Morning Star Staff
The Stevenson Mechanical Thunderbirds went through ecstasy and agony in the Vernon Pee Wee Rec Winter White Out Hockey Tournament last weekend.
Coaches Paul Wery and (Grandpa) Joe O’Hearn were impressed with the terrific team effort as the T-Birds won three games to reach the Sunday final, where they lost 8-4 to Mission at Civic Arena.
Superb netminding was turned in by Jordan Foster and his sidekick Jared Ross as the T-Birds erased a 3-1 deficit and stopped Mission 6-3 Saturday morning.
Elias Wery (2), Michael Pusey, Jacob Wettlaufer, Samuel White and Brayden Beacom supplied the offence with White selected game MVP.
The T-Birds punished Penticton 9-2 Saturday night with MVP Wettlaufer pocketing 3+2, Jaden Foster counting a deuce and singles going to Beacom, White, Wery and Ryan Vandesande. Landen Harison contributed three assists.
It was all Mission in the final as they took an early 3-0 lead before Wettlaufer responded as the first period ended.
Mission continued their up-tempo game and outscored the T-Birds 3-1 in the second period with Vandesande top-shelving a bullet over the right shoulder of the Mission goalie.
Harison and Wery matched Mission’s two third -period goals. Beacom, playing defence, was MVP.
Bronze medal for Butcher Boys
The Butcher Boys Raptors iced the Kamloops Honey Badgers 4-2 for the bronze medal.
Butcher Boys took an early lead on two goals from game MVP Maisun Ang-Hamilton and one from Carter Morris. Ang-Hamilton completed the hat trick in the second period before the Honey Badgers got on the board.
Goalies Caenen Wisse and Nicholas Maglio both posted half shutouts in the tournament as the Raptors tied West Kelowna 2-2 and upended Chilliwack 6-4 in Saturday play.
Chase Batchelor and Brayden Riguidel scored with Morris assisting both, against West Kelowna. MVP was defenceman Brady Szeman.
Nicolas Petty (2), Batchelor, game MVP Jacob Brewer, Szeman and an awesome slapshotfrom the point by defenceman Ethan Schiman, accounted for the offence versus Chilliwack, who led by four goals at one point.
Isaiah Wenger scored a beauty with 6:17 left as the Vernon Authentic Plaque & Trophy Autobots held off the Talon Benefits Winterhawks 5-4 in Midget Super League play Saturday night at Priest Valley Arena.
Brock Wagner (2), captain Liam Curran and Josh Lerbeck also scored for the Autobots, who got solid goaltending from Jared Larsen. It was 3-0 Bots after 20 minutes.
Parker Wadsworth, Brian Ferguson, captain Rowyn Lewis-Hathlerley and Darnell Hauca replied for the Winterhawks, who levelled the score with three unanswered tallies, two 17 seconds apart, in the third period. Colton Annis and Corey Lehoux shared the Hawks’ goaltending.
The Vernon Midget Rec Winter Classic opens today with all four local teams in action. The Autobots face South Okanagan at 4 p.m. (Civic), while the Winterhawks tangle with the Semiahmoo Ravens of White Rock at 6 p.m. (PV).
The Nedco Coyotes play Castlegar at 6:00 (Civic) and the Vernon Seed Orchard Snakes battle Chilliwack at 8:00 (Civic). The North Okanagan Knights meet the Kelowna Predators at 4 p.m. (PV).
The A final goes Sunday at 3 p.m., at Civic with the semis set for 7 and 9 a.m. (Civic).
In Bantam Super League action Sunday, the Interior Savings Giants shelled the Five Star Awards Cougars 8-2 at PV Arena.
Kimberly Whitelaw, assisted by Kaylan Lawrence, and Chris Moore, from Talon Williams, had the Cougar goals.
Novice Steelers unbeaten in Osoyoos
The Vernon Tim Hortons Steelers got three goals from Deagan McMillan and a deuce from Erik Pastro as they shocked the Kelowna Lightning 7-2 Sunday to finish the Osoyoos Novice Tournament at 3-0-1.
Austin Seibel and Bryson Helmer rounded out the Vernon attack.
Pastro pulled the hatty as the Steelers grounded the Kelowna Spartans 7-1. McMillan (2), Matthew Kuhnlein and Bryson Helmer also found the net, while Reilly Beer bagged two helpers. Riley Cormier, Conrad Halloran, Chase Hobenshield and Terry Johnson were bold on the back end in support of a stellar Seibel.
The Steelers smothered the West Kelowna Predators 16-0 with Seibel producing 3+2 and Kuhnlein earning the shutout.
Summitt Lakers go hard in loss
The Vernon Summit Financial Pee Wee/Atom Lakers lost 13-0 to Salmon Arm.
The Lakers’ defence played hard with Kristi Vassberg and Bailey Alexis turning in valiant efforts. Katelyne Andrew, Ivy Scott, and Sarah Claeys battled big-time up front.
