Morning Star Staff
North Okanagan Knights bowed 5-4 in a shootout to the Langley Eagles in Sunday’s final of the Vernon Nixon Wenger Pee Wee Vipers Tier 3 Thanksgiving Hockey Tournament at Civic Arena.
Undefeated in their pool during round-robin play, the Tier 4 Knights enjoyed 2-0 and 3-2 leads in the gold-medal game.
Dylan Huber scored both first-perod goals, Bryan Brew assisting on the early opener and Brett Zbytnuik and Kevin Thomas Walters setting up the second snipe.
The Eagles responded early in the second period, but Kord Haller, assisted by Brew and Michael Kormany, made it 3-1 before the Eagles answered.
Langley equalized early in the third but Haller put North Okanagan ahead with Bryan Brew and Easton Hunter earning helpers. Just minutes later, Langley levelled the score.
Neither team could convert in overtime and they went to a shootout. Caedon Bellmann was in the Knights’ net.
In Saturday morning preliminary play, the Knights brushed back the Chilliwack Bruins 5-3 with goals coming from Huber, Wesley Graves (assisted by Bellmann), Kormany, Griffin Evans and Haller. Bellman took the win.
Brandon Matvenko pulled the hat trick as the Knights doubled the Quesnel Thunder 10-5 Saturday afternoon.
Graves (2), Ryan Desilets, Alex Gilowski, Kormany, Hunter and Haller completed the offence in front of Thomas Burton.
The Tier 3 Jr. Vipers wrapped up their eight-team home tournament with a 6-4 victory over Quesnel Sunday morning.
Tysen Fairweather registered the hat trick, while Cole Johnson (2) and Kael Black also scored. both Lincoln Connor and call-up Quin Williamson chipped in with two assists each.
Vernon finished the tournament 3-1, losing 9-6 Saturday to the Nelson Leafs.
Fairweather, Johnson, Aiden Trottier, Tanner Wright and Connor Hansen supplied snipes.
Nixon Wenger clipped the Prince George Cougars 3-2 later Saturday with Fairweather, Johnson and Wright supplying the goals and Jacob Green, Ben Imrich and Williamson getting the assists. Goaltending duties were split between Tanner Witt and Dalton Stenberg.
The Coca Cola Vipers shaded the Salmon Arm Silvertips 4-3 in Midget Tier 2 play Sunday at the Shaw Centre.
The Snakes had a very successful fundraiser Saturday at Rona and the team spirit propelled them past the Silvertips in an exciting back and forth tilt.
Eamonn Miller opened the Viper scoring followed by Marcus Finn, both unassisted. Brenden Zupp pocketed the third from a Jack Pawsey pass. Pawsey collected the winner, assisted by Braden Gilowski, midway through the third.
The Sun Valley Source For Sports Bantam Vipers finished 4-1 at the Kelowna Bantam Tier 2 tournament, losing 1-0 to the Penticton Vees in Sunday afternoon’s final at Prospera Place.
Earlier that day, the Vipers brushed back Mission 3-2 in a semifinal shootout with Kieran Watts making some game-saving stops heading down the stretch, in overtime and the shootout, where he allowed just one goal.
Coleton Bilodeau and Kyle Sherwood scored in regulation time with assists from Owen Beliveau and Dylan Sedlacek. The winning shootout goal came from Connor Johnston.
The Jr Vipers went 3-0 in preliminary play, opening with a 7-0 ambush of Spokane with Reed Cashato providing the hat trick, Brady Marzocco adding 1+2 and singles also going to Bilodeau, Matt Kowalski and Kyle Sherwood. Conor Webb earned the shutout.
On Saturday, the Vipers took out Semiahmoo Totems of White Rock 6-0 with goals from Riley Swiscoski (2), Kowalski, Cashato, Dawson Chase and Marzocco. Watts posted the shutout.
The Source For Sports crew finished the round-robin by stopping Langley 8-3 on tallies from Stephane Richard (2+1), Johnston (1+2), Beliveau, Kowalski, Sherwood, Bilodeau and Jason Shaigec. Jack Pawsey earned two helpers.
In Atom Development C action, the H&L Glass Jr. Vipers lost 4-1 to Salmon Arm at Kal Tire Place.
Less than five minutes in, d-man Quinn Soon decided to take it to the net himself, capping an end-to-end rush by burying the puck stick side.
Salmon Arm answered back swiftly with a seeing-eye point shot, and then grabbed the lead less than a minute later off a rebound.
Late in the first, Salmon Arm took to the power play, but Vernon’s Emma Elders turned the tables, first teeing up Braden Schmiegelt for a glorious chance and then narrowly missing a shortie herself as she drove the net off a faceoff at Kal Tire Place.
Inspired penalty killing by Adam Bourgeois and goalie Jaret Cooper kept Salmon Arm at bay, but they capitalized just as their second man advantage of the second period expired.
Down 3-1, Elders waltzed through the Salmon Arm defense and rang one off the crossbar. In short order, a fortuitous bounce at the other end led to another Salmon Arm score. Dangling and dishing, Vipers’ Cash Anderson and Liam Leibel kept the defenders on their heels. Speedy de-menNick Noren and John Spraggs led forays.
Still, the Atom Vipers could not crack Salmon Arm’s defensive shell again. Braden Schmiegelt finished with a team-high six shots. For his heady game, played with huge heart, Noren took home the Hard Hat Award.
Tyler Semeniuk scored three times to lead the Interior Savings Flyers to a 5-3 win over the DCT Chambers Coyotes in North Okanagan Bantam Super League exhibition hockey action Saturday at the Priest Valley Arena.
Sean Reid scored the winner at 11:16 of the third period and added an assist, while Kaiden Parton had the other goal for the Flyers, who received stellar goaltending from starter Dylan Blazek and Garrett Adams in relief.
The Flyers led 3-0 at the break. Landon Currie had two unassisted goals and Josh Bridge had the other marker for the Coyotes, who were missing four regulars.
