Braves silver at midget tier 4 provincials
For the first time in nine years, the Saanich Braves Minor Hockey association won a medal at provincials.
In Surrey last week, the only thing stopping the Braves midget B team from becoming midget tier 4 B.C. champions was the host team Surrey Storm.
Saanich fell 5-1 in the gold medal game, settling for silver.
The last Braves minor hockey team to win gold was the pee wee AA squad in 2001-2002, boasting a young Taylor Ellington (now with the Victoria Salmon Kings).
The Braves earned their Silver medal with round robin wins over Kelowna, 4-2; Mackenzie, 5-2; Houston, 3-0; and Whitehorse, 8-2; while falling to Surrey, 3-2; and Nakusp, 4-2.
Getting into the final took a little help from their opponents. Saanich ended up tied with Houston for second but advanced courtesy of their 3-0 win over Houston on Wednesday.
The Braves won the midget tier 4 Island championship final over Juan de Fuca, 5-2, on Saturday March 5.
Juan de Fuca wins B.C. bantam title
The Juan de Fuca Grizzlies bantam boys hockey team returned successful from the B.C. Bantam Tier 2 provincials in Fort St. John last weekend.
Juan de Fuca prevailed in the final over the Prince George Cougars, 7-3.
Alec Dillon held the fort in net for the Grizzlies.
Though the Grizzlies went undefeated in the tournament, it was the Cougars who came closest to beating the Grizz in game 1. Prince George took the lead in that game when the Grizzlies came back with goals by Sam Stevenson, Duncan Cochrane and Nick Guiney to go ahead 3-2. Cochrane scored his second goal of the game to win it in dramatic fashion with six seconds left.
Later on day 1 the Grizz’ defeated Fort St. John 12-1, then beat the Burnaby Winter Club 5-2 on day 2. The Grizzlies drew Pool B’s Kelowna in the semifinals and won 9-5.