Seafair Bantam A1 Islanders have now turned their attention to Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association placement play after a sizzling start to their season.
The Islanders improved 3-2 in PCAHA action after back-to-back wins over Abbotsford (3-1) and Langley (1-0) this week. It’s a record that would likely be better had they had not come off to exhausting tournament runs in both their losses.
Seafair began its season by capturing Kelowna Minor Hockey’s Bantam Tier One Tournament, then prevailed again a week later at its own Icebreaker Tournament in dominating fashion.
The hosts rolled to six consecutive victories, including a 7-0 romp of Abbotsford in the championship game. The Islanders outscored their opponents 39-8 over the three days — surprising even their veteran head coach who has seen his share of elite teams over the years.
Russ Weber has not only enjoyed plenty of success with Seafair but guiding B.C. teams as well, including a gold medal run at the 2011 Canada Winter Games.
The only time his team was really pushed at the Icebreaker was in a 6-4 round-robin win over Semiahmoo — a game that was tied at 4-4 in the third period. The Islanders would double their friendly rivals again (6-3) in the semi-finals and promptly took care of everyone else.
“That did surprise me a little bit,” said Weber of his team’s dominance. “We just seemed to be hitting on all cylinders.”
The Islanders’ strength is in the back-end where their blueline features an outstanding group — that includes Noah Boroditsky, Joshua Wessels, Bradley Araki-Young, Carson Kostner, Vincent Thrum and Hayden Tuba. All but one are in their second-year at the Bantam rep level.
“It’s a fairly large defence where these kids are bigger than most (at this age level),” continued Weber. “They are also very mobile — really like the new millennial defenceman we are seeing that are quick and physical too.”
Seafair is also receiving excellent goaltending from first-year Bantams Ajeetpal Gundarah and Dylan Tsang — two of six rookies on the team. Gundarah recorded shutouts in both tournament finals — including a 1-0 victory over Prince George in Kelowna.
Upfront, the forwards include: Michael Abgrall, Jordan Si, Carson Bigras, Ryan Xu, Logan Nelson Van Lupien, Ethan Riesterer, Diego Montinola, Brice Kemp and Mattias Hohlweg.
Weber says the early season success can also be attributed to excellent team chemistry — something that never is a certainty. The majority of players attend two schools — McMath Secondary and Vancouver College.
The Islanders dropped a 3-0 decision to perennial powerhouse Burnaby Winter Club a day after the Icebreaker — an encouraging result given the circumstances, according to Weber. He is looking forward to visiting the North Shore Winter Club to see how his rested team stacks up against another juggernaut.
“There is no reason why this can’t be a final four team and we see what happens from there,” added Weber. “We need to be playing our best hockey then and be healthy too.”
