The Night of Champions returns to McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre on Wednesday, March 11.

Eight Kamloops Minor Hockey Association teams will compete for supremacy in their respective divisions.

The atom championship game gets underway at 5 p.m. on the NHL Rink. The Sandman Warriors will square off against the Sandman Bulldogs.

In the peewee title tilt, which begins at 5:30 p.m. on the Olympic ice, the Elks Lodge Hurricanes and Southgate Radiator Ice Hawks will vie for gold.

The KGHM Roc Pile and the KGHM Chiefs are set to compete for the midget banner on the Olympic Rink, with puck-drop slated for 7:45 p.m.

At 7:15 p.m., the bantam championship showdown will get underway on the NHL ice.

The semifinal games — the Mansini Steel Mean Machine vs. the Cap-It Truck Ware Pete’s and the Kamloops Titans vs. the Scotiabank Rangers — will be played tonight (March 9).

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The Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament will be sporting a new tournament format in 2016.

Organizers announced last week that, for the first time in the event’s 48-year history, KIBIHT will include a Premier Division next season.

The new division will have an eight-team slate, made up of hockey academies, winter clubs and other top-ranked minor hockey programs.

“There’s a lot of hockey academies and hockey schools coming up,” said tournament chairman Ted Kowalsky.
“Sometimes, they put together teams that aren’t competitive with some of the standard Tier 1 teams — they dominate.

“So what we felt we’d do is we’d put in a Premier Division, that would accommodate teams that felt they were very strong, overly competitive.”

The 2016 tournament is scheduled to run from Dec. 30 to Jan. 3.

In addition to the eight-team Premier Division, KIBIHT will include its usual Tier 1 and Tier 2 offerings, but with four fewer teams in Tier 1 — 12 instead of 16. Tier 2 will continue with its usual 16-team slate.

Kowalsky said the aim of the new format is to make the tournament more competitive for both premier and Tier 1 teams.

Organizers envision a full slate of elite clubs will make the tournament more competitive for teams in the Premier Division, while levelling the playing field in Tier 1, too, giving city-based minor hockey associations an opportunity to again thrive.

“See what happens is if you have strong Tier 1 teams, but they know they’re going to come here and maybe get hammered by a team that is stronger than they are, they won’t bother applying,” Kowalsky said.

In 2015, the top four teams in the Tier 1 division were academy teams — Penticton’s Okanagan Hockey Academy, Kelowna’s Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy, Calgary’s Edge Hockey School and the tournament champions, the Delta Hockey Academy Wild.

Kyle Allan, who was the coach of Kamloops’ Tier 1 team, the Kamloops Junior Blazers, in KIBIHT 2015, could see both pros and cons of the new arrangement when he spoke to KTW last week.

“I think it’s good for the tournament, as far as bringing that competitive balance,” he said. “Obviously, as we saw this year with the academies, they kind of dominated the show, right?

“If there’s a thing that I don’t like about it, it’s if you don’t have a really strong, competitive team from Kamloops, it kind of puts the Kamloops team on the back-burner . . . relegating them out of the top division.”

Allan said he worries excitement in the Tournament Capital might not be to the same level should Kamloops not be included in the tournament’s highest-calibre division.

He also noted, however, that he’s waiting to see the new format in action before drawing a final conclusion.

Were the new format to have been in place for the 2015 tournament, Allan said Kamloops would have been very competitive in Tier 1, but likely not a fit for the Premier Division. Knowing what he does about the upcoming class of bantams, he expects the situation to be similar for the 2016 tournament.

“Playing in that premier, elite division, we would have had a tough time,” Allan said of this year’s Blazers.

“Playing in that tier 1 division, now we’re a team that could have the potential to win.”

KIBIHT organizers will allow clubs to self-select the division they will play in, but will scout and monitor teams to ensure they make the correct selection.

Should a city-based minor hockey program feel it would be competitive in the Premier Division, there’s nothing restricting it from playing there.

Kowalsky said early feedback for the new format has been positive, with teams from Alberta, the Lower Mainland, the United States and Hungary having expressed interest in the 2016 tournament.

“Everybody likes it, because the way we’ve set it up, we’re not segregating,” Kowalsky said.

“So we’re not saying only academies or schools can go into that [Premier Division].”

The application process for the event opens on April 1, with the slate of teams to be finalized by Sept. 30.

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Dogs move on

The Bulldogs advanced to Night of Champions with a 7-2 victory over the Chill in atom recreation play on Saturday at Valleyview Arena.

Recording points for the Bulldogs were Alesandro Comita (4G), Gabe Wingerak (2G), Adam Whitehead (1G), Jeremy McInnis (1A), Owen Sutherland (1A), Ethan McNichol (1A), Colton Doyle (1A) and Rhys Wright (1A).

Kash Minion backstopped the Bulldogs.

Maddox Ramunno and Cooper McLeod notched goals for the Chill in support of netminder Gavin McLean.

Lakers advance

The Thompson Okanagan Lakers advanced to the second round of the playoffs on the weekend, eliminating the Vancouver Island Hurricanes with a 2-1 series victory.

The Lakers won 2-1 in overtime on Friday, March 6, and 1-0 in Game 3 on Sunday. They lost Saturday’s matchup 2-0.

Nikita Payne (1G), Andie Kaneda (1G), Ali Roine (1G), Riley Henderson (3A), Christy Blackburne (1A) and Makenna Hoffman (1A) had the points for the Lakers.

Emma Gottfriedson won Friday’s game, while Sydney Carter picked up the shutout victory on Sunday.

Up next, the Lakers will face the Northern Cougars, in Prince George, on March 14 and March 15.

The Cougars finished the regular season as the league’s best, going 25-3-2, while the Lakers finished the season with a 12-13-5 record.

Season over

The M8s placed third in the bantam recreation division at the Salmon Arm Shuswap Cup on the weekend.

Notching points for the M8s were Brennen Thur (9G, 2A), Cordell Davidson (9G, 2A), Nathan Thiessen (2G, 3A), Calum Carrigan (1G, 2A), Kylie Emsland (3A), Madison Ouelette (2A), Rhys Blundell (2A), Strider Williams (2A) and Austin Stanton (2A).

Joshua Harris backstopped the M8s.

Game MVP awards went to Emsland and Davidson.

Year-end awards went to Williams (most-dedicated), Adam Warman (most-improved) and Kylie Emsland (most-sportsmanlike).

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The Night of Champions returned to McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre on Wednesday, March 11. Eight Kamloops Minor Hockey Association recreation teams competed for supremacy in their respective divisions. Below are the results and a slideshow from KTW photographer Allen Douglas.

Shootout hero

Josh Campbell scored the shootout winner in the KGHM Chiefs’ 5-4 victory over the KGHM Roc Pile in the midget recreation final.

Tallying points for the Chiefs were Aidan Demers (1G), Javante Marchio (1G), Ty Fuoco (1G), Nathan Demers (1G), Dylan O’Grady (1A), Kyle Hutton (1A) and Campbell (1A).

Teagan Leslie and Kaleb Priestley spent time between the pipes for the Chiefs, with Priestley handling the shootout.
Notching points for the Roc Pile were Tyler Wightman (2G, 1A), Tristan Ernst (1G), Kyle Bergman (1G), Nick Dobrovolny (1A) and Ryan Wightman (1A).

Payton Schindel backstopped the Roc Pile.

Grade A Angus

Angus McQuillan-Gordon netted a hat trick and the Scotiabank Rangers doubled the Mansini Steel Mean Machine 4-2 in the bantam title tilt.

Also recording points for the winners in support of netminder Garrick Cassidy were Connor Hall (1G), Summit Krause (1A) and Nathan Fraser (1A).

Jayden Williams (1G), Ryan Anderson (1G), Colton Davoren (1A) and Evan Schmidt (1A) had points for the Mean Machine, who went with Birch Mierau and Michael Love between the pipes.

Birds soar

The Southgate Radiator Ice Hawks squeaked past the Elks Lodge #44 Hurricanes 4-3 in the peewee championship showdown.

Finding the scoresheet for the Ice Hawks were Adam Gordon (2G, 1A), Jordan English (1G), Ethan Gladdish (1G) and Michael Dagasso (1A).

Zane Rolfsen picked up the victory between the pipes.

Matthew Yon backstopped the Hurricanes, who had points from Matthiew Coxon (2G), Mitchell Coxon (1G) and Emmett Kulchyski (1A).

Off the leash
The Sandman Bulldogs were howling on Wednesday night after earning a 6-2 victory over the Sandman Warriors in the atom championship game.

Alesandro Comita (2G, 1A), Gabriel Wingerak (2G), Owen Sutherland (1G), Ethan McNichol (1G), Rhys Wright (1A), Bennett Reaney (1A), Jeremy McInnis (1A) and Kyle Woitas (1A) had points for the Bulldogs, who went with Kash Minion between the pipes.

