The Greater Trail Minor Hockey Association (GTMHA) hosted it’s Pee Wee Tier 2 and Tier 3 tournament on the weekend that saw 10 teams play over 20 games at local arenas in Greater Trail.
In the Tier 2 division, Greater Trail beat Kimberley in its opening game 8-4 Friday before dropping a close 7-6 match to Salmon Arm on Saturday.
But the Tier 2 Pee Wee Smokies would bounce back with a 2-0 shutout win over Castlegar to finish the round robin with two wins and one loss.
The team then faced the undefeated Penticton Pee Wee Tier 2 Vees in the semifinal. The game ended up deadlocked 2-2 in regulation, and after a scoreless overtime period, Penticton would win it in a shootout and advance to the final match against the Boise Junior Steelheads out of Eagle, Idaho.
Penticton had beaten Boise 3-2 in the round robin but the Steelheads, who dispatched Salmon Arm 3-2 in the other semifinal, proved too much for a tired Vees team, winning 4-2 in the final.
The GTMHA Tier 3 team had a tough start going winless in the round robin, but the Pee Wee Smokies would turn it around and beat Creston 5-2 in the consolation final to take home a bronze medal.
Cranbrook, after squeaking by Trail 2-1, would go on to beat Elk Valley in the final in a shootout to win the Tier 3 tournament.
