The Salmon Arm Pee Wee Tier 2 Silvertips had plenty to be thankful for after the long weekend.
Most teams in B.C. and even Seattle now know where Salmon Arm is, thanks to the team’s amazing showing in an Abbotsford tournament.
The team’s “heart and soul” was apparent after the Podollan Inn-sponsored Tips spent the entire weekend on the ice.
The puck dropped on the ’Tips’ first game at 8:30 a.m. Friday against Abbotsford. The Silvertips took that one 7-2.
Later that day, the players met up with a team from the Sunshine Coast and, after leading the whole game, they ended up in a tie after a heart breaker of a goal with only 14 seconds remaining.
On Saturday afternoon, the ’Tips went head to head against Seattle and held their heads high after winning a 3-0 shutout.
Neither a late game Saturday evening nor an intimidating Port Coquitlam squad kept the team down. The boys left the rink at 10 p.m. with a 4-3 win.
With only about six hours sleep, the ’Tips were back on the ice at 6:15 a.m. full of energy for a 7 a.m. start.
Intense hockey was played against a team none of these young players have ever topped before.
Ten seconds into overtime, the ’Tips prevailed with a 5-4 win over their Kamloops rivals.
One more win and this group would be heading home without a loss and a gold medal from one of the biggest tournaments of the season.
The puck dropped at 1:30 p.m. against the North Shore Winter Club.
After falling behind 3-1, the players worked their magic, pulling out an amazing 5-3 win to net the top trophy in the tournament.