Sam Benastick and Nathan Kennelly split time between the pipes for the Warriors, who had points from Jack Anderson (1G), Dreyden Bhe (1G), Tate Solomonson (1A) and Landon McGillis (1A).

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Kamloops played no small part in the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s performance at Canadian Sport School Hockey League championships on the weekend.

Facing off against the Yale Hockey Academy in the championship final of the Prep Division, OHA picked up points from Kamloops natives Brendan Semchuk (1G, 1A) and Max Patterson (1G), en route to a 6-0 victory.

Hayden Dick, a bantam draft selection of the Kamloops Blazers, also had a goal and an assist.

Kamloops defenceman Solomon Seibel was held off the scoresheet, but was also in the OHA lineup for the gold-medal-winning performance.

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The bantam tier 4 team from Kamloops finished its season with a tournament victory on the Lower Mainland.

Kamloops downed hometown Ridge Meadows 6-1 in the final, with Xavier Cannon and Ryan Reid sharing goaltending duties for the visitors.

Notching points on the weekend for Kamloops were Gavin Mattey (6G, 6A), John Black (5G, 4A), Zach Bachand (5G, 4A), Cody Turner (4G, 7A), Jacob Pilon (4G, 6A), Joshua Bishop (4G, 4A), Dakota Hoffman (3G, 4A), Jayden Russell (2G, 6A), Sage Pavlovich (2G, 5A), Russell Hassler (2G, 3A), Tyson Smith (1G, 2A), Thomas Wojak (1G, 2A), Keenan Dabels (2A), Dorian Billy (1A) and Garrett Jules (1A).

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The Kamloops Junior Blazers posted a 1-3-1 record at the tier 1 bantam hockey championship this week in Kelowna.

Burnaby Winter Club thumped Kamloops 8-1 today (March 18).

In its first game, Kamloops fell 3-2 to the Victoria Racquet Club (VRC) on March 15, before defeating host Kelowna 5-3.

Later in the week, Kamloops fell 5-2 to the North Shore Winter Club (NSWC) and tied Prince George 1-1.

The tournament wraps up tonight, with NSWC playing VRC in the gold-medal final.

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The atom Kamloops Cowboys posted five consecutive victories and placed first in the top tier at the Fred Chomo Memorial Hockey Tournament in Seattle.

In the gold-medal matchup, Kamloops posted a 5-3 victory over the Campbell River Tyees.

Mathew Ward and Zack Anderson each had a pair of goals, with Jacob Hufty adding a single.

Kamloops goaltenders Colton Day and Kolby Hay were solid between the pipes throughout the tournament.

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The Kamloops Grizzlies were victorious at the West Kelowna Midget House Hockey Tournament on the weekend.

Kamloops doubled the North Okanagan Knights 6-3 in the final.

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The 2007 Kamloops Ice Pirates spring hockey team earned silver at a tournament in Langley on the weekend.

Matthew Hufty scored Kamloops’ only goal in a 2-1 loss to the Abbotsford Heat in the championship game, with Jaxon Haukeness between the pipes for the Ice Pirates.

Kamloops cruised through the round-robin with four wins — 8-0 over the B.C. Selects of Richmond, 7-2 over the Vancouver Warriors, 5-2 over the B.C. Bolts of Langley and 4-2 over the Kootenay Avalanche.

Haukeness and Spencer Ridley split time between the pipes in the round-robin.

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The Kamloops Minor Hockey Association (KMHA) has received a $175,000 community gaming grant from the B.C. government.

The grant will help the association offset expenses such as ice rental costs, KMHA president Jon Pankuch said.

“Kamloops has the largest minor hockey association in B.C. with 1,399 players registered last season,” Pankuch said.

“Our mandate is to keep registration fees affordable for families so all children can play. Receiving the community gaming grant helps us accomplish this.”

Every year, the provincial government approves $135 million in gaming grants that benefit more than 5,000 local non-profit organizations that serve communities throughout B.C.

“Kamloops is synonymous with athletic excellence and this grant will help the tradition continue,” Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone said. “Minor hockey helps boys and girls pursue their dreams while instilling in them the benefits of life-long physical fitness, which is one of our government’s goals.”

Organizations interested in applying for community gaming grants can find information and applications at pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming.

“The Kamloops Minor Hockey Association is known far and wide as a first-class organization that has developed many NHL players but, more importantly, it has helped thousands of young people develop into exceptional adults,” Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Terry Lake said. “Our government is pleased to support the association with this grant.”

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Three-time Olympic gold medallist Gillian Apps took a break from hockey after the Sochi Games and her return to the national team is in doubt.

“Will I be playing next year in Kamloops? That is the million-dollar question,” said Apps, who is in town this week teaching the Future Stars Girls Ice Hockey Camp at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.

“I don’t know yet. I’m just trying to figure all that out in the next few months. I think it’s just about taking a little bit more time, finding out how my body feels and that sort of thing.”

Kamloops is the host city for the 2016 IIHF Women’s World Championship, which will run from March 28 to April 4 at McArthur and the Sandman Centre.

Apps did not play for the Canadian team that was beaten 7-5 by the U.S. in this year’s world championship final on April 4 in Malmo, Sweden.

The 31-year-old forward from North York, Ont., also missed out on Canada’s thrilling shootout victory over the Americans in the Four Nations Cup title tilt at Interior Savings Centre in November of 2014 — the third-consecutive come-from-behind 3-2 triumph for Canada in games against its neighbour to the south.

“The world championship is our big tournament every year in the non-Olympic years,” said Apps, gold medallist at Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014. “The competition is fierce.

“The Americans are very, very good and the other countries are coming up.”

Apps is the granddaughter of late Canadian sporting legend Syl Apps, who played with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1936 to 1948 — captaining the team from 1940 to 1942 — and was awarded the inaugural rookie-of-the-year Calder Trophy in 1937.

Syl’s athletic prowess was not limited to hockey. He won gold in pole vault at the 1934 British Empire Games and placed sixth at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

They might be fellow Olympians and share incredible sporting genes, but it appears Gillian and Syl had differing styles of play, at least when it comes to physicality.

The former Leaf posted no penalty minutes in the 1941-1942 season and was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy, given to those who display sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct, combined with a high standard of fair play.

There is no legal body checking in women’s hockey, but Apps has garnered a reputation for being an enforcer, especially among those in Stars and Stripes.

“Apps is not afraid to muck it up and get in your face and try and intimidate,” retired U.S. defenceman Angela Ruggiero told nbcsports.com. “When you get a ref that doesn’t take control of the game, Apps will take control of the game.”

During her tenure playing for the Brampton Thunder, Apps often led the Canadian Women’s Hockey League in penalty minutes.

Apps had 92 penalty minutes in the 2010-2011 campaign. The next-highest player had 52.

In March of 2012, Brampton hosted the Boston Blades and Apps, who is six feet tall and weighs 180 pounds, ran into diminutive American defenceman Caitlin Cahow, who ended up with a concussion.

Perhaps she takes more after her father, Syl Apps Jr., who compiled 311 penalty minutes in 727 NHL games.

“In my younger years, maybe I was [an enforcer] but, as I got older, I think I tamed out a little bit,” she said with a laugh.

“Some of our games have ended in a few penalties but, at the end of the day, it’s a great rivalry between Canada and the U.S. and there’s lots of respect there”

Apps will not attend a Team Canada training camp in September. She will likely have to decide on her future with the national team before the Four Nations Cup, which runs from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8 in Sweden.

Perhaps the prospect of one last world championship in front of a partisan crowd will be enough to bring her back to the Tournament Capital next year.

“It’s always exciting to be the host country,” Apps said. “We always have a great crowd.

“The Americans always come to play. If we take anything for granted, they’ll beat us.”

Learning with Apps

Kamloops Minor Hockey Association player Camryn Mitchell was among the 16 girls who are attending the Future Stars Camp this week.
She was all smiles during a break from on-ice sessions today.

“It’s been really cool getting to meet her and sharing some of her thoughts on how she got up to her level,” said Mitchell, a defenceman. “You can only get better from where you’re at.”

Mitchell attended two of Canada’s games at the 2014 Four Nations Cup.

“It was really fun to see how well the hockey was played,” she said. “It inspires the girls that they can be just as good as the boys can.”

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Brendan Hunchak led the way with three goals and an assist but it wasn’t enough as Kamloops Dearborn Ford fell to West Kelowna 5-4 in peewee tier 2 action on the weekend.

Carter Streek (1G, 1A) and Zakery Anderson (2A) also chipped in for Kamloops.

Midgets underway

KGHM’s Group 2 defeated Group 1 in midget recreation action on the weekend, opening the midget season for both clubs.

