It appears that Kelowna will soon have a new Junior B hockey team. The Chase Chiefs have been given approval from the KIJHL to play their 2010-2011 home games at Rutland arena.
The Kelowna Rockets have exclusive territorial rights to the city and could have prevented the Chiefs from moving here. However, both teams say an agreement in principal has been reached.
The Chiefs say they will not be competing with the Rockets for fan support. The Rockets attract about 6,100 fans to every home game while the Chiefs only need 300 to 400 fans per game to survive.
"Major junior is one league and we’re a league slightly below that," says Grant Sheridan of the Kelowna Chiefs. "We hope there’s a niche audience that will want to see this level."
The Junior B team wants to develop a working relationship with the Rockets, perhaps by helping develop some of the younger players.
"Without the support of the Rockets, this team wouldn’t be here," says Chiefs coach Ken Andrusiak. "We think we’ll be able to help out some of their younger guys and we think it’s a great fit."
The Kelowna Chiefs will play in the Okanagan Division of the KIJHL which includes Revelstoke, Princeton, Osoyoos, Penticton, Kamloops, Sicamous, and North Okanagan.
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