The Christmas break was a busy time for the pee wee Rep Blues.
The boys began their gruelling schedule by beating Watcom County Warriors 8-1 on Dec. 27 in a make-up game. This win gave them an impressive 7-2 record and some momentum heading into a tournament on the North Shore.
On Dec. 28, the Blues played Port Coquitlam to open the tourney and prevailed 8-5 in a wide open game. Brayden Cross was named game MVP with a hat trick.
Games two and three were played on Dec. 29. Game two saw the Blues completely shut down North Vancouver 5-0. Brennan Myers was game MVP. Game three was against an over-matched North Shore Winter Club, and the Blues dominated, winning 8-1. Kaden MacLeod was game MVP.Game four was a match up between undefeated Cloverdale. This game was a classic - fast and hard hitting, with great goaltending on both sides. The game ended in a 1-1 tie with game MVP honours to goalie Blake Pearson. The result left the Blues in second place due to a tie-breaking formula setting up a rematch with Port Coquitlam.
PoCo was a much more determined team in this semifinal game. The game went back and forth with PoCo scoring late to tie the game at 5-5, sending the contest to overtime.
On the first shift of overtime, a PoCo rush was broken up by Tyler Graham whose pass sent Kaden on a two-on-one with Brayden. Kaden fed Brayden in the slot and he made no mistake, roofing the game winner and sending the Blues into the final.
Waiting there for the Blues was a well-rested Cloverdale team that had earlier dispatched North Van 5-0. Cloverdale started quickly, going up 2-0 in the first five minutes of the game. The teams then traded goals before the Blues scored twice to knot the score at 3-3 to end the first period.
The Blues pulled away in the second period, scoring twice and played solid defence to enter the third up 5-4. An early goal by Cloverdale made for some nervous moments, but the Blues scored twice late in the contest and ended with a hard-fought 7-5 victory. Griffy Goyer won game MVP with a spectacular four-goal performance.
Coach Dan Hemstalk credited hard work and total team effort as the keys to victory.
After catching the last ferry home, the Blues were up early the next day to face league-leading Seafair to complete their first half schedule, and after being tied 1-1 early in the third period, they eventually ran out of gas and lost 3-1. Still the Blues posted a remarkable record of 6-1-1 in the gruelling eight games in five days.