Jake Barron (2G), Pierce Huser (2G), Andrew Warner (1G, 1A), Tyson Jones (1G), Julia Sorenson (1G) , Cody Jones (3A), Brayden Jensen (1A) and Austin Stanton (1A) chipped in with points for the victors. J.T. Stahl took the win in net.

At the other end of the ice, Tyler Baker (3G), Jordan Devries (2G), Brendan Smith (1G), Riley White (3A), Lukas Meertens (1A) and Brayden Patterson (1A) hit the scoresheet. Ethan Herndier and Josh Harris split time in the crease.

Tier 1 Blazers drop opener

The bantam tier 1 Kamloops Junior Blazers fell 4-3 to Kelowna in Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association play on Saturday at Memorial Arena.

Josh Van Unen (1G, 1A), Connor Milburn (1G), Hunter Beckett (1G), Kaden Dempsey (2A) and Eric Bertuzzi (1A) had points for Kamloops.

The Blazers will be in Kelowna on the weekend for the annual Rockets Tournament.

Blazers claim tournament crown

The Kamloops Junior Blazers claimed gold at the Kelowna Rockets’ bantam tier 1 tournament on the weekend in the Little Apple.

Kamloops downed Seafair 5-2 in the championship game, which the Blazers advanced to by earning a 2-1 shootout victory over Kelowna in a semifinal tilt.

Kamloops posted a 2-1 record in round-robin play, opening with a 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Thunderbirds before posting wins over Prince George, 5-2, and Cloverdale, 3-2.

Recording points for the Blazers on the weekend were Hunter Beckett (4G, 1A), Hayden Fidanza (3G, 2A), Kaden Dempsey (2G),  Connor Milburn (1G, 2A), Brady Ross (1G, 2A), Alek Erichuk (1G, 2A), Brendon Gremaud (1G, 1A), Lachlin Tomm (1G, 1A), Brendan Kirschner (1G), Ben Ward (1G) Cole Howanic (5A) and Josh VanUnen (1A).

Kamloops also won the tournament in 2014.

Logan runs wild

Logan Stankoven lit the lamp seven times for the Kamloops Blazers in an 8-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets in peewee tier 1 play on Saturday at Memorial Arena.

Also reaching the scoresheet for the Blazers were Reagan Milburn (1G), Ashton Taylor (3A), Tristan Allen (3A) and Andrew Senger (1A).

Sam Begg was between the pipes for Kamloops, which is 2-0 in Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association play.

Lakers in tough

The female midget AAA Thompson Okanagan Lakers posted two losses and a tie in weekend play against the Greater Vancouver Comets in Surrey.

The Comets won 2-0 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday. The teams tied 2-2 on Sunday.

Kendra Woodland of Kamloops was between the pipes for Thompson on Friday and Sydney Carter of Kamloops took over on Saturday.

Next up for the Lakers are games against the Prince George Northern Capitals in Vernon on Friday and Saturday.

Kelowna prevails

Hometown West Kelowna downed the Kamloops Blazers 11-8 in atom development play on the weekend.

Notching points for the Blazers were Nolan Viesner (5G), Brady Milburn (3G), Cole Angstadt (1A), Jack Kennedy (1A), Hudson Clarke (1A) and Jaxson Vaughan (1A).

Vibe start with a bang

The Kamloops Vibe began the South Coast Female Amateur Hockey League season with three shutout wins in Surrey on the weekend.

Kamloops beat the Surrey Mavericks 6-0, the Fraser Valley Jets 2-0 and the Trinity Western University Titans 5-0.

Goaltender Ashley Fisher, who returned to the lineup after missing last season due to injury, was perfect between the pipes.

Finding the scoresheet on the weekend for the Vibe were Rochelle Smith (3G, 3A), Alyssa Reid (2G, 3A), Courtney Morice (2G, 1A), Elaine Topolnisky (2G), Gaylene Scott (1G, 2A), Jackie Sollis (1G, 2A), Emily Edmundson (1G, 1A), Cat Young (1G) Jenna Ormondy (3A) and Melissa Brunn (1A).

Lions loss

The Kamloops midget tier 1 Lions dropped their home opener against Kelowna on the weekend, falling 2-0.

Goaltender Ethan Langenegger went the distance between the pipes for the Lions but was unable to prop up the club as they were held off the scoresheet.

Tier 3 toppled

Century 21’s bantam tier 3 team opened league play with a loss and a tie this weekend, playing host to teams from Vernon and South Okanagan.

Kamloops held a 3-1 lead against Vernon on Saturday, but gave up three unanswered markers to fall behind 4-3. The club managed to add a late goal to draw even at 4-4.

On Sunday, Kamloops fell 5-3 to South Okanagan. After falling behind 5-1, the club battled back to make the score 5-3, but couldn’t draw even.

Isaac Elias backstopped both games for Century 21.

Lions triumphant

The North Kamloops Lions routed West Kelowna 10-3 in peewee tier 3 action on the weekend, buoyed by a three-goal performance from Parker Collins.

Collins also added an assist.

Justin Vinterlik (2G, 3A) Adam Gordon (2G, 1A) Levi Toye (2G, 1A) Bryce Bertuzzi (1G, 1A), Manny Recchi (3A), Kyle Sanford (2A), Josh Hamling (1A), Andon Rende (1A) and Kaleb Preymak (1A) all found the scoresheet in the lopsided victory. Brendan Smith took the win in goal.

On Sunday, three more goals from Toye helped the Lions secure a 5-5 tie against Winfield. Adam Gordon and Josh Hamling also added goals and Colton Day manned the crease.

Silver Blazers

The Top Quality Woodworks Blazers lost a heartbreaker on the weekend, falling 5-3 to Semihamoo in the North Shore Winter Club’s (NSWC) Thanksgiving Tournament. The peewee tier 1 club finished second.

The loss was one of two Kamloops suffered at the hands of Semihamoo, the other a 4-1 loss to end round-robin play. The Blazers picked up wins over Nanaimo, 10-3, NSWC, 8-4, Langley, 9-2, and Kelowna, 8-0.

Logan Stankoven (15G,13A), Reagan Milburn (7G, 4A), Ashton Taylor (6G, 8A), Ethan sanders (3G, 1A), Tristan Allen (2G, 4A), Carson Evoy (2G), Matt Ward (1G, 1A), Brandon Toye (1G, 1A), Tyson Galloway (1G, 1A), Andrew Senger (1G, 1A), Jakob Sherwood (7A), Devin Benson (1A), Jason Carroll (1A), Matthew Mariona (1A) and Owen Barrow (1A) hit the scoresheet for the Blazers throughout the tournament.

Jared Sucro and Sam Begg split goaltending duties, with Sucro backstopping the shutout against Kelowna.

Bantams in tough

The Kamloops Junior Blazers had a tough time finding the scoresheet in Chilliwack on the weekend, playing to a 0-3-1 record in four games at the Chilliwack International Tournament.

The bantam tier 1 club lost two round-robin games — 7-3 to host Chilliwack and 4-0 to Shawnigan Lake — and played to a 5-5 tie against Rocky Mountain House. Kamloops’ only playoff game resulted in a 5-0 loss to Calgary.

Hunter Beckett (2G, 1A), Jarrod Semchuk (2G), Ben Ward (2G), Alek Erichuk (1G, 2A), Connor Milburn (1G), Lachlan Tomm (2A), Gavin Mattey (2A), Brendan Kirschner (1A), Josh Van Unen (1A) and Eric Bertuzzi (1A) had the points for Kamloops, while Bailey Monteith and Xavier Cannon manned the crease.

The bantams will take to the ice against Prince George this weekend.

Midgets runners-up

The Thanksgiving weekend had a disappointing finish for the Kamloops Lions, who lost 3-1 to Prince George in the championship final of a midget tier 1 tournament.

Kamloops had played to a 2-2 record in round-robin play, losing to NEBC/Yukon 3-1 and Abbotsford 7-4, but scoring an 8-2 win over Okotoks and a 4-1 victory against the Okanagan Hockey Academy’s varsity team. The midgets also picked up a win against Ridge Meadows in a semi-final, 4-3.

Rylan Van Unen (4G, 4A), Mike Van Unen (3G, 4A), Brendan Roche (3G, 1A), Gabe Graham-Boyde (3G), Evan Vinterlik (2G, 3A), Garrett Kellington (2G, 2A), Zac Austin (2G), Nathan Weninger (1G), Xialen Watson (1G), Luke Recchi (1G), Tyson Gayfer (4A), Conan Poss (2A), Ryan Haveman (2A), Alex Johnson (2A), Lukas Duckworth (1A) and Chris Buchanan (1A) picked up points for Kamloops throughout the weekend.

Goaltender Ethan Langenegger received MVP honours in the championship final.

Cool Hand Luke

Luke Bateman led the way with two goals and three points in a 4-2 win for Kamloops Century 21 over the Kelowna Rockets in bantam tier 3 play on McArthur Island on Saturday.

