The Scotiabank Tier 2 Bantam Silvertips travelled to Prince George for a six-team tournament last weekend.
The ’Tips faced off against Quesnel, Friday morning and although they fell behind early, tied it up.
A see-saw battle ensued, neither team able to hold onto a lead for long. The ’Tips were able to get the go-ahead marker halfway through the third period, and strong goaltending by Gabriel Murrels-Allaway and team defence helped stave off repeated Quesnel attacks.
An empty netter with one minute left in the game sealed the deal.
The afternoon game against Smithers didn’t go so well for the Silvertips, as they fell 2-0 in a physical, spirited affair.
On Saturday, their morning game on Olympic-sized ice seemed to take a toll, although a near miss with a third-period crossbar would have made things interesting.
Carson Irmen was strong in net for the ’Tips, and held them in it for as long as he could.
Saturday morning’s tilt against Dawson Creek started well for the ’Tips, as they went into the second intermission with a two goal lead.
A few breakdowns in the third period allowed Dawson Creek to claw their way back, and Salmon Arm had to settle for a tie.
It seemed like Groundhog Day in their afternoon against Williams Lake, as Salmon Arm got a pair of goals in the first, but surrendered a pair, heading into the third period knotted at two.
Their no-quit work ethic paid dividends, as they completely dominated the third. Five unanswered goals saw them take a 7-2 final.Their last round-robin game on Sunday saw them face off against host Prince George, the winner moving on to face Smithers in the final. After neither netminder could be solved in the first period, Connor Kociuba got the ’Tips on the board early in the second, walking out from the corner and slipping it past the Cougar’s goaltender.
Four goals by Prince George built a large hill for the ’Tips to climb as they headed into the third, but a nice tip by Taylor Howard would start the comeback.
Kociuba would get his second a short time later, burying a sweet feed from behind the net by Ty Sanford.
But with the goalie pulled late in the game, PG would put the good guys away and hand them a 5-3 loss and a third-place finish.