Morning Star Staff
The Stevenson Mechanical Bolts surprised the first-place Bannister GM Blazers 5-3 in the North Okanagan Pee Wee Super Hockey League playoffs Saturday.
The fourth-place Bolts and Blazers battled through 26 minutes of scoreless play before Bolt winger Ashton Pede poked in the first goal, after Jordyn Morris flipped a backhander on net.
The Bannister boys replied with two before the break, and added a third six minutes into the final frame at Civic Arena.
Two minutes later, Bolt d-man Levi Vanderdeen sent a stretch pass up the right side to Shaelyn Cecchini, whose shot was jammed in by a hard-charging Easton Rayner.
In short order, Sapion Joe attacked the Blazers’ net and Pede swept in the equalizer. With two and a half minutes left, Rayner created a turnover outside the Bannister line, and Joe swooped in and ripped the winning goal home off the post.
Eight seconds later, Morris banked in the insurance goal from the right corner. Ethan Keber backstopped the Bolts with 21 saves.
The Bolts fell 4-2 to the Salmon Arm Askew’s Foods Sunday at Hucul Pond.
The Bolts sputtered out of the gate, falling behind 2-0. Late in the first, Chris Bond buried a centering pass from Morris. Midway through the second, Bradley Halvorson and Bond quickly advanced the puck to Pede, who shifted past the last defender and snapped the equalizer top cheese.
Salmon Arm regained the lead in the final minute.
In other Pee Wee action, Chris Reinhardt scored twice as the Vernon Rebels bounced the Blazers 6-3 Sunday.
Alyssa Reilly, Liam Reid, Ephren Potter-Cramer and Ryan Vandesande also supplied snipes for the Rebels.
Askew’s outlasted the Rebels 8-5 Saturday with Nicolas Petty and Reinhardt each scoring twice.
Petty (2), Reid and Potter-Cramer had the snipes as the Rebels opened the playoffs by doubling the Bolts 4-2 Friday night. Goalies for the Rebels were Jakob Aeichele and Kassidy Schaper-Kotter.
The Bannister crew rebounded by downing Askew’s 3-1 Tuesday night in Sicamous.
Jayden Veit, on a rocket, Cody Beckner, after some nifty passing by Trevor Moore and Brenden James, and Tydon Louis, tallied for the Blazers in front of a spectacular Jared Ross.
The Pee Wee final goes Monday night, 7:45, at Civic.
The pennant-winning Authentic Plaque & Trophy Black Mambas will play in Sunday’s semifinals of the Midget playoffs after three straight wins.
The Mambas shaded the host Lumby Stars 5-4 Monday night with Isaiah Wenger recording the winner, from Tyler Semeniuk, with four minutes to play.
It was Wenger’s third snipe of the game. He opened the scoring on a sweet coast-to-coast rush and later connected after a saucer breakaway pass by Brennan Seltzer. Captain Liam Curran buried a howitzer from the point, assisted by Liam Semeniuk.
Connor Fair, Logan Meier, Jack O’Neill and Jarrett Miller answered for the fourth-place Stars, who led 4-2 after 40. Noah Foufoulas of the Stars and Colton Annis of the Mambas were both marvellous in net.
The Mambas zapped Lakeside Printing Sting of Salmon Arm 4-2 Sunday at Civic with Liam Semeniuk, Marcus Finn, Tyler Semeniuk and Wenger registering snipes. Curran counted two assists in support of a stellar Corey Lehoux.
The Trophy crew opened the post-season dance by toppling the Nedco Fellas 4-2 Saturday in Lumby.
Brett Lambert and Cole Martin gave the sixth-place Fellas an early 2-0 lead, but the Mambas recovered with two goals from Liam Semeniuk and singles from Wenger and Finn in front of a superb Annis.
In Midget B side play, the Corbett Office Plus Royals defeated the Vernon Seed Orchard Studs 5-3 and brushed by the North Okanagan Knights 7-4.
Adam Roemer (2+2), Keefer Kaempt, Austin Bosquet and Adam Sacht handled the Royals’ attack Sunday at PV Arena. Rowan Wood picked up two assists and Garrett Adams was brilliant in goal, making the save of the season.
Jaden Steinke and Roemer each rang up deuces as the Royals surprised the Knights Saturday at Nor-Val Sports Centre. Kaempf, Ryan Pelkey and Bosquet provided singles with Adam McIvor and Kaempf each getting two helpers.
The short-staffed Talon Benefits Snakes clipped the Fellas 5-3 Monday night at Civic.
Martin Grenier and Nikolai Negraiff each potted two goals for the Snakes, who got a single from Jeff Hiscoe. Brett Lambert, with two goals, including one on a penalty shot, and Riley Bos, replied for Nedco.
The Snakes, who lost five regulars for various reasons earlier this season, earlier lost 10-3 to Lumby and 4-3 to the Sting.
Jack O’Neill (3) asnd Cody Bauml (2) led Lumby to a home victory with Tim Ufimtseff (2) and Nikolai Negraiff replying for the Snakes Sunday.
Larsen, with a deuce, and Cole Adams supplied the Snake snipes Saturday in Salmon Arm.
The Midget final goes Monday, 5:45 p.m., at the Shaw Centre.
The Vernon Five Star Awards Cougars snuck into the top-four Bantam playoffs and are making serious noise after tying the banner-winning North Okanagan Knights 6-6 and then icing the DCT Chambers Coyotes 8-4 and doubling the Winfield Bruins 4-2.
League MVP Brady Beacom levelled the score against the Knights with 2:29 left Saturday in Armstrong, assisted by Aaron Jodoin. Dexter Weiten, with 1+2, Elias Wery, Chapperon (Shapshot) Chillihitzia, league Most Sportsmanlike Player Reid Lawrence and Talon Williams completed the offence. Bantam top goalie award winner Jordan Foster and Nicholas Maglio shared the netminding.
Eli Dwyer (2), Carter Hittinger, Nicholas Walker, Wesley Graves and Nicholas Walker replied for the Knights.
Lawrence and Weiten each netted deuces Sunday at Nor-Val against the Coyotes.
The Bantam final is Monday, 6 p.m., in Armstrong.