Kamloops (1-1-1) also had points from Mason Balon (1G), Liam Kelly (1G), Jacob Proulx (1A), Ty Stokes (1A), Corson Nordick (1A), Haden Nordick (1A), Keagan Fletcher (1A) and Kobe Pavlovich (1A).

Riley McLean made 21 saves and picked up the win between the pipes.

Hat-trick hero

Parker Collins had a hat-trick and an assist for the peewee tier 2 North Kamloops Lions in a 10-3 victory over West Kelowna on Saturday.

Also finding the scoresheet were Justin Vinterlik (2G, 3A), Adam Gordon (2G, 1A), Levi Toye (2G, 1A), Bryce Bertuzzi (1G, 1A), Manny Recchi (3A), Kyle Sanford (2A), Josh Hamling (1A), Andon Rende (1A) and Kaleb Preymak (1A).

Brendan Smith was the winning netminder.

Toye netted three goals, with Hamling and Gordon adding singles, in a 5-5 tie with Winfield on Sunday.

Colton Day backstopped the Lions.

Carter comes through

Sydney Carter of Kamloops made 47 saves for the female midget AAA Thompson-Okanagan Lakers in a 2-1 victory over the Prince George Northern Capitals on Sunday.

Carter was also between the pipes against the Capitals on Friday. The game ended tied 2-2.

River City netminder Kendra Woodland was in net for Thompson-Okanagan against Prince George on Saturday. The Capitals won 1-0.

Mining victory

KGHM Team 1 topped KGHM Team 8 on the weekend, winning the midget recreation exhibition game 7-2.

Notching points for Team 1 were Skye Connors (2G), Jordan Devries (1G, 1A), Samm Perrin (1G, 2A), Wendell William (1G), Tyler Baker (1G, 2A), Carter Grice (1G, 2A), Lukas Meertens (2A) and Cordell Davidson (1A).

Joshua Harris was the winning goaltender.

Reaching the scoresheet for Team 8 were Reid Bentz (1G, 1A) and Mathew Erichuk (1G).

Colin Clark was between the pipes for Team 8.

Elks tie

The North Kamloops Elks and Kelowna tied 4-4 in midget tier 2 Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association play on Saturday in the Tournament Capital.

Nathan Weninger (2G), Keenan Gannon (1G, 2A), Jackson Marshall (1G, 1A) and Matthew Roche (1A) had points for North Kamloops in support of goaltender Gavin Fogarty, who stopped 36 shots.

Brady’s bunch

Brady Milburn kept scorekeepers busy at the Seafair Thanksgiving Tournament in Richmond on the weekend.

He had 15 goals and two assists in five games for the atom development Kamloops A1 Blazers, who topped Juan de Fuca 4-2 in the gold-medal game.

Also recording points for Kamloops on the weekend were Reggie Newman (4G, 2A), Nolan Viesner (2G, 2A), Jaxsin Vaughan (1G), Nicolas Leggett (1A) and Roman Wolynec (1A).

Evan Leggett and Luca Woehle split time between the pipes in the final.

Leggett, Woehle, Milburn, Viesner and Vaughan earned Game MVP awards.

Silver lining

The bantam tier 4 Kamloops Blazers placed second at the North Vancouver Thanksgiving Tournament on the weekend.

Chilliwack blanked Kamloops 3-0 in the gold-medal game on Monday.

Tallying points for the Blazers on the weekend were Zach Bachand (7G, 4A), Alex Rohrer (5G, 1A), Jaden Zunti (3G, 3A), Jameson Rende (3G, 1A), Josh Dimaulo (2G, 3A), Carter McLellan (2G, 2A), Xander Denis (2G, 1A), Josh Glover (1G, 5A), Ty Haywood-Farmer (1G, 1A), Connor Jensen (4A), Riley Gray (2A), Taylor Harnett (2A) and Tyler Fernie (1A).

Jon Rozek backstopped Kamloops in the final and split time with Ryan Dusseault throughout the tournament.

Earning the split

The Kamloops Dearborn Ford Blazers split a pair of tier 2 games on the weekend, falling 4-1 to West Kelowna on Saturday and doubling Penticton 4-2 on Sunday.

Notching points on the weekend for Kamloops were Payton Kelly (1G, 2A), Tyson Lampreau (1G, 1A), Jacob Vautour (1G, 1A), Jayden Russell (1G), Atrayu Johnny (1G), Thomas Wojak (1A) and Brennen Thur (1A).

The Blazers play on Sunday at Memorial Arena. Game time is 2:15 p.m.

Dogs bite

The Pitbulls downed the CIBC Wood Gundy Warriors 6-1 in peewee recreation play on Saturday at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.

Recording points for the Pitbulls in support of goaltender Zane Rolfsen were Max Card (2G), Josh Thom (1G), Bradly Boudreau (1G), Austin Rankin (1G), Olen Gelineau (1G, 1A) and Jordan English (2A).

Landon Mcgillis (1G) and Joseph Stankevich (1A) notched points for the Warriors, who went with Zachary Kohorst between the pipes.

Late winner

The atom development A1 Blazers scored a short-handed goal late in the third period to earn a 4-3 victory over West Kelowna on Saturday at Memorial Arena.

Finding the scoresheet for Kamloops were Brady Milburn (1G, 1A), Nolan Viesner (1G, 1A), Reggie Newman (1G), Jack Kennedy (1G) and Nic Leggett (1A).

Luca Woehle backstopped the Blazers.

Tourney champs

With a 6-5 victory over Vancouver in the gold-medal game, the atom development Western Roofing Blazers claimed the Surrey Hockey Minor Hockey Tournament title on the weekend.

Lian Gayfer, Daniel Ma, Sawyer Mynio, Evan Smith and Tano Torchia were among the key goal scorers in semifinal and final tilts.

Joey Galloway backstopped Kamloops in a 3-2 overtime victory over Cloverdale Jesse Sanche was in the winning goaltender in the final.

Hot Blazers

The peewee tier 1 Kamloops Blazers posted a pair of victories over hometown Abbotsford on the weekend, winning 7-4 on both Saturday and Sunday.

Recording points for the Blazers were Logan Stankoven (5G, 6A), Ashton Taylor (4G, 1A), Reagan Milburn (3G, 2A), Matt Mariona (2G), Jakob Sherwood (2A), Devin Benson (1A), Ethan Sanders (1A), Jason Carroll (1A), Tyson Galloway (1A) and Sam Begg (1A).

Begg was between the pipes for both wins.

Kamloops is hosting the Darcy Robinson Memorial Tournament, which runs from Friday to Sunday.

The Blazers open the tournament against the North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks on Friday, with game time set for 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Arena.

Kamloops is also in action today against the Alaska All Stars. Game time is 4:30 p.m. at Memorial.

Snipers take aim

The Snipers posted a loss and a tie in atom recreational play in Kamloops on the weekend.

Against Team 4, the Snipers fell 5-4, with Aaron Price (2G), Conner Underwood (1G), Anthony Salvati-Taylor (1G) and Sebastian Thomas (1A) notching points in a losing effort.

Ben Turvey backstopped the Snipers.

Jacob Hatch (2G, 1A), Kian Tweed (1G, 1A), Quinlan Newport (1G) and Cole Hanghofer (1G) found the scoresheet for Team 4, which went with Carter Gould between the pipes.

The Snipers and Vipers tied 8-8.

Price (3G), Thomas (2G, 1A), Luke Oill (2G) and Mason Alger (1G) had points for the Snipers in support of net minder Turvey.

Ryan Petrie (4G), Colton Meikle (2G) and Kaven Conroy (2G) scored for the Vipers in support of Jaxon Haywood.

Feel the vibe

The Kamloops Vibe posted a win and two ties in South Coast Amateur Female Hockey League play on the Lower Mainland on the weekend.

Kamloops blanked South Fraser TNT 1-0, tied 0-0 with the Richmond Devils and tied 2-2 with the Fraser Valley Jets.

Goaltender Ashley Fisher posted two shutouts for the Vibe, bringing her total to five after six games.

Tallying points on the weekend for the Vibe were Elaine Topolniski (1G, 1A), Jenna Ormondy (1G, 1A), Alyssa Reid (1G), Catriona Young (1A), Rochelle Smith (1A), Gaylene Scott (1A) and Jackie Sollis (1A).

Thrilling at Shoot to Thrill

Ryan Larsen gave fans their money’s worth at Summerland’s Shoot to Thrill Tournament on the weekend, tallying seven goals and six assists to lead Kamloops’ peewee tier 3 Blazers to a gold-medal finish.

