Team tripped with lawsuit

Photo: Princeton Posse Facebook

The former head coach and associate coach of the Princeton Posse Junior B hockey team are suing for unpaid wages.

Geoffrey Goodman and Lance Vaillancourt filed separate claims in Penticton last week, alleging the Posse has refused to pay out their contracts since they were fired on Nov. 16, 2016.

Goodman, who was also the general manager, is claiming $13,509 for the rest of a two-year agreement that was supposed to run through April 14, 2017. Associate coach Vaillancourt is suing for $3,170.

In his notice of civil claim, Goodman said when he was fired over the phone, ownership told him it was because “we were losing too many games.”

However, about three weeks later, he received an email from the board stating he and his associate coach would not be paid, citing “personal behaviour as the reason for termination.”

“I dispute many of the claims as stated in the letter as the actual termination call and reason given was significantly different than the contents in the letter,” the lawsuit reads.

Vaillancourt’s lawsuit alleges the hockey team's board never actually contacted him directly, and he had to learn he was not getting paid from Goodman, who forwarded him the email from board.

The Posse have won just seven of 29 games this season, which has them in last place in the Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

None of these allegations have been proven in court, and the hockey team has not filed a response.