Elias Wery pulled the hat trick as the Vernon Stevenson Mechanical Thunderbirds clipped host Lumby 7-6 in Sunday’s final of the Stars’ eight-team Pee Wee rec hockey tournament.
Wery recorded the natural hatty with two goals in the second period and the winner in the third. His linemates Jacob Wettlaufer (four assists) and Ryan Vandesande (1A) were highly effective.
Mike Pusey and Zachery Manthorne each scored once with strong support from linemate Wyatt Gatzke.
Landen Harison opened the T-Birds’ scoring at 3:55 of the first period, while defensive partner Brady Beacom made an end-to-end rush for a snipe over the left shoulder of Stars’ goalie Michael Preston in the second.
Jaden Foster and Isaac White rounded out a stingy back end in front of marvellous goaltending from Jared Ross and Jordan Foster.
Vernon coaches Paul Wery and Grandpa Joe O’Hearn noted “all 15 players showed up and played their little backsides off, and one injured player, Aidan Rivard, was there to root his team mates on.”
Tage Kineshanko (4) and Drew Mackenzie (2) replied for the Stars, who got two helpers from Morgan Holland. Josh Litven and Payton Kineshanko joined Tage Kineshanko as Lumby’s stars of the game.
Vernon stuffed the Langley Thunderbirds 9-3, outlasted the Kamloops Coyotes 7-5 and stopped the Kelowna Sharks 7-5 in their other games.
The Stars, sponsored by Kineshanko Logging and Green Velvet Lawn & Tree Care, doubled Vernon Bannister GM Heat 8-4, iced the Kelowna Avalanche 6-2 and zapped the Kamloops Rangers 8-3 to finish first overall in pool play.
Jacob Brewer bagged 2+1 as the Butcher Boys Raptors rattled Salmon Arm Askew’s Foods 6-1 Sunday at Civic Arena.
Nicolas Petty, Chase Batchelor, Sapien Joe and game MVP Aiden Skinner also supplied goals for the Raptors, who got one assist from first-time Atom call-up player Tyler Kruysifix.
Johnson digs up win for Excavators
In North Okanagan Midget Super League play, Eric Johnson scored with 14 seconds left as Blackburn Excavating of Salmon Arm shaded the Vernon Authentic Plaque & Trophy Autobots 5-4 Sunday in Sicamous.
Isaiah Wenger, Brock Wagner, Daniel Desjarlais and Lucas Mitchell replied for the Autobots.
The Talon Benefits Winterhawks bowed 6-3 to Salmon Arm Lakeside Printing Stars before bouncing the Winfield Bruins 5-4 in other Midget play.
Martin Grenier, assisted by Bryton Stead, opened the Winterhawk attack versus the Stars, followed by Brian Ferguson going roof daddy after a Stead feed. Defenceman Leland Riguedell recorded an end-to-end rush and buried a low hard shot.
The Winterhawks rolled into Winfield on Sunday with both teams looking for their first win of the regular season.
Captain Rowyn Lewis-Hatherley finished with 2+2, while Chris Pyle earned 1+2 and other goals came from Brennan Seltzer and Stead, with the winner after a great possession shift by Pyle and Parker Wadsworth.
Bold defensive play from Layk Petersen, Riguedell, Tyler Yule and Daniel Deshane boosted the Winterhawks, who got solid netminding from Corey Lehoux and Colton Annis all weekend.
Sharks cage Bulldogs
Newbie Brennan Schwark and Sean Howard each bagged deuces as the Corbett Office Plus Sharks stuffed the Five Star Awards Bulldogs 6-2 in Bantam action Saturday at Civic Arena.
Jake Pelletier and Nick Mitchell added singles for the first-place Sharks (6-0), who got solid netminding from Rhys Larsen and two assists apiece from Seb Wenger and Kevin Sullivan.
Kimberly Whitelaw and Darius Stone replied for the 4-2-1 Dawgs.
Sullivan and Schwark each supplied 3+2 and Reid Lawrence earned 2+1 as the Sharks sank Salmon Arm Fix Auto Lumberjacks 15-1 Sunday at Priest Valley Arena.
Mitchell, with 1+5, Brandon Lehoux, with 1+3, Teigan Derkach, Pelletier, Howard, Riley Bos and Tyson Sampert completed the offence. Wenger pocketed three helpers.
Bruins shade Marauders
A shorthanded breakaway goal by Reece Lepine with 51 seconds left gave the host Winfield Bruins a 6-5 win over the DCT Chambers Marauders in Bantam play Saturday afternoon.
Defenceman Mac Gilchrist, with his first of the year, Sam Frisby and Finn O’Keefe helped the Marauders erase a 1-0 Bruins lead with three straight second-period markers.
After Winfield rallied with four consecutive goals, the 3-2-1 truckers equalized midway through the third period with breakaway goals two minutes apart from Aaron Botterill and Cam MacKenzie.
Lakers draw Knights
The Vernon Summit Financial Lakers battled to a 5-5 tie with the North Okanagan Knights in Atom Super League play Sunday morning.
Robyn Alexis earned the gold jersey for her tough defence, while Mackenzie Miller (2), Emma Roine, Shelby Richard and Kristi Vassberg sparked the offence.
Kendra Grant and Josey Nerling each had an assist, while Emily Branter was solid in net.