Backstopped by the tandem of Kolby Hay and Kyle Proulx, the Blazers picked up five wins en route to victory. In round-robin play, the club defeated New Westminster 8-7, Penticton 4-2 and Summerland 4-2. In a semifinal, Kamloops again defeated Summerland, this time 6-1, before downing New Westminster 9-3 in another high-scoring affair.

Hay, Proulx, Larsen, Landon Coray, Grady Egeland and Ty Horner were given MVP honours throughout the weekend.

Snake pit

The Boston Pizza Vipers doubled up on the Bull Snakes in atom recreation action on the weekend, picking up a 6-3 victory.

Skylar Blattner (4G), Taliya Yamaoka (1G), Georgia Fry (1G), Elly Wilson (1G) and Carissa Price (1A) had the points for the Vipers, who went with Rowen Nagel between the pipes.

The Bull Snakes were led by Elijah Shaffi, who had a goal and an assist. Korbyn Tomlinson (1G), Benjamin Taylor (1G) and Nathan Willms (1A) also chipped in on the scoresheet.

Rough on the road

The North Kamloops Elks went 0-2 on the road in Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association League action, facing off against Castlegar and Trail.

Despite outshooting their opponents 87-50, Kamloops lost 6-3 against Castlegar and 5-3 against Trail.

Eric Marasco (2G), Breckin Erichuk (1G, 2A), Matthew Roche (1G, 1A), Jayden Davidson (1G), Tyler Bruins-Slot (1G), Trevis John (2A), Jackson Marshall (1A) and Kaden Moore (1A) found the scoresheet throughout the weekend.

Gavin Fogarty and Kaleb Virgo split time in the crease.

High scoring affairs

The North Kamloops Lions were involved in a pair of peewee tier 3 barn-burners on the weekend, taking on Merritt and Salmon Arm on the road.

Kamloops lost 10-2 to Merritt, but rebounded to beat Salmon Arm 7-1.

Parker Collins led the Lions to victory with a hat trick against Salmon Arm. Levi Toye (2G, 1A), Justin Vinterlik (2G, 1A), Stran Smith (1G, 1A), Adam Gordon (1G), Josh Hamling (2A), Jagger De La Gorgendiere (1A) and Maxwell Hinkson (1A) also picked up points throughout the weekend.

Colton Day and Brendan Smith shared goaltending duties on the road swing.

Winless no more

The Scotiabank Blazers picked up their first win of the season on the weekend, defeating 100 Mile House 7-2 in an atom development contest on Friday night.

Zack Denis (1G, 1A), Carson Sutherland (1G, 1A), Maddox Kinnee (1G), Ryan Finney (1G), Colton Canuel (1G), Nik Dimopoulos (1G), Chase Besse (1G),  Myes Walker (1A), Wyatt Gowans (1A) and Lorenzo Bennett (1A) tallied points in support of goaltender Kaiden Goddard.

In their second game of the weekend, the Blazers weren’t as fortunate, losing 5-2 to the North Okanagan Knights.

Denis, Walker, Bennett and Kinnee picked up points in the loss.

Split in Nelson

Kamloops Dearborn Ford split a weekend series on the road in Nelson, defeating the host club 8-5 before losing a Sunday rematch 5-1.

Garrett Martin (2G, 2A), Hudson Cameron (2G, 1A), Owen Haight (1G, 1A), Colton Yawned (1G), Brett MacDonald (1G), Evan Clark (1G), Carter Streek (1G), Brendan Hunchak (2A), Sam Lewis (1A) and Zakery Anderson (1A) hit the scoresheet for Kamloops.

In tough

The Kamloops Junior Blazers dropped a pair of games to Prince George on the weekend, falling 5-4 on Saturday and 5-3 on Sunday.

Notching points on the weekend for Kamloops were Gavin Mattey (1G, 2A), Eric Bertuzzi (1G, 1A), Josh Van Unen (1G, 1A), Kaden Dempsey (1G, 1A), Ben Ward (1G, 1A), Cole Howanec (1G), Hunter Beckett (1G), Josh Van Unen (1G), Alek Erichuk (2A), Aidan Sutter (1A) and Jarrod Semchuk (1A).

Bailey Monteith was between the pipes on Saturday and Xavier Cannon took over on Sunday.

Lakers too much for Rush

The Thompson-Okanagan Lakers scored three victories against the Fraser Valley Rush on the weekend, improving to 4-3-2 in Female Midget AAA action this season.

The Lakers won the trio of games in Vernon, topping the Rush 3-2 on Friday, 2-0 on Saturday and 3-0 on Sunday.

Jenna Fletcher (4G, 1A), Samantha Head (2G, 1A), Riley Burd (1G), Mairyn Tucker (1G), Kendall Fitzgerald (2A), Brenna Hannon (2A), Riley Henderson (1A), Christy Blackburne (1A) and Anna Morrish (1A) hit the scoresheet for the Lakers, who are now riding a four-game winning streak.

Kendra Woodland and Sydney Carter split the time in goal for Thompson-Okanagan, with each backstopping one of two shutouts on the weekend.

Crunching the Spartans

The Crunch pounded the Spartans 12-5 in weekend peewee recreation action, led by a dynamic effort from Mitchell Coxon.

Coxon topped the scoresheet with six goals and one assist on the night. He was supported by Matt Coxon (2G, 1A), Hudson Davoren (1G, 2A), Lynden Wymon (1G), Max Smith (1G), Douglas Pryor (1G) and Carson Howard-Johnson (1A).

Scoring for the Spartans was Kyle Woitas (1G, 1A), Issac Bean (1G), Jake Bean (1G), Issa Diaou (1G) and Keegan Leblanc (1G).

Kyian Praad took the goaltending victory for the Crunch, while Zack Kramer was in goal for the Spartans.

Rivalry night

Another one-goal game against Kelowna ended with the Kamloops Junior Blazers in the loss column, as the home team fell 3-2 to their Okanagan rival.

Bailey Monteith took the loss in goal, with Hunter Beckett (1G, 1A), Brady Ross (1G) and Brendan Kirschner (1A) recording the points.

Undefeated weekend

Kamloops’ Century 21 club picked up a win and two ties in bantam tier 3 action this weekend, skating to a victory against Clearwater and draws against Winfield and North Okanagan.

Friday’s game against Clearwater ended 10-3 in favour of Kamloops, after the club got out to an early lead. On Saturday, the Century 21s knotted the game at four, scoring a late third period goal. To cap off the weekend, the club took on a tier 3 North Okanagan team on Sunday, scoring the equalizer with 52 seconds remaining in the third period.

Nolan Virgo (3G, 4A),  Jacob Proulx (2G, 3A), Dakota Hoffman (2G, 3A), Liam Kelly (2G, 2A), Russell Hassler (2G), Kobe Pavlovich (1G, 2A), Keegan Fletcher (1G), Mason Balon (1G), Corson Nordick (1G), RJ Gerow (1G), Luke Bateman (1A), Ty Stokes (1A), Haden Nordick (1A) and Nolan Austin (1A) chipped in with points for the Kamloops club.

Blazers double up

The Dearborn Ford Kamloops Blazers topped Salmon Arm 4-2 in a bantam tier 2 matchup on the weekend, picking up the victory on the road.

Lane Gunerud (1G, 1A) and Zane Ferguson (1G, 1A) led the Blazers, who also had points from Thomas Wojak (1G), Spencer Vaughan (1G), Atrayu Johnny (1A) and Harrison Ewert (1A).

Even battle

The Ice Hawks and Warriors played to a 2-2 draw at the Sandman Centre on Sunday night, closing out a weekend of peewee recreational hockey action.

Max Angove led the way for the Ice Hawks, scoring twice, while Brayden Gouin, Bryton Jahn and Jack Gardener all chipped in with assists.

Meanwhile, Eathan Gremaud scored two goals for the Warriors, with Marissa Baldwin and Maddox Bochm drawing the assists.

Ryerson Palmer stood between the popes for the Ice hawks, while Dayton McManus and Zachary Kohorst shared the Warriors crease.

Golden Dusters

The Kamloops KGHM Dusters needed four wins to capture gold at a midget recreational tournament in Williams Lake on the weekend.

Kamloops topped three teams from Williams Lake en route to the final, which came against a club from Smithers.

Kamloops won the gold medal with a 4-2 victory in the championship game.

Chiefs on top

The Chiefs scored a narrow victory over Team 5 in bantam recreation action on the weekend, winning 4-3.

Jonah Seamerow, AJ McInnes, Jakob Bennett and Trystan Bahnsen all scored goals for the Chiefs, while Rylan McCaleb picked up the lone assist.

Meanwhile, Keaton Dell scored two goals for the Fives and Jakob Shedock added a single. Zachary Gilbert had two assists.

Hat-trick hero

Joseph Stankevich scored a hat-trick and and led the Warriors to a 7-5 victory over Team 2 in peewee recreation play at the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre on Saturday.

