The Summerland Midget Rep Jets sponsored by Nesters Market, took on the Sicamous Eagles in a three game series last weekend.
Game one saw the Jets travel to Sicamous for a Friday night tilt.
Showing some first round nerves the Jets found themselves trailing the Eagles 2-0 heading into the third period, and the score could have been much worse if not for the tremendous goaltending of rookie netminder Jared Breitkruz.
The Jets came out flying in the third period, and with 15:38 left, speedy Jets winger Seth Morgan went coast to coast and buried the puck between goalie Keyon Bittner’s legs for a shorthanded marker.
This goal gave the Jets some momentum, but with one minute left they still found themselves trailing 2-1.
Then with 37 seconds left and Breitkruz on the bench for an extra attacker, team captain Jordan Johnson tipped a Dakota Dean slapshot under the crossbar to tie the game at two each.
In the overtime, the Jets dominated play against a stunned Eagles squad and Chad Lemke proved to be the overtime hero coming off the wall, after a clean faceoff win by Clayton Fenrich deep in the Eagles zone, to bury the puck short side on Bittner.
The celebration was short lived as the Jets had to head home for game two the following afternoon.
Game two did not start well for the Jets as the Eagles scored a minute and a half into the opening contest.
A determined Jets goaltender, Tyler Lemke, then fended off a first period surge as the Eagles tried desperately to get back into the series.
Gabriel Girard and Evan Sorenson took the wind out of the Eagles sails with two goals two minutes apart midway through the first, which saw the Jets head to the locker room with a 2-1 lead.
In the second period the Eagles tied the game 2-2, but big winger Austin Warkentin restored the one goal advantage with a shot off the rush that hand cuffed Bittner.
The Eagles found themselves down two men late in the second and Jordan Johnson dealt them a huge blow scoring in a goalmouth scramble with one second left on the clock.
In the third period Spencer Miller gave the Jets a three goal lead five minutes in, which looked like it might give the Jets enough of a cushion to take the series until Sicamous responded with a goal of their own with 7:50 left on the clock to make it a two goal game once again.
Lynden Gove, 15, a slick centre with a scorer’s touch, sealed the deal with just over three minutes to play, burying the puck from the slot on a feed from Jacob Lusted.
Kevin Greenwood made sure the Eagles were done with a goal one minute later to secure the series for the Jets.
The Jets were forced to play the series with only four defensemen and they did a remarkable job. The “Four Horsemen” includes Dean, Sorenson, Anthony Hooey and Dawson Jenner.
The defence corps is hoping to see the return of Colton Ashton for the next series.
Not all the news was great for the Jets however, as they lost Seth Morgan for the remainder of the playoffs with a broken wrist as he was taken heavily into the end boards late in the second period.
The Jets will now meet South Okanagan in the league semi finals next weekend.
