The girls West Kootenay Bantam Wildcats hockey team battled hard in the final of the Bantam House playoffs in Nelson on the weekend, only to come up short against a tough Castlegar team.
The Wildcats, made up of female hockey players ages 13-16 from around the West Kootenay region, made it to the final on the strength of a gripping semi-final win against Rossland-Trail.
But the team couldn’t solve the Castlegar goalie and after hitting a couple posts and a crossbar, came up on the wrong side of a close 2-0 decision.
The Wildcats dropped their first game of the tournament against Nakusp in an agonizing 1-0 match that saw Wildcat AP Kira Streliev score for Nakusp.
In the second game, the Cats regrouped and overpowered Nelson 4-1 with Jessica Harris picking up three assists and Trail’s Julie Sidoni, Paige Gattafoni, Stephanie McCauley and Merissa Dawson (Nelson) scoring for the Cats.
After dropping a 3-2 decision to Castlegar, the Wildcats won a thrilling 2-1 win in overtime over the league-leading Rossland-Trail side.
Emma Hare popped in the winning goal with just two seconds remaining on the clock to win the game in OT.
The Wildcats travel to Colwood on Vancouver Island Mar. 17-21 to play in the provincials. (see photo pg.10)