Also recording points for the Warriors were Micah Brownlee (2G), Ethan Gremaud (1G, 1A), Alexis Bishop (1G, 1A) and Landon McGillis (1A).

Finding the scoresheet for Team 2 were Austin Hammond (2G), Temeke Gottfeidsen (1G), Evan Kissack (1G), Stephen Pigeon (1G) and Reese Jones (1A).

Early exit

The Kamloops Century 21 bantam tier 3 team was ousted in the quarter-final round of a tournament hosted by the Quesnel Thunder on the weekend.

Prince George topped Kamloops 7-2 after posting a 1-2 record in round-robin play.

Reaching the scoresheet on the weekend for Kamloops were Dakota Hofmann (3G,1A), Nolan Virgo (3G), Jacob Proulx (2G, 2A), Keagan Fletcher (2G), Liam Kelly (2G), Kobe Pavlovich (1G), Corson Nordick (1G), RJ Gerow (1G), Dayton Barrow (1G), Ty Stokes (2A), Haden Nordick (1A), Mason Balon (1A) and Riley Mclean (1A).

Isaac Elias and Riley Mclean split goaltending duties.

Elks on top

The North Kamloops Elks doubled Trail 6-3 in Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association midget tier 2 play in Kamloops on Saturday.

Recording points for the Elks were Justin MacInnes (1G, 1A), Eric Marasco (1G), Kaden Moore (1G), Keenan Gannon (1G), Trevis John (1G), Preston Guerra-Ibbetson (1G), Breckin Erichuk (3A), Elias Wallace (1A) and Jackson Marshall (1A).

Gavin Fogarty made 21 saves between the pipes and secured the win.

Kamloops vs. Kelowna

Kamloops and hometown Kelowna tied 4-4 in midget tier 1 play on Saturday.

Tallying points for Kamloops were Nathan Weninger (1G, 1A), Luke Recchi  (1G), Evan Vinterlik (1G), Zialen Watson (1G), Rylan Van Unen (1A), Tyson Gayfer (1A), Brett Olstad (1A), Chris Buchanan (1A), Sam Fuoco  (1A) and Ryan Haveman (1A).

Dalton Johnston backstopped Kamloops.

Tight game

The Sandman Centre was the location for a hotly contested peewee recreation tilt on Sunday between the Pitbulls and Young Guns that ended tied 4-4.

Olen Gelineau (3G) and Max Card (1G) scored for the Pitbulls in support of goaltender Zane Rolfsen.

Jacob Bradley and Tyson Aspeslet took turns in the crease for the Young Guns, who had goals from Brady Pawlachuk (2G), Jacob Taylor (1G) and Hudson Doll (1G).

High-scoring affair

The Hurricanes edged the Colts 7-5 in bantam recreation play on Sunday at Brock Arena.

Notching points for the Hurricanes were Ethan Dicostanzo (2G, 1A), Carson Desmarias (2G), Jamie Daniels (1G, 1A), Ben Prokopetz (1G), Lucas Biro (1G), Jacob Haines (2A), Alex Adamson (1A) and Hayden Buttazzoni (1A).

Kalen Aujla was between the pipes for the Hurricanes.

Spencer Shyiak (3G), Jorden Zienowicz (1G, 1A), Jesse Kotami (1G) and Blair McLeod (1A) had points for the Colts, who went with Austin Johansen in net.

Winning it all

The peewee tier 1 Kamloops Blazers hosted and won the Darcy Robinson Memorial Tournament on the weekend.

Kamloops was undefeated, posting a 3-0 record in round-robin play before blanking Abbotsord 6-0 in the semifinals and thumping Langley 9-1 in the championship game.

Reaching the scoresheet on the weekend for Kamloops were Logan Stankoven (9G, 17A), Reagan Milburn (9G, 6A), Ashton Taylor (7G, 6A), Ethan Sanders (4G, 1A), Owen Barrow (4G,1A), Brandon Toye (3G), Tristan Allen (2G, 2A), Jakob Sherwood (1G, 6A),  Carson Evoy (1G, 2A), Tyson Galloway (1G), Jason Carroll (2A), Matt Ward (1A), Matt Mariona (1A), Devin Benson (1A) and Andrew Senger (1A).

Sam Begg backstopped Kamloops in the final and tier 2 call-up Evan Pascoe had a solid tournament.

High scoring affair

Team JUV tripled up on KGHM Team 3 in midget recreation action on Monday night, winning the McArthur Island contest 9-3.

Nick Britton (2G), Nathan Demers (1G), Josh Campbell (1G, 3A), Josh Huffman (2G, 1), Tyler Wightman (1G), Aidan Demers (1A), Josh Brace (3A) and Cody Ziola were among the goal scorers for JUV, who went with Kaleb Priestley between the pipes.

Team 3 was led by David Collins who scored a pair of goals. Tyson Koehl (1G), Evan Sonnleitner (1A) and Dawson Reid (1A) also hit the scoresheet. Reese Scneider and Austen Martin split time in goal.

Moss Giants tower over Chiefs

The KGHM Ajax Moss Giants scored a big win in midget recreation action against the KGHM Ajax Chiefs, winning the high-scoring affair 7-6.

Parker Matheson (2G, 1A), Reid Bentz (2G), Grady Whitmore (1G, 1A), Gavin Coxon (1G), Harrison Rosch (1G), Landon Weiss (2A), Ryland Davoren (1A), Tyson Lindsay (1A) and Colin Clarke (1A) hit the scoresheet for the Moss Giants. Colin Clarke and James Lamb shared the win in net.

Meanwhile, Carter Grice (1G, 2A), Cordell Davidson (1G), Samm Perrin (1G), Tyler Baker (1G), Wendell William (1G), Riley White (1G), Skye Connors (2A) and Jake Stanley (1A) picked up points for the Chiefs. Joshua Harris stood between the pipes.

Silver Blazers

Aldergrove trounced the atom development Kamloops Scotiabank Blazers 10-1 in the final of the Atom Harvest Classic in Vernon on Sunday.

In round-robin play, Kamloops fell 10-3 to Port Coquitlam and 14-1 to Semiahmoo before bouncing back with a 7-2 victory over Coquitlam.

Recording points for the Blazers on the weekend were Wyatt Gowans (5G), Garrett Johnson (2G, 1A), Chase Besse (1G, 1A), ,  Jacob Cupello (1G), Myles Walker (1G), Ryan Finney (2A), Maddox Kinnee (1A) and Colton Canuel (1A).

Kaiden Goddard and Eric Brock split time between the pipes.

Second best

Kelowna downed the atom development A1 Blazers 9-4 in the final of the Atom Harvest Classic Tournament in Vernon on Sunday.

The Blazers posted three wins in round-robin play — 6-2 over Aldergrove, 11-0 over Langley and 4-2 over Coquitlam.

Finding the scoresheet on the weekend for Kamloops were Brady Milburn (5G, 7A), Reggie Newman (4G, 3A), Nolan Viesner (4G, 1A), Roman Wolynec (3G, 1A), Logan Krug (2G 1A), Mathew MacDonald (2G 1A), Cole Angstadt (1G, 1A), Jacob Eichenberger (1G, 1A), Nicolas Leggett (1G, 1A),  Jobie Siemens (1G), Jack Kennedy (2A), Jaxsin Vaughn (2A) and Corbin Vaughn (1A).

Evan Leggett and Luca Woehle split time between the pipes.

Evan Leggett, Nicolas Leggett, Angstadt and Milburn earned game MVP awards

Golden bantams

The bantam tier 4 Kamloops Blazers captured gold at a tier 3 tournament in Salmon Arm on the weekend, playing to a 3-1-1 record.

The Blazers escaped the round-robin portion of the weekend with a 1-1-1 record, playing to a 4-3 loss against Vernon, a 2-2 tie against Castlegar and a 9-0 win over host Salmon Arm.

In the playoffs, Kamloops played to a 3-2 win over Revelstoke to set up a rematch against Vernon in the gold-medal game. Kamloops won the final 5-4 with goaltender Jon Rozek between the pipes.

Alex Rohrer (6G, 1A), Connor Jensen (5G, 3A), Carter McLellan (3G, 4A), Jameson Rende (2G, 6A), Xander Denis (2G, 1A), Zach Bachand (1G, 5A), Jayden Grant (1G, 2A), Ty Haywood-Farmer (1G, 1A), Josh Glover (1G, 1A), Josh Dimaulo (2A), Riley Gray (1A), Jaden Zunti (1A) and Taylor Harnett (1A) hit the scoresheet for the Blazers over the weekend.

Rozek and Ryan Dusseault shared time in the crease.

Vibe topple Titans

The Kamloops Vibe opened the home portion of the 2015-2016 South Coast Female Amateur Hockey League season with a pair of wins against the Trinity Western University Spartans on the weekend.

