The 2013-14 hockey season began for the A&W Peewee Tier 3 hockey team last Saturday, as they faced off against Kelowna on the road. A solid effort from the home team still resulted in a 8-1 loss.
The Tier 3 Silvertips team consists of goaltenders Ben Bannister and Cole Salewski, forwards Dominic Barbosa, Henry Lenarduzzi, Caden Sherman, Ethan Lans, Ty Bailey, Damian Earl, Taylor Howard, Tyler Bushell and Mason Balon, and defencemen Matt Campbell, Blake McBeth, Deion Anthony-Jules, Madison DeWitt, Kai Fazan, and Connor Kociuba; Head coach is Mark Bannister, assistants are Mike Bailey and Pat Sherman, Rob Bushell is in charge of safety and manager is Ellie Campbell.
Sunday had the squad extending a not-so-warm welcome to West Kelowna at the Shaw Centre.
The ‘Tips fell behind by a two-spot before Dom Barbosa opened the scoring for the home team with just over seven minutes left in the first. Mason Balon shovelled it five-hole for the ’Tips’ second of the game, to tie it up three minutes into the second. Salmon Arm would take the lead a few minutes later on a wicked backhand from Taylor Howard, before the visitors would score a pair unanswered to put them back on top. West Kelowna would go up by two halfway through the final frame and when the ’Tips took a penalty with five minutes left, the game seemed out of reach.
A shorthanded top corner breakaway goal by Ethan Lans proved that the ’Tips still had some fight left in them, but unfortunately for the home fans, that would be as close as they’d come, with West Kelowna skating away with a 5-4 victory.
Asked how he felt about the game, Kociuba said, “Pretty good. We made some phenomenal plays when we moved the puck as a team.”
