The Peewee C2 and C1 teams from the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association came up a little short in their quest for playoff banners last weekend.
Both teams lost their respective banner games to finish second in the playoffs.
The C2 team battled hard, losing to the undefeated North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver.
Sunshine Coast jumped out with a strong start, scoring first and ending the first period up 2-1.
By the end of the second, North Shore had tied the game 3-3. Due to a couple of unforeseenincidentsin the third period, the North Shore Winter Club remained undefeated as an end result. Sunshine Coast received strong goaltending from Andrew Hanna and Jeremy Smethurst, who together stopped 20-plus shots. Sunshine Coast also received some strong offensive performances from Jordan Anderson, Payton Coyle, Quinn Ewert, Kai Gerler, Hunter Mensink, Tyler Muryn, Keeran Peel, Malcolm Roberts and Kaden Simpson.
Helping the goalies with some solid efforts on defence were Cayman Froude, Sam Knight, Jordan Robinson and Shawn Staal.
"Even though Sunshine Coast finished as the runners-up, the kids played hard and played like a team. Despite their unsatisfying finish they showed great heart, passion andsportsmanship. Above all they had fun," said manager Sue Wilson. "Well played boys. Your sportsmanship, respectand passion for the game certainly showed. Despite what was on the scoreboard,you were the best team and are all winners."
Bantam Rep
The Bantam Rep Blues will be presented with the President's Series banner 'A' this weekend at the Port Coquitlam spring break tournament. Coast Reporter will have more details next week.
The team has also put together a spring team through the Ultimate Hockey League based out of Coquitlam Planet Ice with practices in Sechelt at the Sunshine Coast Arena Tuesday evenings. Coast Reporter will keep you posted on the team's progress in the coming weeks.
Atom Rep
Despite a great playoff run, the Atom Rep Blues saw its season come to a close last weekend.
The Blues won their first two games in the President's Series, 7-4 over Hollyburn in Gibsons March 4 and a 4-3 win over Vancouver at the PNE Agrodome.
Last Thursday (March 8) the Blues played West Vancouver, coming out strong and having control of the game in the second period, up 3-2. But a series of penalties shifted the momentum to West Vancouver and they scored a flurry of goals to deliver a heartbreaking loss for the Blues. West Van earned enough points in the series to win the Green Banner.
The final playoff game was cancelled because Burnaby would not travel to the Coast to play, which was disappointing for the Blues who wanted to play out the season on a high note.
Overall, the Blues had a good year with a winning record of 26-7-6. They moved up from flight four to the more competitive flight three division to play against more skilled teams and that helped to develop their own skills and up their game.
The highlight of the year was the Christmas tournament in Victoria where they came home as the Atom A, flight three champions.
Midget Rep
The Midget Rep Blues were eliminated from the playoffs last weekend after suffering losses to Surrey, 5-1 and the eventual banner-winning Vancouver Spirit 6-1.
"The ending was disappointing, but the coaches considered the season a very successful one," said coach Ray Graham. "We had a very young team with eight first-year players and three second-year players. With only three players graduating, the base is there for a strong team next year."
The team is excited to continue the hockey season this spring with the formation of the first ever Chatelech Secondary School hockey team. Details are still being worked out, but the team hopes to start playing in early April.
Atom C
The final playoff games for the Atom C house league are this Saturday at Gibsons Community Centre.
The bronze medal game between the Sharks and Panthers is set for 9:30 a.m. followed by the gold/silver medal game between the Ducks and Oilers at 11 a.m.
The playoffs have produced some exciting hockey thus far. The Sharks edged the Panthers 5-4 in game one, the Ducks shut out the Oilers 1-0 in game two, the Ducks and Sharks battled to a 0-0 tie in game three, the Oilers beat the Sharks 5-3 in game four, the Ducks beat the Panthers 7-2 in game five and the Oilers picked up a big 9-3 win over the Panthers in game sixth to secure a berth in the gold medal game.
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