The Jiffy Lube Bantam T1 Chiefs finished the regular season in first place and have earned a Division 2 banner for their efforts this season. The Chiefs finished the regular season with a 7-3-2 record, one point higher than their rivals in Campbell River and Juan de Fuca.
The Chiefs clinched the title last Sunday with a convincing 7-4 win over the Nanaimo Clippers at home. According to head coach Sean Toal, the team’s goal all along was to finish in first place. “When we were tiered in Division 2, we were intent on finishing in first, and our players really bought into the importance of our league games. It is such a tight division, our kids really had to perform well to win on any given day.” The seven-team division was so tight this year that only two teams had a losing record, and on any given day it was common to see a tie as the final score between any two teams.
The championship celebration will be short-lived as the team prepares for playoffs starting this Saturday against the Victoria Racquet Club, 4:45 p.m. at Sports Centre 1.
“It was great for our team to achieve this success, but now we have to put that behind us and focus on our goal to get to Provincials. To do that, we will have to beat the best teams on the Island,” said assistant coach Jordan Butcher. “We know that our players will work hard and compete over the next few weeks, and you never know what can happen,” added Butcher.
The Chiefs now enter a four-game round robin with Racquet Club, Nanaimo, Cowichan, and Juan de Fuca to determine which two teams will compete for the opportunity to go to the Provincial championships.
Your 2013-14 Division 2 champions are Bekham Willis, Caleb Doleman, James Garrett, Zach Roach, Matt Gambacorta, Ben Alexander, Matt Perry, Ty Henderson, Logan Cursley, Kolby Antonelli, Mac Christison, Ryan Novecovsky, Keenan Toal, Liam Cursley, Andre Sutter, and Blayre Paddock.
The Chiefs would also like to recognize Kolton Almgren, Mick Surgenor, Anton Cecic, Tezlan Heyer, and the APs from the B team who helped the team achieve this goal.
– Jiffy Lube Bantam A Chiefs