The Greater Trail MHA U13 Tier 3 team got off to a great start at the provincial championships at the Trail Memorial Centre on the weekend.
The GTMHA Jr. Smokies improved to 3-and-0 as goalie Hudson Swankhuizen backstopped the home team to a 4-0 shutout victory over the Quesnel Thunder Sunday evening.
Trail opened the tournament with a convincing 6-0 win over Fort St. John Saturday morning, before skating to an 8-2 drubbing over the Cranbrook U13 Dynamiters in the evening match.
In Sunday`s game, Gage Kiselback scored twice including the game winner with 7:30 to play in the first period as Trail jumped out to a 1-0 lead. Kiselback then scored his sixth of the tournament on a power play at 16:45 of the middle frame to make it 2-0 Trail.
Swankhuizen made several huge saves to keep the Thunder off the scoreboard including a sprawling pad save off a deflection near the end of the match to preserve the shutout.
Easton Fowler made it 3-0, finding the puck on a scramble in front and backhanding by the Quesnel goalie at 9:03 of the third period.
Just over two minutes later, Trail forward Cole Hashimoto then drove down the right wing and snapped a shot top corner for the 4-0 final.
AT the U18 championship, Jake Maniago scored twice to lead the GTMHA Tier 3 Smokies to a 5-2 victory in its opening match against Fort St. John on Sunday.
The Trail U18 team continues the tournament in Campbell River with a game on Monday versus the South Delta Storm, before finishing the round robin against Peninsula Eagles on Tuesday at 8 a.m.
The U15 Trail team is in Osoyoos and kicked off their BC Tier 3 championship tournament on Monday against the Whitehorse U15 Mustangs but the score was unavailable at press time.
The U13 Jr. Smokies play Terrace Monday night (March 21) at 8:30 p.m.Trail plays again at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22 versus the Sunshine Coast to wrap up Pool play.
In other U13 games Sunday, South Okanagan defeated Castlegar 5-1, Sunshine Coast beat Terrace 8-1, Mission downed Powell River 15-1, Cranbrook edged Fort St. John 3-2, and Whitehorse improved to 2-and-0 with a 6-2 victory over Castlegar.
Games go all day at the Trail Memorial Centre, stop in and visit the Spud Shack and help support minor hockey.
