Seafair Islanders thrived on home ice to capture B.C. Hockey’s Pee Wee Tier 4 provincial championship.
The Islanders capped an unbeaten run with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Elk Valley on Thursday night at Minoru Arenas’ Silver Rink.
The hosts tied the game midway through the final period then got the winner from Payton Hinds with less than five minutes remaining. Maxim Ufimtsev scored twice for Seafair, while Riley Kiss had the other.
The Islanders had opened the championships with a decisive 10-5 victory over Pacific Coast rival North Shore Winter Club, avenging a loss in the final four playoffs. The locals then also toppled Prince George (11-1), Elk Valley (2-1) and Burns Lake (9-1), while battling Revelstoke to a 4-4 tie. Elk Valley’s only loss in the tournament was to Seafair.
The Islanders roster also features: Colin Johnson, Glenn Pearson, Sean Campbell, Conner Aitcheson, Scott Weber, Alexander Hodgkinson, Connal Lau, Cooper Duncan, Devin Gorski, Maxime Hu, Cameron Bell, Noah Rasiuk, Bryn Morgan and Kayden Kallu.
Meanwhile, Seafair never could recover from a tough start at the Pee Wee Tier 1 Provincial Championships at UBC’s Thunderbird Arena.
The Islanders opened the tournament with a 4-2 loss to Cranbrook then saw their title hopes all but evaporate in an 8-2 loss to rival and eventual provincial champion Burnaby Winter Club on Monday night. The game was tight until BWC exploded for five goals in the third period, avenging a 4-1 loss to Seafair in the Pacific Coast final four playoffs two weeks earlier.
The Islanders did manage wins over Prince George (12-0), Vancouver Thunderbirds (8-1), Kelowna (3-1) and Cowichan Valley (9-0).
At the Pee Wee Tier 3 Provincial Championships in Nelson, Seafair finished with a 2-2 record and out of medal contention. The locals opened with an 11-0 drubbing of Greater Trail, then dropped games to the Arbutus Club (4-3) and Victoria (6-2).
