The Scotia Bank Silvertips Bantam Tier 2 Rep Team defeated Dawson Creek 4-2 in a consolation final of the Prince George Cougars Bantam Rep tournament this past weekend.
Aaron Plessis, Jordan Campagnolo, Harley Bootsma and Evan Hughes scored for the Silvertips. The team received strong goaltending from Devon Blackmore and Ryan Freed who split the duties in the final game. Trent Thompson chipped in with two assists while Jason Herd, Matthew Dolinar and Tyler Chartier each added one in the victory.
The Silvertips advanced to the final with a 5-4 playoff win over Vanderhoof on Saturday night. Hughes led the offence with three goals, and singles going to Thompson and Plessis. Dolinar and Bootsma each added two assists with Ben Wardman and Jason Herd each picking up assists as well. Freed played a strong game in goal especially in the third period making 16 saves.
The team played the final two games with only two lines because of injuries. Huge praise goes out to the defensive group of Austin Anthony-Jules, Campagnolo, Noah Paterson, Cameron Watson and Herd who logged a ton of minutes over the weekend.
The Silvertips opened the tournament with a tough 4-3 loss to the Ft. St. John Flyers on Friday morning. Hughes scored two while Dolinar added a single with assists going to Bootsma, Chartier and Thompson.
That evening the Tips came out flat losing 7-1 to Williams Lake with Bootsma scoring the lone goal and assists going to Hughes and Dylan McBeth. The final round robin game saw the Silvertips outshoot the Terrace Kodiacs 41-20 but lose 8-4. Hughes scored two goals while Paterson and Wardman added singles. Campagnolo and Dolinar each added two assists with other helpers coming from Watson, Wardman and Anthony-Jules.
Tips tackle Kamloops
The A&W Peewee Tier 3 Silvertips geared up for next weekend’s playoff run as they played a pair of games versus Kamloops this past weekend.
The first game on Saturday saw Kamloops take a 2-0 lead into the second period, but Ethan Lans struck early in the second. Ty Bailey then hammered home a rebound late in the frame. Kamloops scored a pair to carry a 4-2 lead into the intermission.
Early in the third, Matt Campbell drove the net with a hard low shot and Connor Kociuba flipped in the rebound. A minute later, Bailey got his second of the game. Then Caden Sherman’s wicked top-corner wrist shot put the home team up by one. Unfortunately for Salmon Arm, Kamloops would get another, the game finishing in a 5-5 tie.
In the second game of the home-and-home series Sunday, the Tips spotted Kamloops a 3-0 lead. But Mason Balon ripped the puck past the Kamloops netminder short-handed, halfway through the opening frame. Two minutes later, Bailey jammed one in. Kamloops took a 4-2 lead late in the first. Number 19 Kociuba scored at the 19:19 mark of the second to get the Tips back within one, and then Campbell tied the game at 4.
Lans gave Salmon Arm their first lead a few minutes later; but Kamloops tied it up and then made it a 6-5 game. Goaltenders Cole Salewsky and Ben Bannister both had strong efforts.
