The Quesnel & District Minor Hockey Association (QDMHA) hosted the second midget rep tournament Oct. 27-29 at West Fraser Centre.
The Quesnel Thunder’s first game against visitors Kitimat kicked off Friday evening at 7 p.m.
Going into the game, Quesnel’s Cameron Hender said his team was hyped for the game.
“We’ve never played Kitimat before but we have a pretty good team, chemistry wise.”
Kitimat came out strong, scoring three in the first period, but Quesnel’s team wasn’t discouraged, coming back to score four goals in period 2.
DJ Sauve scored the first goal, with Hender assisting; Michael Greenwood scored the team’s second goal, assisted by Kaden Merritt and Dyson Leneve; Sam Inwood scored the third goal; and Stefan Tipold scored the fourth goal of the period, assisted by Zachary Spencer and Mike Wright.
Kitimat managed to score one more in period 2, leaving the teams tied going into the final period, but Quesnel came out fighting, with Hender scoring the only goal of the period, assisted by Sauve and Merritt. The buzzer went with Quesnel up one, to win the game 5-4.
In game 7 on Saturday morning, Quesnel faced off against Dawson Creek, losing the game 2-0. Quesnel played a rough game, ending up in the penalty box six times to Dawson Creek’s one penalty.
Quesnel Thunder regained their footing in game 11, against Merritt. They beat their rivals 5-4 with all but one goal scored in the second period.
Hender, Spencer Dent and Jakob Drapeau scored one goal each, and Wright scored two, one in the 2nd and one in the 3rd period. Spencer, Tipold, Hender, Justin Salmons and Sauve assisted.
In game 13 on Sunday, Quesnel played Vancouver, losing 5-2 to their coastal rival. Salmons scored both goals for Quesnel, with Leneve and Wright assisting.
Finally in game 17, Quesnel Thunder played Merritt once again in the third-place decider.
Merritt took the game 5-1, with Quesnel’s players taking out their frustrations on the ice, ending up in the penalty box a whopping 20 times.
Tipold scored the only Quesnel goal of the game, assisted by Spencer and Greenwood.
The tournament is the second of the season, with the first played in Salmon Arm. Quesnel came fourth in the first tournament.
Quesnel Thunder assistant coach Josh Hunik said going into the weekend that Quesnel had not yet played most of the teams in attendance.
“We saw a few of these teams play in Salmon Arm, so we will hopefully do well.
“We give them the tools and it’s up to the boys to use them. This is our first tournament on Quesnel’s new rink, so hopefully we will have the home-team advantage.”
The final scores of the tournament left Prince George in first place, after beating Vancouver for the gold medal game in overtime.
Merritt came third after their game with Quesnel, which placed fourth.
Williams Lake, Dawson Creek, Terrace and Kitimat took places five to eight in the tournament.
The Quesnel midget rep team’s next tournament will take place Nov. 17-19 in Prince George.