Kamloops won 5-0 and 5-1, directing more than 100 shots on goal over the two game span and improving to 6-0-2.

Kathleen McDonald led the way with three goals in the weekend’s action. Rochelle Smith (2G, 3A), Emily Edmundson (2G, 1A), Jenna Ormondy (2G), Melissa Brunn (1G), Elaine Topolniski (3A), Gaylene Scott (2A), Catriona Young (1A), Courtney Morice (1A) and Desiree Blair (1A) rounded out the scoring for the Vibe.

Ashley Fisher backstopped both victories. The Vibe goaltender has six shutouts in the season’s first eight games.

Wolves grab Rednecks

Keaton Dell took centre stage as the Wolves defeated the Rednecks 9-8 in bantam recreation action at Memorial Arena on the weekend.

Dell notched seven goals for the victors. Stuart Hollander (1G), Noah Halowski (1G), Giovanni Trotta (1A), Owen Pincott (1A) and Jordan Munegatto (1A) rounded out the scoring for the Wolves, who went with a tandem of Victor Church and Bryton Neufeld in the crease.

For the Rednecks, it was Sebastian Ouimet setting the pace with four goals on the night. Reed Watson (1G, 1A), Alex Viventi (1G), Liam Campbell (1G), Tyrell Eli (1G), Charlie Kinloch (5A), Jordan Swoboda (2A), Corbin Guenther (1A) and PJ Ouimet (1A) also hit the scoresheet in support of goaltenders Ryan Dussealt and Matthew Yon.

Tough tourney

Kamloops struggled in a weekend tournament in Kelowna, playing to a 1-3 record in midget tier 1 action.

Kamloops opened the tournament with an 8-2 loss to Prince George, then falling 2-0 to Ridge Meadows and 7-6 to Seafair. The weekend finale, a 6-4 victory over Semiahmoo, marked Kamloops’ only win.

Rylan Van Unen (3G, 1A), Mike Van Unen (3G, 1A), Brendan Roche (3G, 1A), Luke Recchi (2G, 2A), Gabe Graham-Boyde (1G, 1A), Garrett Kellington (1G), Brett Olstad (1G), Lukas Duckworth (2A), Chris Buchanan (1A), Ryan Haveman (1A), Zac Austin (1A), Zialen Watson (1A), Nathan Weninger (1A), Tyson Gayfer (1A) and Chris Buchanan (1A) tallied points over the weekend.

Dogs break loose

The Pit Bulls cruised to a 7-2 victory over Team 2 in peewee recreation play at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre on Saturday.

Olen Gelineau (4G, 1A), Max Card (1G), Bradly Boudreau (1G), Evan Humphrey (1G), Tyler Dhaliwal (1A) and Lochlan Scholefield (1A) had points for the Pit Bulls in support of goaltender Zane Rolfsen.

Austin Hammond and Evan Kissack had goals for Team 2, which went with Sam Benastick between the pipes.

Macleod Nine

Cooper Macleod notched six goals for the Kamloops Chill in an 8- victory over the Kamloops Bullsnakes 8-5 in atom recreation play at Memorial Arena on Saturday.

Also registering points for the Chill were Lily Macleod (1G), Nathanial Blais (1G), Josh Atamanchuk (2A), Max Ritchie (3A) and Ryder Corsi (1A).

Raine Dirkson backstopped the Chill.

Finding the scoresheet for the Bullsnakes were Cohen Drummond (2G), Avery Sargent (1G, 1A), Cameron Treichel (1G, 1A), Liam Cullen (1G), Ben Taylor (1A) and Elliot Branco (1A).

Abinar Sharma was between the pipes for the Bullsnakes.

Weekend sweep

The Century 21 tier 3 team from Kamloops posted a pair of weekend victories, topping West Kelowna 3-1 on Saturday and Winfield 2-1 on Sunday.

Jacob Proulx (2G), Dakota Hoffman (1G, 2A), Liam Kelly (1G), Mason Balon (1G), Haden Nordick (1A), Corson Nordick (1A) and Nolan Austin (1A) had points for Kamloops.

Riley McLean was in net on Saturday and Isaac Elias took over on Sunday.

Can’t win ’em all

The hometown Kamloops Dearborn Ford Blazers posted two losses and one win in bantam tier 2 play on the weekend.

Pursuit of Excellence of Kelowna edged the Blazers 6-4 on Friday and Trail topped Kamloops 2-1 on Saturday, but the home team bounced back with a 5-3 victory over Trail on Sunday.

Recording points for the Blazers on the weekend were Tyson Lampreau (3G, 1A), Jayden Russell (2G), Spencer Vaughan (1G, 2A), Harrison Ewert (1G, 1A), Peyton Kelly (1G), Jacob Vautour (1G), Zane Ferguson (1G)Thomas Wojak (2A), Josh Bishop (1A), Cole Senum (1A), Atrayu Johnny (1A), Carter Adams (1A) and Brennan Thur (1A).

Taylor Kaban and Adam Niles split time between the pipes.

Big win

Matthiew Coxon had four goals and six points for the Crunch in a 9-0 victory over Team 5 in peewee recreation play on the weekend.

Dylan Cruickshank posted the shutout, with points coming from Lynden Wymon (2G), Max Smith (1G, 1A), Nick Hill (1G, 1A), Mathew Pryor (1G), Maguire Williams (1A), Brayden Dichrow (1A), Liam Hazlewood (1A), Hudson Davoren (1A) and Blake Jahnke (1A).

Weekend split

The peewee tier 3 Kamloops Blazers split a pair of weekend games, falling 6-5 to Summerland on McArthur Island on Saturday and doubling Winfield 6-3 at Brock Arena on Sunday.

Scoring goals on the weekend for Kamloops were Jacob Hufty (3G), Landon Corey (2G), Sam Pittendreigh (2G), Ryan Larsen (2G) and Ty Horner (2G).

Kyle Proulx was between the pipes on Saturday and Kolby Hay was in net on Sunday.

Snipers on target

The Snipers topped the Bulls 9-1 in atom recreation play on Sunday at McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre.

Recording points for the Snipers were Aaron Price (6G, 1A), Conner Underwood (1G), Jeremy Yates (1G), Santiago Jamieson (1G) and Luke Doll (2A).

Ben Turvey was the winning net minder.

AJ Killam scored for the Bulls, who went with Cole Trenholm and Cylas Morgan between the pipes.

Colts win

The Colts edged the Big O Tire Chiefs 6-4 in bantam recreation play on Sunday.

Notching points for the Colts were Michael Hutchison (2G, 1A), Spencer Shyiak (1G, 1A), Brooke Cave (1G),  Jorden Zranowicz (1G), Jesse Kotami (1G),  Jackson Diehl (1A),  Domonico Comita (1A) and Arjan Brar (1A).

Reaching the scoresheet for the Chiefs were Lief Martin (2G),  AJ McInnis (1G), Jonah Saemerow (1G) and Mason Swanton (1A).

Remembrance Day silver

Kamloops’ A1 atom development team finished just short of gold in the Remembrance Day Classic in Kamloops on the weekend, losing 6-4 in the championship final against visiting Langley.

Kamloops also lost its final round-robin contest to Langley, 5-2, but managed a 7-5 victory against Vernon, a 7-4 victory over Abbotsford and a 4-2 win in a game against Kelowna. In its semifinal, Kamloops beat Cloverdale 3-2 in overtime, with Reggie Newman playing the hero.

Brady Milburn (8G, 1A), Nolan Viesner (6G, 4A), Newman (5G, 4A), Owen Aura (3G, 1A) Nicolas Leggett (2G, 3A), Cole Angstadt (1G, 1A) , Logan Krug (1G, 1A), Matthew MacDonald (1G), Hudson Clarke (2A) and Jack Kennedy (1A) tallied points throughout the weekend.

Evan Leggett and Luca Woehle shared time between the pipes throughout the tournament.

Knights ditch Dusters

The KGHM Knights landed a 6-4 victory in midget recreation action against the Dusters last week at Brock Arena, led by a three-goal effort from David Collins.

Pacific Thompson (1G, 2A), Puneet Parihar (1G), Joel Crawford (1G), Dawson Reid (2A) and Brett Steptoe (2A) rounded out the scoring for the Knights, who went with Reece Schneider and Austen Martin in net.

Meanwhile, the Dusters were led by Mark Takeuchi, who scored twice. Keegan Ludwig-Konrad (1A) and Grayden Baker (1A) were also among the scorers. Ethan Herndier and McKenzie Povoas manned the crease.

Winning Warriors

The Warriors downed Team 3 by a score of 4-3 in peewee recreation action on the weekend.

Ethan Gremaud (2G), Landon Mcgillis (1G), Conlin Erichuk (1G), Micah Brownlee (1A) and Jed Smallman (1A) picked up the points for the Warriors, who went with Zachary Kohorst between the pipes.

