Morning Star Staff
The Nedco Gunslingers took over third place in the North Okanagan Midget Super Hockey League by tying the North Okanagan Knights 2-2 Sunday at Priest ValleyArena.
Eli Vlahos scored a beauty goal midway through the first period with a wrist shot from the point, five hole. Assist went to Tanner Franje-Gilbert
Winning the face off, Aaron Botterill rifled the puck back to Colton Schaper-Kotter who scored the equalizer late in the third with a blistering wrist shot from the blueline
Goalie Isaac Waldemaras and the Nedco defence had a great game as the Gunslingers moved one point ahead of the Knights.
The Gunslingers lost 9-4 to the Talon Benefits Thrashers Saturday night at PV,
Adam Roemer, still sporting a Mo-vember stash, scored four times for the Thrashers. Jadon Steinke collected a deuce, while Keefer Kaemp and Brendan Horsefield each earned 1+2 and Nick Poirier also scored.
Owen Cusveller and Gaman Niijar each produced two helpers.
D-man Nick Mann, on fire as of late, picked up his own rebound for a quick wrister, top shelf, early in the first, for the Gunslingers. Parker Wadsworth and Maguire Dickinson earned helpers.
Travis Aeichele and Dickinson, with picture perfect passes, set up Schaper-Kotter for the Gunslingers’ second goal. Late in the second period, Sean Howard dug out the puck directing a pass in heavy traffic to assistant captain Aaron Botterill, who tapped it in for the third goal.
A stretch pass from Botterill set up Wadsworth for a breakaway snipe, five-hole.
The first-place Corbett Office Kings returned from a long Christmas break to upend Salmon Arm Sting 4-0 in other Midget play Saturday at the Shaw Centre
Brett Lambert from Cole Benjamensen, combined for the winner. Jim Broadoway, from Mac Gilchrist and Noah de Balinhard, made it 2-0.
Reid Lawrence dangled hard to the net for the third goal, while Benjamensen finished the attack, from d-man Ryley Johnson.
Strong defensive play was turned in by Liam Hennig and Dakota Beckner. Ethan Huizinga and Noah Foufoulas shared the shutout.
The Vernon Interior Savings Lions ambushed the Knights 7-1 in Bantam league play Saturday in Enderby.
Sapian Joe scored 18 seconds in off a beautiful pass from Derek Pereboom. Less then 40 seconds later, Landen Harison buried a feed from Easton Rayner.
Ryan Vandersande converted midway through the first with a grogeous goal, assisted by Wyatt Gatzke to end the first.
Goalie Jarod Ross was superb as the Lions killed off a five-on-three penalty kill.
Tage Kineshanko took a heads-up, soft feed from Jacob Baycroft to make it 4-0 before the Knights connected.
Vandersande made it 5-1 on assists by linemate Elias Wery. Harison added his second of the game 37 seconds later to make it a 6-1 game at 15:07 as Maisun Ang-Hamilton shot it across the front of the net and Harison smacked it out of the air.
Baycroft broke up a play inside the Lions’ blueline with a poke check and Kineshanko cruised in and went forehand, backhand, high, with a second remaining.
The Lions stopped Salmon Arm 1-0 Sunday with Ross making several sensational saves for the shutout.
Kineshanko broke free and scored unassisted midway through the second period.
Baycroft, Wery, Vandersande and Keenon Jeberg played bold defence.
In Pee Wee play, the Butcher Boys Rebels shut down the host Winfield Bruins 5-0 Saturday.
A late first-period power play clicked for the Rebels as Quinn Soon wheeled into the high slot and sniped bar down.
Coming off a broken foot, Ephren Potter-Cramer returned to the lineup with hop in his step. Early in the second, he dipsy-doodled through the dee and delivered Vernon’s second with a dandy roof job. Next, Reilly Teager peeled off the right side boards and rifled a rising wrister past the goalie’s glove.
With seconds left in the frame, Ronan Bedard took a touch pass from Cole Grevatt, swept across the crease, and tucked a backhander in the open side.
In the third, Dawson Twamley spotted Grevatt in the slot, and he wasted no time burying the Rebels’ fifth.
Bryce Lauer showed his chops as a rushing d-man, while for the fourth straight league game, Jakob Aeichele and Kassidy Schaper-Kotter stopped every puck fired at them.
The Lumby Midget Female Stars opened the New Year by falling 4-3 to Merritt and 6-4 to Penticton in road action.
Morgan Holland got Lumby’s first goal in Merritt on an assist by Haylee Gosselin. Vanessa Yaremcio and Kalen Webster combined for the second goal.
Gosselin added an unassisted goal in the third period. Three stars were Taylor Cousins, Emily Romailler and Demi Williamson.
Yaremcio pulled the hat trick in Penticton with Josey Nerling adding a single. Three stars were Payton Kineshanko,Taylor Sexsmith and Yaremcio.
The Lumby Atom Stars shook off Christmas shortbread and butter tarts by dispatching host Salmon Arm 7-2 Saturday.
The Stars fed off some great early saves from James Wraight and finally got things started late in the first period on a cannon from Kyle Wheeler,.
Bryden Murray, on a coast to coaster, got things started in the second. Faith Seehaver was rock-solid on her side of the ice and continues to improve as a leader.
Coach Derek Murray credits his second-year players for showing great leadership to the first years.
“Offensively, Jace Catt and Jack Laventure have really stepped up their play this season. Those two guys have been working real hard and it’s starting to pay off.”
