A stellar team-wide effort by the local Midget Tier 1 Braves forced a Game 3 Saturday in Comox to crown the Island champions.
Travelling to Comox Saturday, the Braves came out flat for Game 1 and despite out-shooting Comox Tier 1 Chiefs 26-18, the Braves dropped a 3-0 loss.
Faced with possible elimination on home ice, the local team of 15 to 17-year-olds, which includes players from Oak Bay, Saanich, Victoria and Esquimalt, rebounded to shut out the Chiefs 7-0 Sunday.
The Braves spread the scoring around, with six different players finding the back of the net.
While Saturday’s low-scoring tilt was still tied 0-0 after the first, Saanich’s Hayden Visscher opened the scoring early Sunday, getting the puck past Comox goalie Shane Lapp just 90 seconds into play.
First-year player Blake Bentham notched two for theBraves, with Oak Bay’s Jarod Timmins, and Saanich players Zach Guerra, Spencer Golden, Jarrod Lucoe rounding out the scoring.
Goalie Cam St. Pierre recorded the shutout in net.
The Braves, led by coach Ian Birnie, aim to claim the road win on Saturday in the best-of-three series for the Island title.
In addition to the championship, the winner earns a berth the provincial championships in Prince George March 20 to 23.
