Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Talon Benefits Thrashers built up a 2-0 lead at the ice clean and edged the Corbett Office Plus Kings 3-2 to win the North Okanagan Midget Super Hockey League regular season pennant by one point over the Kings.
Rowan Wood, Sam Frisby and Jaden Steinke, with the unassisted winner at 1:26 of the second period, supplied snipes for the Thrashers (16-1-1) Saturday night at Priest Valley Arena.
Cole Benjaminsen, on a deflection of a Liam Hennig slap shot, and Brett Lambert scored for the Kings (16-2). Garrett Adams took the win.
The Thrashers, who are coached by Scott Horsfield, Frank Kaempf and Curt Steinke, open the playoffs tonight (6:15) at Civic Arena against the Kings. The playoff champion advances to the Valley playdowns, March 4-6, in Ashcroft.
In other Midget play, the Lakeside Printing Sting outlasted the shortstaffed Vernon Authentic Plaque & Trophy Snakes 9-7 Saturday night at the Shaw Centre.
Riley Bos bagged 3+1 for the third-place Snakes, while singles came from Tyler Semeniuk, Cole Martin, Darnell Hauca and Talon Williams.
Dreams of an undefeated regular season for the Vernon Butcher Boys Rebels were dashed Sunday morning in Lumby.
The hometown 16-2 Stars, sponsored by Great West Equipment and Bannister GM, defeated the Rebels 3-1, handing Butcher Boys their only loss of the Pee Wee Super League regular season.
Defenceman Peter Romailler rushed the puck up ice for the Stars before dishing off to Tye Krause, who sniped the puck past the 16-1-1 Rebel goalie to open the scoring.
Ryder Quibell made it 2-0 seven minutes into the third period, and Kaleb Pachal scored a beauty 30 seconds later, assisted by Zachary Young and Linden Catt, to make it 3-0 Stars.
Reilly Teager spoiled Parker Stadnyk’s shutout bid with just nine seconds left to go in the game. Connor Cecchini and Morgan Martens picked up assists.
Winfield Bruins captured their first regular season Bantam Super League banner in the association’s history with a 6-4 win over the Vernon Interior Savings Lions Sunday.
Landen Harison intercepted a pass at 12:18 of the second period to tie the game at 1-1 for the visiting Lions (13-5).
After the ice clean, the 14-4 Bruins scored three straight goals, despite the great defensive play of Harison, Tanner Bueckert, Kennon Jeberg and Elias Wery, to go up 4-1 by the three-minute mark of the third period.
The Lions’ short bench refused to give up as offensive hustle from Maisun Ang-Hamilton, Caleb James, Jacob Baycroft, Easton Rayner, Tage Kineshanko, Derek Pereboom, Sapian Joe and Zach Manthorne provided many chances.
Ang-Hamilton got the Lions’ second goal at 11:14, and Kineshanko finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play from Wery and Harrison to make it 4-3. After the Bruins restored the two-goal lead, Kineshanko took the ensuing face-off and went through the defence to score a beauty at 4:07.
Marcel Green garnered his first hat trick of the season as the H&L Glass Vipers clipped the North Okanagan Knights 4-3 in Atom C Development play in Armstrong.
D-man Luke Walsh also scored for the Vipers, whose line of Green, Maguire Nicholson and Ryan Cox used their speed to dominate most shifts.
