It’s been a season of steady improvement for the 100 Mile House Tier 3 Mayvin Midget Reps and the focus now is to continue that uphill movement straight into the playoffs.
The playoff schedule is not yet determined but 100 Mile, Prince George and Quesnel will each be fighting for a single zone berth at the provincial championships in the Alberni Valley, March 17-21 .
Milers got a taste of the competition last weekend (Jan. 26-27) when they met with Quesnel Thunder on home ice at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre.
Quesnel took the victory in both showdowns, defeating the Milers 5-2 on Saturday, and shutting them out 11-0 on Sunday.
Coach Dustin Price says Saturday’s contest was an example of a good team game and he was happy with the way they played.
Ben Ryan got the Milers on the scoreboard early in the first period and it ended at 1-1 tie.
Evan Yano scored for the Milers in the second frame, which ended in a 2-2 tie.
Quesnel took over in the third period with three markers, while the Milers were unable to find their way to get the puck into the back of the Thunder’s net.
On Sunday, the Milers held Quesnel to only one goal in the first period, but scoring opened up for Thunder in the second, with five unanswered goals.
The third period saw an additional six goals for Quesnel.
Despite Sunday’s lop-sided score, Price says his squad played well considering both of their regular goalies were out due to injury. Winger/centre Brayden Sanford stepped up for the team, strapping on the goalie pads and tending net the best he could.
Price remains cautiously optimistic about their playoff chances.
“Hopefully, we’ll be on top of our game when the playoffs start.”
