The Aldergrove Bantam A1 Bruins returned home from Kelowna last weekend as Champions.
The Bruins got off to a slow start on Friday by dropping their first game 3-0 against a very strong Quesnel team.
Game 2 had the Bruins pitted against another strong competitor in the Kamloops Jr. Blazers. Aldergrove struggled in the second period to generate enough offence to stay close but they did battle back to a 7-4 loss (empty net goal) to leave them 0-2 early on in the tourney.
The next game saw the Bruins’ offensive power come to life, scoring 10 times against the host Kelowna Jr. Rockets team. The game ended 10-2 and left Aldergrove with a 1-2 record in round robin play.
Because of the crossover format, a six-team tournament, Aldergrove crossed over into the semifinals on Sunday morning and took control of the West Kelowna Warriors, winning the game convincingly with a 6-1 score, earning the Bruins a berth in the final against Quesnel.
With the train already rolling in the right direction, Aldergrove went on to beat the Quesnel Thunder 6-2 in the final and were crowned the Champions.
The Bruins team consists of Kallum Dierkhising, James "JC" Carter, Jonny Rees Jr., Josh Boelema, Travis Sharman, Jake McDonald, Jake Kristensen, Jordan Desrosiers, Dustin Hallberg, Liam Casey, Caleb Boelema, Zane Bouchard, Dayton Edwards, Bradley Taylor, Dawson Schwarz, Riley Jones, Dawson Ivison and Brian Chick.
The Bruins have two regular season tournaments remaining this year with one in Langley and the other in Portland, Oregon. The Bruins’ end goal is to earn a spot and compete in the Bantam A Provincials being hosted this March in Mission.
The Bruins’ team and staff would like to thank all of their families and friends for all of their support this season," said coach Lyall Sharman.