Hockey fans came to the arena on Feb. 12 to show their support for the Bantam and Peewee Falcons hockey teams as they played their final home games of the season.
The Bantam Falcons played two games, both against the Palouse Bears of Palouse, Wash.
This was the first time all season these two teams have gone up against each other.
The Bantam Falcons came out strong and kept pressure up on the bears. It was clear the team have been practising very hard. The team passed the puck really well, taking some fantastic shots at the Bears’ net.
By the end of the first period neither team had scored a single goal. In fact, the game was halfway done before the Falcons scored the first goal of the game to rousing cheers and applause.
The team won their match with a score of 2-1.
Wayne Hascarl, head coach for the Bantam Falcons, thinks part of the reason the team is doing well is because of a bit of shuffling.
“I mixed it up a little bit, moved some positions around, gave some kids promotions, and cheered them on here and there,” he said. “Until the playoffs there’s nothing set in stone.”
The Bantam team’s second game of the day was a little different. The Bears had the advantage this time, scoring from the second period on.
The Falcons tried their hardest but the Bears won the match 4-1.
Though they lost, the team wasn’t disappointed, knowing their game has been getting a lot better.
“We did good,” said Kimberly Roberts. “After a while we picked out some good strategies for when we pass the puck and spread out more. We did better at the end of the season for sure.”
The Peewee Falcons also had a strong game in their match against the Kaslo Winterhawks.
Once again neither team scored at all during the first period, though there were some near goals.
The Winterhawks were the ones to break the 0-0 tie in the second period. Goal after goal was scored throughout the period, which ended 3-1 for the Winterhawks.
Though the Falcons lost the match 5-3, players were happy with how the season went.
“A lot of kids improved. Their skating got much better, and just everything.,” said Lucas Robins, Captain of the Peewee team. “There were a lot of good teams and good matches. Overall I think everyone had a pretty good season this year.”
Peewee coach Mike Smith agrees.
“It’s been a really good learning experience with having a young, new team,” he said. “I’ve really seen improvements in how they played. The young guys have really stepped up and fit right in with the rest of the older kids.”
Both the Bantam and Falcon teams will be going into the playoff games in two weeks. The Bantam team will be in Trail, where they will face either Trail or Grand Forks, while the Peewees will be in Nelson. It has yet to be determined who they will go up against.