Keil Schriml, Dreyden Bhe and Justin Smalles each had a goal for Team 3, while Damon Foidart (2A) and Spencer Thomas (1A) also found the scoresheet in support of goaltender Kiran Ramsay.

Crunch crush Preds

The Crunch doubled the Predators in peewee recreation action on the weekend, winning 6-3.

Matthiew Coxon (3G, 1A), Mitchell Coxon (2G), Max Smith (1G) and Lynden Wymon (1A) hit the scoresheet for the Crunch, who had Dylan Cruickshank between the pipes.

Tye Moffet took the loss behind the Preds, who picked up points from Jarrett Dumais (1G), Braidon Clark (1G), Calli Jones (1G), Logan McLaughian (1A) and Seth Damini (1A).

Tough weekend

The Dearborn Ford Kamloops Blazers lost a pair of games at Memorial Arena on the weekend, with two Kelowna teams in town to face the bantam tier 2 club.

In the opener, the Blazers lost a 5-1 contest to the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy. Two days later, Kelowna bested the Blazers, again 5-1.

Thomas Wojak and Peyton Kelly scored the only Blazer goals of the weekend. Tyson Lampreu, Adam Gammel, Josh Bishop and Brennan Thur chipped in with assists.

Taylor Kaban and Adam Niles shared time in the crease.

Consolation win

Kamloops’ midget tier 1 club posted a 2-1 victory over Port Coquitlam in tournament action on the weekend, winning the 3 vs. 3 consolation final.

Earlier in the tournament, Kamloops played to a 2-2 tie against Mission, a 7-1 loss to the North Shore Winter Club and a 4-2 win over Comox.

Evan Vinterlik (2G, 1A), Nathan Weninger (1G, 2A), Tyson Gayfer (1G, 1A), Zialen Watson (1G,1A), Rylan Van Unen (1G, 1A), Garrett Kellington (1G, 1A), Zac Austin (1G), Brendan Roche (1G), Ryan Haveman (2A), Mike Van Unen (2A), Dalton Johnston (1A), Gabe Graham-Boyd (1A) and Chris Buchanan (1A) scored throughout the tournament in Abbotsford.

Ethan Langenegger and Dalton Johnston shared time between the pipes for Kamloops.

Trail weary

The North Kamloops Elks lost a playoff game to Trail in Vernon tournament action on the weekend, ending the midget tier 2 club’s weekend.

It was the second loss of the weekend to Trail, with the Elks having fallen 2-1 to the club in their final round-robin game. Earlier in the tournament, Kamloops lost 5-2 to Vancouver Spirit and defeated Chilliwack 5-2.

Keenan Gannon (2G, 2A), Matt Roche (1G, 2A), Alex Johnson (1G, 2A), Jackson Marshall (1G, 1A), Justin MacInnes (1G, 1A), Eric Marasco (1G, 1A), Breckin Erichuk (1G, 1A), Preston Guerra-Ibbetson (1G, 1A), Matt Lee (1G), Kaleb Virgo (3A), Elias Wallace (1A), Payton Ball (1A), Kaden Moore (1A) and Brogen Taphorn (1A) picked up points throughout the weekend for the Elks.

Virgo and Gavin Fogarty split time in goal.

Semifinal defeat

The atom development Scotiabank Blazers suffered a 10-0 shutout defeat to close out the Remembrance Day Classic in Kamloops, losing to Kelowna in the playoff contest.

Earlier in the tournament, the Blazers played to a 1-1 tie against Merritt, a 5-1 loss against Vernon and a 4-2 win against Salmon Arm.

Jacob Gottfriedson (2G), Max Kinnee (1G, 1A), Wyatt Gowans (1G, 1A), Ryan Finney (1G, 1A), Nik Dimopoulos (1G), Colton Canuel (1G), Rory Mumford (1A) and Lorenzo Bennett (1A) found the scoresheet for the Blazers, who split goaltending duties between Eric Brock and Kaiden Goddard.

Dogs deliver

The Pit Bulls cruised to a 10-2 victory over the Ice Hawks in peewee recreation play at Valleyview Arena on Sunday.

Recording points for the Pit Bulls were Maxwell Card (3G, 1A), Olen Gelineau (3G), Bradly Boudreau (2G, 1A), Austin Rankin (1G), David Browning (1G, 1A), Carmine Vinepal (1A), Ethan Ashton (1A), Squirt Domenichelli (1A) and Lochlan Scholefield (1A).
Zane Rolfsen posted the win between the pipes.

Adam Surgenor (2G), Branden Belley, (1A) and Quentin Ouimet (1A) had points for the Ice Hawks in support of goaltender Ryerson Palmer.

Silver lining

The peewee tier 1 Kamloops Blazers fell 4-3 to Seafair in the final of the Gil Martin Memorial Tournament in Langley on the weekend.

Kamloops earned three round-robin victories — 6-0 over Victoria, 5-1 over Langley and 5-1 over Coquitlam — before edging Semiahmoo 4-3 in overtime in a semifinal matchup.

Recording points for the Blazers Logan Stankoven (9G, 5A), Reagan Milburn (5G, 5A), Matthew Mariona (3G), Jakob Sherwood (2G, 2A), Owen Barrow (1G, 2A), Tyson Galloway (1G, 2A), Tristan Allen (1G, 2A), Matthew Ward (1G),  Ethan Sanders (2A), Devin Benson (2A), Ashton Taylor (1A), Andrew Senger (1A) and Branden Toye (1A).

Jared Sucro and Sam Begg split time between the pipes.

Hat-trick hero

Xander Denis scored three goals to pace the Kamloops Blazers to a 4-2 victory over the hometown Kelowna Rockets in bantam tier 4 play on Sunday.

Also notching points for Kamloops were Jaden Zunti (1G, 1A), Alex Rohrer (2A), Tyler Fernie (2A) and Zach Bachand (1A).

Jon Rozek and Ryan Dusseault shared goaltending duties.

Wolves howl

The Kamloops Wolves downed the Kamloops Cyclones 7-4 in bantam recreation play at Brock Arena on Saturday.

Finding the scoresheet for the Wolves were Keaton Dell (2G), Giovannni Trotta (2G), Owen Pincott (1G), Jordan Munegatto (1G), Jacob Sherlock (1G), Harjun Serown (2A) and Blake Ablitt (1A).

Victor Church and Bryton Neufeld split time between the pipes for the Wolves.

Registering points for the Cyclones in support of goaltender Ryerson Palmer were Mason Foster (3G), Alex Wright (1G) and Braeden Crowe (1A).

Earning the split

The North Kamloops Lions split a pair of peewee tier 3 games on the weekend, topping the Kamloops Blazers 1-0 on Saturday and losing 3-1 to Merritt on Sunday.

Levi Toye scored the game-winning goal on Saturday, with Stran Smith and Ty Turner adding assists in support of goaltender Colton Day.

Josh Hamling (1G) and Andon Rende (1A) had points on Sunday. Brendan Smith was between the pipes.

Spartans roll

The Spartans downed the Aces 8-1 in peewee recreation play at Memorial Arena on Friday.

Recording points for the Spartans were Colton Woitas (3G), Frankie Bruno (2G, 1A), Issa Diaou (2G), Owen Geiger (1G), Rhys Wright (1A), Keegan LeBlanc (1A), Zach Kramer (1A), Dillon Paul (1A) and Isaac Bean (1A).

Evan Kissack scored for the Aces.

Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament organizers have nailed down dates and secured commitment from 31 teams for this year’s event.

The tier 1 group will consist of 12 teams, with 11 having already committed — Pursuit of Excellence of Kelowna, Prince George Junior Cougars, Airdrie Xtreme, Abbotsford Hawks, Balgonie Prairie Storm, Chilliwack Junior Bruins, Vancouver Thunderbirds, Kamloops Junior Blazers, Under-16 Hungary, Semiahmoo Ravens and Spruce Grove PAC Saints.

Kamloops will play in Pool C against the team from Hungary, which will be billeted in the Tournament Capital and play three exhibition games, Semiahmoo and Spruce Grove.

In the tier 2 group: North Delta Sundevils, Williams Lake Timberwolves, Fremont Flyers, Vernon Junior Vipers, Vancouver Thunderbirds, Salmon Arm Silvertips, Yellowknife Wolfpack, Castlegar/Nelson, North Shore Winter Club, Prince George, South Anchorage Moose, Penticton Junior Vees, Langley Eagles, Kamloops Junior Blazers, Spokane Junior Chiefs, Campbell River Tyees, Seattle Snokings, Kelowna Junior Rockets, Calgary Canucks and Pursuit of Excellence of Kelowna.

The Junior Blazers are in Pool D with Langley, Spokane and Campbell River.

Ted Kowalsky is the KIBIHT chairman.