Submitted by Michael Tollis
The Grand Forks Bantam Bruins are developing into a force to be reckoned with this hockey season, as they battled for three days in the Castlegar Bantam tournament Feb. 8 to 10. The other teams in the West Kootenay Minor Hockey Association took note of the Bruins’ tournament win in Nelson, believing it to be a fluke victory, but surely, they couldn’t do it again could they?
Friday night saw the Bruins taking on the second-place Trail Smokies who we winners of nine consecutive league games as they took to the ice. The often short-staffed Bruins suited up only 10 players, along with only two-thirds of the coaching staff. Though the Bruins are still working on their penalty-killing prowess, they have not perfected the art and suffered three powerplay goals against. They continued to battle and eventually cooked the Smokies with an 8-5 victory. Riley Menzies suffered a significant toe injury, but miraculously battled through it for the entire weekend – it doesn’t matter that it happened in warm-up does it?
Saturday morning pitted the Bruins against the Nakusp Falcons. Playing the Falcons guarantees that Michael and Amelia Driedger will be cranking up their game against their former team, and crank it they did. Michael was flying all over the ice, missing breakaway after breakaway, and Amelia battled her former teammates all game long with a smile on her face. The Bruins managed to stay out of penalty trouble, even Marcus Carnie, who is usually good for 6-10 minutes of penalties per game, and decisively dispatched the Falcons 10-1. Michael took home MVP honours against his former team.
Saturday afternoon’s game was against Salmon Arm, who sit first place in the North Super League for Bantam rec hockey and have one of the leading goal-scorers in that league on their top line. Playing the third game in just under 20 hours, the coaching staff thought the players might start to slow, but no such decline in play was seen, allowing the coaches to pat themselves on the back for their fitness training all year.
The line of Marcus Carnie, Joaquin Mattick, and Amelia Driedger finally woke up in this game and started producing, Marcus finding the back of the net six times with help from his linemates. Cam Bryant netted two short-handed goals. When the game was close, Joaquin Mattick took two consecutive shots off the shoulder, one of which turned the other way for a Marcus goal. Michael Driedger also sniped a beauty this game, ending his goalless drought, however, the breakaway drought continues. Bruins take it 10-7, placing them in second at the end of the round robin.
The two semi-final matchups had the top four teams in the tourney, and consequently the top tour of the West Kootenay Minor Hockey Association (WKMHA) squaring off. First place Trail 1 was set to play Trail 2, who sit second in the league but fourth in the tournament. The Bruins faced the Nelson Leafs at 7 a.m. Sunday morning, at the Pioneer arena, which is debatably an outdoor rink. Battling minor exhaustion and polar vortex-like rink temperatures, the Bruins, their dedicated parents, and coaches willed a swift victory to return to a place of warmth. With frozen toes but hot sticks, Marcus, Cam, Joaquin, and Zak Thomas all put the biscuit in the basket (to minimal fan applause – it was that cold), and though Nelson was able to muster three powerplay goals, the Bruins were victorious, winning 7-3 and sending Nelson packing.
Trail 1 had only two blemishes on their record this season, and both were at the hands of the Bruins in the Nelson tournament. The Smokies came out flying pouring the pressure on, Maddox Hampf standing tall in net. A couple of goals provided confidence for the battered and bruised Bruins, but once again, penalty trouble allowed two Trail powerplay goals. Cam Bryant crashed into the end boards, Gabe Savitskoff hit the ice hard, and the Bruins’ pace was starting to slow.
But, the Bruins back end stepped up. With three minutes to go, the Bruins defence, who had more playing time than any players in the tournament, were asked to save the game time and time again. With two minutes to go, potential catastrophe struck – Joaquin Mattick was thrown in the penalty box, putting the championship in the hands of the worst penalty killing team, possibly ever. Trail pulled their goalie for a 6-4 attack, and with the odds stacked against them, Coach Dale Bryant calls a timeout. For the 200th time, assistant coaches Mike Tollis and Terrance McDonnell went over the penalty kill positions, but all the team needed were two shots fired down the ice, and two huge saves from championship MVP Maddox Hampf to seal the victory.
The exhausted, wounded, but satisfied Bruins showed class throughout the tournament, receiving a great number of accolades from opponents and spectators. Every one of the 10 players contributed and the championship was a testament to the ability of teamwork to make the dream work. Congratulations Bruins – next stop, playoffs in Midway at the end of February.