This past weekend the Speers Construction Bantam Team defeated the Kelowna Rockets 6-3 to earn a spot in the 2012/13 Provincials in Dawson Creek, Mile 0 of the world famous Alaska Highway, March 16-22.
Revelstoke faced a strong opponent in the Okanagan finals, however, their compete level and will to win was too much for the Kelowna team to overcome. This is the first time this group of kids have reached the BC Championship and they were ecstatic after the final buzzer went off in front of a large boisterous crowd at the Rutland West Arena. Support for the Revelstoke team did not go unnoticed with family and friends from Revelstoke and the Okanagan Valley cheering the boys to victory.
This has been a remarkable year for the Bantam team whose success stems from their commitment on and off the ice. Family, school and supporting each other were the priorities for this team throughout the year with the overall goal winning a provincial championship. This recipe has worked for this group of players to date but they realize they have a lot of work ahead of them over the next 3 weeks. It should also be noted that this team was the least penalized during league and playoff competition.
The Provincial Championship Tournament will be an incredible experience. Representatives from each Zone of the Province will be participating in an attempt to bring home the Championship banner. At this time it’s not known who the teams will be but the coaching staff fully expect the opposition to be well prepared for competition.
Over the next two weeks, the bantam team will continue with their preparation on and off the ice, including fundraising throughout our community and abroad in an attempt to raise sufficient funds for their journey up north. The support has been tremendous to date but a final push will be in order to reach their fundraising goal.
The Revelstoke bantam team includes players from Sicamous and Revelstoke. This is the third time in recent years a bantam team from Revelstoke has received the approval from Sicamous Minor Hockey to support our local bantam program who have gone onto represent the Okanagan Zone in the Provincials. For those that travel the Sicamous – Revelstoke highway in the winter months, you’ll appreciate the commitment made from the parents of both associations.
The Speers Construction Bantam Grizzlies include: Brett Alm, Seth Bafaro, Keyon Bittner, Taylor deGroot, Brayden Fairly, Hayden Gjaltema, Peter Grimm, Jesse Olson, Josh Pilon, Mac Reynolds, Liam Sutherland, Nii Noi Tettah, Ullar Wiatzka, Jaden Williams, Raymond Speerbrecker.
