On Sunday, Oct. 9, the battle of the 91原创s will resume.

Crosstown rivals 91原创 Trappers and Aldergrove Kodiaks are set to meet for their first clash of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) regular season, with the Trappers hosting the Kodiaks.

Last season, the Kodiaks were edged out of the Harold Brittain Conference division playoffs, while the Trappers won the divisional points race, as well as the Stonehouse Cup, then went on to take gold in the Cyclone Taylor Cup provincial junior 鈥淏鈥� hockey championships.

This season, the Kodiaks have a new head coach, Ron Johnson, a member of the 2010 league champion Kodiaks team, while Brad Bakken returns as head coach and general manager of the reigning PJHL and B.C. junior 鈥楤鈥� provincial champion Trappers.

Currently, Trappers are third and Kodiaks fourth in the seven-team conference standings.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: 91原创 Trappers win Cyclone Taylor Cup

Johnson described the team as a 鈥渨ork in progress鈥� with only eight returning veterans.

He expects it will take time for the rookies to learn how to play as a team, a process he expects will show results in December.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e getting better,鈥� Johnson told the 91原创 Advance Times.

鈥淚鈥檓 happy with the guys.鈥�

Kodiaks are expecting a tough battle on Sunday, with Johnson noting the rival Trappers team has more returning players.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got our hands full,鈥� Johnson predicted.

Bakken said only 12 of 25 players on the Trappers roster last year have returned, the result of some moving up to play for the Junior 鈥淎鈥� 91原创, and others deciding to step back from hockey to concentrate on their studies.

鈥淣ot as much as I was forecasting,鈥� Bakken summarized, but he likes the lineup he has.

鈥淚 like how young we are, how we move the puck around,鈥� Bakken remarked.

He expects the resumption of the 鈥渇un鈥� rivalry between the two teams on Sunday will be a 鈥減retty good test鈥� that should produce entertaining hockey.

Puck will drop at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at George Preston arena, 20699 42nd Ave.

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They will meet again in November, when the Kodiaks will host the Trappers on Sunday Nov. 9 at the Aldergrove Credit Union Community Centre arena, 27032 Fraser Hwy, at 7:15 p.m.