In an all-Vernon final, the Flyers doubled the Five Star Awards Chiefs 8-4 to collect gold at a Bantam house hockey tournament last weekend in Merritt.
In a fast-paced final, the Flyers got a four-goal outburst from speedy forward and Game MVP Landon Munk. Nikolai Negraiff netted two goals and singles came from Tyler McMillan and Brett Lambert. Dusty Beckner was solid in goal.
Donte Nowell, with a pair, and singles from Brandon deJong and Mac Gourdine, handled the Chiefs’ attack. Game MVP honours went to Alex Strutt and deJong.
Lambert supplied a deuce as the Flyers opened the tournament with a 6-1 win against Abbotsford. Singles came from Munk, Tim Ufimtseff, Jakob Marshall and Logan Imrich. Game MVP went to Beckner.
Vernon spread out the offence in an 11-7 pounding of Penticton.
Lambert (2), Munk, Negraiff, McMillan (Game MVP), Eamon Miller, Landon Ehnes, Layk Petersen and Julian Haynes scored in support of Corey Lehoux.
With a finals berth already clinched, Vernon came out a bit flat in a 6-3 loss to Clearwater. Munk, Marshall (Game MVP) and Negraiff handled the offence for the Flyers.
Coaches Curtis Petersen and Jonathan Miller credited the Flyers for their composure and teamwork throughout the tournament.
Pat Lawrence’s Chiefs iced West Kelowna 4-3 on goals by Ryan Pelkey, Cameron Hitch, Gourdine and Nowell in the first of three round-robin games.
Playing solid defence in front of Trey Spanier were Game MVP Daniel DeShane, Cole Adams, Carl Main, Pelkey and Hitch.
Nowell, Gourdine and Game MVP Lucas Williams each fired two goals as the Chiefs slammed the host Merritt Centennials 10-1.
Other offence came from Pelkey (1+3), Joseph Tronson, Hitch and Carl Main.
Spanier pocketed Game MVP as he backstopped Vernon to a 3-2 win over the Hope Wildcats.
Netting goals for the Chiefs were Pelkey, Williams and Gourdine, with the winner.
Vandale salvages draw for Sharks
In North Okanagan Bantam Super League action Saturday in Enderby, the Vernon Seed Orchard Sharks girls team battled the North Okanagan Knights to a thrilling 5-5 draw.
Siblings Molly and Jake Crandlemire faced off against each for the first time in league play. On the game’s first shift, Brooke Berube opened the scoring with the first of two goals on a great passing play by Cailee Bauml and Taylor Vandale.
Sharks’ Game MVP Bailey Berndt was sensational in net as the Knights dominated the first half, taking a 2-1 lead to the flood.
In the second half, Hannah Scherck scored a breakaway goal after a beautiful pass from Lexes Adams. Goals by Cailee Bauml, assisted by Chelsea McCaig, and Berube gave the Sharks a 4-2 lead with 12 minutes to play, but the Knights rallied to take the lead with a minute remaining.
With Berndt pulled for an extra attacker, Vandale buried the equalizer with 3.2 seconds left.
Stingy defence and a dump-and-chase attack is proving a winning recipe for the Lumby Stars (sponsored by Irly Bird Building Supplies), who earned a 5-0 win over the Winfield Bruins Sunday morning.
Returning from a broken hand, Keenan MacDonald led the Stars with a goal and assist.
Jayden Pederson, Kevin Fuller, Logan Meier and Shale Williamson notched singles. Zack Kuperus and Connor Fair chipped in singles.
Garrett Adams made 17 saves and Nick Mitchell scored both goals as the Stevenson Mechanical Blues bounced the Castlegar Saints 2-0 in Sunday’s D final of the 10-team Nelson Pee Wee Rec Tournament.
D-man Gaman Nijjar was the Blues’ game MVP with strong positional play. The Blues honoured fallen teammate Travis Aiechele by hanging his No. 7 jersey on the glass by their bench. Aiechele came down with a rare serious case of strepthroat Friday in Nelson and was rushed to hospital in Trail and later sent to B.C. Children’s Hospital, where his condition is being monitored.
The Blues opened by tying eventual finalist West Kelowna 5-5, getting two goals from game MVP Cody Webb. Mitchell, with 1+2, Braeden Cooper and Nicolas Poirier completed the Vernon offence. D-man Adam Raber earned two assists.
The Stevenson crew began play Saturday morning by losing 7-2 to the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. Cooper and Botterill provided the goals and Raber earned MVP for stellar second effort.
Vernon then tied the Nelson Stingrays 3-3 with Mitchell supplying the equalizer with 90 seconds remaining. Kaylan Lawrence and Braydie Allan also supplied goals, while captain Aaron Botterill bagged two helpers. Sean Howard, who did an amazing job penalty killing, took MVP.
Hickman turns Tropic trick
Five goals in the third period allowed the Vernon Authentic Plaque and Trophy Tropics to escape Winfield with a 6-6 tie Sunday in Midget Super League action.
Captain Russell Hickman led the offensive explosion with a hat trick and an assist while singles went to Brandon Tarasenko, Luc Mitchell and Brock Wagner.
In other Midget play, the Vernon Talon Benefits Ajax crushed Winfield #2 6-1 Friday at Civic Arena.
Goalie-turned-forward Tyler Yawney fired a goal and two assists, despite earning regular breaks in the penalty box. Other offence came from Brenden Zupp (2+1), Dustin Stasiuk (1+2), Aaron Keryluke and Lee Brodoway. Clay Coles recorded the win.
The Vernon Corbett Office Plus Cowboys started strong but faded in a 4-3 Midget loss to the Salmon Arm Blackburn Excavating SilverTips Sunday night at Civic.
Scoring for Cowboys in the first minute of play was Nik Wasylyk, assisted by Mitchell Lukacs and Brett Mitchell. The SilverTips replied with four unanswered goals before the ice clean.
Dustin Folliott, assisted by Nat Wilson, and Justin Ramsey, assisted by Ben James, brought the Cowboys within one, but Tips’ goalie Adel El Gazzar stood tall.
“It felt like we were up against Tim Thomas. Hats off to El Gazzar,” said Cowboy coach Dan Wilson.
Thunder tie Titans
In other Midget action, Chad Lindenbach scored with 74 seconds left as KT’s Restaurant Thunder tied the Nedco Titans 2-2 Sunday night at Priest Valley Arena.
Kyle Evans and Chevy Wiffen drew assists on Lindenbach’s equalizer. Brendan Squair also scored for the Thunder, while Yanik Fillion-Murphy and Chris Gallant supplied the Nedco goals.
Earlier, Thunder went 2-1-1 at the full-contact Seafair Midget tournament in Richmond.
With only nine skaters, the Thunder opened the tournament with a 6-3 win over Richmond. Liam MacPhee recorded a hat trick for Vernon, with other offence from Lindenbach (2+1) and Evans.
Just over an hour later, Vernon skated to a 4-4 draw with South Delta.
Despite goals by Adam Reczka and Evans, the Thunder found themselves down two going into the third period. Game MVP Brennan Martin scored twice to salvage the draw.
Game MVP Steven Goebel scored a powerplay buzzer-beater off a faceoff as Vernon shaded North Delta 4-3 to finish atop their pool.
Lindenbach had the lone goal as Vernon fell 4-1 to Semiahmoo in the semifinals.
