoria Vikes twice this past September when the Vikes visited Edmonton during the pre-season. Concordia-Edmonton holds a 5-1-0 record against BCIHL competition all-time.

In the BCIHL, the SFU Red Leafs BCIHL team will be facing non-conference competition for the first time this season after the program announced that they will ice a dedicated roster to play exclusively non-conference competition. As a BCIHL showcase, these games will provide the Red Leafs their first opportunity to play against non-conference competition.

UVic will be playing their third non-conference game of the year after facing the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder earlier in the season, dropping two games by one goal each. The Vikes have added regular non-conference competition to their schedule since the cancelled 2020 season, most recently facing the University of Oregon Ducks (ACHA) four times last season, where they would go 3-1-0 with a +15 goal differential.

The host VIU Mariners faced their first non-conference competition this season outside of U-Sports CanadaWest this year, taking on the University of Alaska-Anchorage and University of Alaska-Fairbanks back in September and dropping both of those matchups by scores of 7-2 and 8-1. This showcase will mark the first time that VIU will face ACAC competition in program history.

The Tom Harris University Showcase is named after long-time Nanaimo local hockey supporter Tom Harris. The league also hosts the Tom Harris Cup: a pre-season mini-tournament between UVic and VIU, currently held by VIU after a 1-0-1 performance in this year’s rendition.

FULL SCHEDULE*

01.05 | Concordia (ACAC) at VIC | 1:00pm PST / 2:00pm MST
01.05 | SAIT (ACAC) at SFU | 4:15pm PST / 5:15pm MST
01.05 | Korea University (KUSF) at VIU | 7:30pm PST / 01.06; 12:30pm KST

01.06 | SAIT (ACAC) at VIC | 1:00pm PST / 2:00pm MST
01.06 | Korea University (KUSF) at SFU | 4:15pm PST / 01.07; 9:15am KST
01.06 | Concordia (ACAC) at VIU | 7:30pm PST / 8:30pm MST

01.07 | Korea University (KUSF) at VIC | 1:00pm PST / 01.08; 6:00am KST
01.07 | Concordia (ACAC) at SFU | 4:15pm PST / 5:15pm MST
01.07 | SAIT (ACAC) at VIU | 7:30pm PST / 8:30pm MST

*All games will be hosted at the Nanaimo Ice Centre (750 Third St., Nanaimo, BC)