For the fist time in sixteen years, a Salmon Arm bantam house hockey team has topped the regular season standings.
The honour goes to the Average Bears, coached by Steve Rodwell, Matt Campbell, and Ryan Freed, managed by JongAe DeRosa, and sponsored by Salmon Arm Audits & Safety Services.
Their first place standings spot came down to a final game that took place on Saturday, Feb. 16 against another of the Salmon Arm bantam teams. Despite being down by two goals at the half, the Bears never panicked. They fought their way back into the game with heart and determination, focusing only on giving their all each shift, and not on what a win or loss meant in the bigger picture.
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Goals were scored by several players, defending done by all, including surviving a third period 5-on-3 penalty kill. An empty net goal sealed the win late in the game, but the celebrations never really started until the final buzzer. Through the entire game each player contributed their individual skills to their best, and together played as a complete team to reach a common goal.
A 6-3 win in that game gave the Average Bears a final two-point lead in the standings over a very skilled team from Lumby. The win also meant that a new pennant has been awarded to the Average Bears, soon to be hoisted into the Shaw Centre rafters, along with an awesome trophy that now has one more plaque added to it.
The Average Bears are: Dex Wager (C), Jojo Jankowski (A), Joseph Jones (A), Finn Rodwell (A), Lucas Birkett, Tim Bolen, Leo DeRosa, Kurtis Einfeld, Sean Freed, Ben Gardner, Landon Lawrence, Ethan Pass, Linden Walters, Josiah Trentalance, and goalie Garrett Kelly.
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Submitted by Steve Rodwell
