U18 Leafs capture bronze medal at BC Hockey Championships
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Nelson Leafs U18 Reps edged Powell River 3-2 in overtime to capture the bronze medal at the BC Hockey U18 Championships in Port Hardy.
The victory followed a heartbreaking 3-2 setback to Mission in semi-final action.
“The bronze medal game is the hardest to win at these kind of championships . . . (having to play) feeling defeated by the loss earlier in the day,” said Nelson coach Kyle Mace.
“(We) were down 2-0 with 7 minutes to go, (but) the boys decided they were not losing their last game together, the players took over,” Mace added.
“(We) tied the game up with 3 minutes left, setting the team up to win in overtime.”
Mace said the year began with some lofty goals of winning an OMAHA (Okanagan league) banner, winning the West Kootenay banner and bringing home a gold medal from the BC Championships in Port Hardy, BC.
“The boys completed 2 of the 3 goals, winning a Tier 2 OMAHA banner with a record of 13-2,” Mace explained.
“Playing a level up during the OMAHA season really prepared them for our West Kootenay play as well as Port Hardy.”
Mace said the U18 Leafs, which consists of players from both Nelson and Castlegar, also took home the West Kootenay banner, beating Trail U18 in the season series with a record of 3-2-1.
“Overall, an extremely successful season for all the players,” Mace said.
“Everyone became a better hockey player and person.”
The U18 Leafs consist of players Alexander Andersen, Ethan Bennett, Tristan Brunham, Marlo Derosa, Simon Forrester, Reid Gerrand, Jeffry Hanham, Tyson Hutt, Nathan Jackman, Nathan Medeiros, Nathan O’Brien, Levi Reynold, Beynon Smart, Brady Stocks, Xavier Tinholt, Koby Upper, Scott VanKoughnett, Hayden White, Ryen Batchelor and Connor Stainer; head coach Kyle Mace, assistant coach Craig Upper and Safety Mike Gerrand.
