Two of Penticton’s female hockey teams have a chance to win their first ever Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association championships.
The bantam Ice Dragons will try on Saturday when they host Lillooet at OHS at 12:15 p.m.
The Ice Dragons were doubled up 4-2 in Lillooet last weekend as only Hannah Lund and Morgan Brooks found the back of the net.
“The team played really well, but a few bad bounces went the home team’s way and not ours,” said Ice Dragons coach Bill Lund. “The effort level was second to none. Every player gave it their all.”
The Ice Dragons planned to work on their power play as Lillooet is the most penalized team.
“If we can get that going it will make a huge difference,” added Lund.
Meanwhile, the midget recreation Vees and Kelowna find themselves deadlocked at one in the OMAHA championship series. The Vees opened by taking the first game Saturday 1-0 with Sienna Gabriel scoring. In Game 2 Sunday, Kelowna topped the Vees 2-1, with Lena Madevon hitting the score sheet. Vees coach Shawn Black said Friday’s match at McLaren Arena at 6:45 p.m. should be exciting.
Midget rep Vees get bounced
A 4-0 loss to Kamloops has put a halt to the Vees playoffs until they return for the provincials, which Penticton hosts March 15-20. Coach Shawn Carter liked how his team competed and said goalie Faith Stark and their defence was solid.
“We just couldn’t generate enough offensively,” said Carter. “Something we will be working on leading up to provincials.”
Kamloops came out strong and scored in the opening minute, however, the Vees continued to compete and trailed 2-0 after two periods.
“Players were disappointed, but know we have the provincials to look forward to,” said Carter, adding that his team will play some exhibition games and practise twice a week to prepare for provincials.
Finals for Peerless midget Vees
The Penticton Peerless midget Vees advanced to the OMAHA Tier 2 finals with two convincing wins over the weekend. They entered trailing the best-of-three series with West Kelowna after losing the opener 3-2.
On Saturday, the Vees scored quickly, 30 seconds into the match and continued to push hard building a 5-0 lead before wrapping up a 6-1 decision. Alyck Coombes picked up the win in goal.
On Sunday, the Vees had another strong start, leading 3-0. West Kelowna cut it to a one-goal lead, but the Vees added three more for a 6-2 victory and will now face Kelowna. The series starts in Kelowna on Saturday, then comes to Penticton’s Memorial Arena Sunday at 11:15 a.m. The team is hoping to attract several fans to cheer them on, as well as support the Kaylee Kozari-Bowland Fund, a classmate battling cancer.All 50/50 proceeds from the game will be given to help Kozari-Bowland with her medical needs. As well, the team will be accepting straight donations from the fans for the fund.
