The Sun Valley Source For Sports Renegades split a pair of weekend Okanagan Mainline Bantam Tier 1 Hockey League home games with the Prince George Cougars as they warm up for their invitational tournament.
The Renegades stopped the Cougars 5-2 Sunday morning at Nor-Val Sports Centre in Armstrong after dropping the series opener, 4-2, Saturday night at Civic Arena.
Vernon got an early powerplay goal from Carson Richards on Sunday, the assist going to Cole Woodliffe. Prince George responded with two quick goals in the last six minutes of the first.
Richards, from Braydon McCarthy and Jagger Williamson, and Jeff Bochon, from Woodliffe, supplied powerplay goals in the second to put the Renegades ahead.
Woodliffe, from Jorden Dewing and Michael Lenoury, doubled the Vernon lead five minutes into the third on a shot from the point.
Fireworks erupted with nine minutes left. During a scrum in front of the Prince George goal, a number of fights broke out and Hayden Chase and Bochon were tossed along with two Cougars.
Richards, from McCarthy and Braden Gilowski, converted an empty-netter with 77 seconds to play. Louis Springer earned the win. Vernon took 26 minutes in penalties to Prince George’s 62.
In Game 1, the Cougars were up 2-0 early in the second before sniper Blaine Caton cut the lead in half on a nifty three-way passing play with Williamson and McCarthy.
Prince George responded minutes later on a Vernon giveaway to restore the two-goal advantage. McCarthy, from Williamson and Richards, scored 64 seconds into the third. The Renegades kept pressing and hit two goal posts. Prince George added an empty-netter with four seconds remaining.
Bryce Dyck was solid in net.
The Renegades host teams from High Prairie, Okotoks, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Surrey, Kamloops, Trail, Hollyburn (West Vancouver) and Ridge Meadows in their 10-team home tournament. Vernon battles Hollyburn Friday night (6:15) at Civic and then goes up against Ridge Meadows (10:15 a.m., Wesbild Centre) and Trail (6:15, Civic) Saturday.
Cougars clip Midget Vipers
In Midget Tier 1 play, the Home Building Vipers lost 3-0 and 8-2 to the host Prince George Coast Cougars.
The Cougars scored once in each period to take the series opener Saturday. Max Brown was stellar in the Vernon net.
On Sunday, the Cougars scored four goals in both the first and second periods before the Vipers managed to finally connect in the third on goals by Cody Hendrickson, from Patrick Dove and Trevor Pickett, and Logan Geefs, from Justin Mitchell.
Tips double Kelowna
The Salmon Arm Midget Tier 1 Female Silvertips stopped the visiting Kelowna Bantam Girls 6-3 Sunday at the Shaw Centre.
Sarah Botter opened the offence at 17:32 of the second period with the assist going to Vernon’s Summer Jespersen. On the same shift, Maddison Turner scored from Botter.
Lanny Houle of Vernon, Botter, from Jespersen, and Botter, with her hat trick snipe, put the Tips up 5-1. Kelowna replied with a pair before Vernon’s Jenna Lazar fired an empty-netter with 29 seconds left.
‘Stangs swamp Cougars
The Watkin Motors Mustangs downed the Prince George Cougars 5-3 in a physical Saturday game at Civic, sweeping the weekend Pee Wee Tier 1 series.
Brady Marzocco (2), Dean Whitcomb, Connor Johnston and Riley Swiscoski handled the Mustangs’ offence. Defenceman Powell Connor (2), Matthew Kowalski, Owen Beliveau, Reese Schroeder, Austin Caldwell and Grady Caton helped set up the goals in front of a solid Conor Webb.
The weary Mustangs then fell 5-1 to the Kamloops Jardine’s Blazers Sunday at Priest Valley Arena with Kowalski converting, from Reed Cashato and Ethan King.
“The boys battled hard this weekend, and really stood up for each other,” said Vernon head coach Jason Danbrook, whose crew heads to Prince George Thursday for one league game and the Cougars’ home tournament.
Pee Wee girls shine
The Sladen Moore Pee Wee Female Lakers gave Samantha Head a break and went with Courtney Graves in goal as they stopped host Penticton 8-1 Sunday morning.
Graves was solid and the Lakers got scoring from seven different players: Emily Clarke (2+1), Andie Kaneda (1+2), Cassidy Marshall, Amy-Rae Fox, Julia McCaig, Tylee Cooper and Makenna Southam. Head and Jordan Butler added assists.
On Saturday, the Lakers bowed 3-2 to first-place Kelowna while playing some of their best hockey of the season.
The Sladen Moore gang led 2-1 after the first period on goals from Clarke and Kaneda, from Jenna Fletcher. The Lakers held the lead with solid goaltending from Head, but Kelowna managed late goals by Dawson Porter nine seconds apart for the win.
Friday the 13th struck the Lakers hard as they lost 4-0 to the fifth-place Salmon Arm Atom Development crew. They were outshot 32-17 and happy to put the game behind them.
Wolfpack grounds Spitfires
In Atom Development action, the H&L Glass Vernon Wolfpack stuffed the Kamloops Spitfires 6-3 Saturday at Wesbild.
Ben King provided four goals for the Pack, while Eric Noren and Tysen Fairweather contributed singles. Rowan Miller (2), Lochlan O’Keefe, Tanner Wright and Kael Black earned assists in front of a stellar Kobe Grant, who was injured and gave way to Caden Colmorgen. Jaxxon Collard received the team hard hat award for his solid defensive effort.
The host Valley Wood Venom lost 7-1 to Kamloops and bowed 8-7 to Kelowna in other in Atom action.
Chase Batchelor scored for the Venom versus Kamloops at Wesbild, while Caden Danbrook (3), Gavin Fleck, Jacob Green, Lincoln Connor and Cameron Moger handled the Venom offence against Kelowna Sunday at Civic.
The North Okanagan Knights padded their lead in the Atom Tier 3 league with a 13-2 ambushing of the Penticton Jr. Vees.
Kord Haller, Mitchell Brown, Trevor Kennedy and Brett Harder each scored twice, while singles went to Nicholas Walker, Eli Dwyer, Alex Gilowski, Brett Zbytnuik and Scott Gilowski.
