The New Westminster under-11 Salmonbellies entered the tier 2 provincial
final two weeks ago with a plan and a hope.
By an 8-3 margin, they exited with a big trophy.
New West finished the tier 2 tournament undefeated, beating Langley in the title game to cap a tremendous season.
In the final, captain Trey Sidhu scored key goals and the duo of Alistair McIvor and Myles Manolson were impressive forces in a convincing decision. The two teams had met earlier in the tourney and battled to a 4-4 standstill.
The road to the final saw New West edge Delta 2-1 and tie Surrey 5-5, thanks to a spectacular tally by Robert Knutson with two
seconds left in the game that boosted the team’s confidence. Prior to the final, netminder Alexander Drake backstopped them to a 5-1 win over Ridge Meadows.
Picking up the team’s Warrior Fair Play Award was Beth Anderson.
In tier 1, the New West Salmonbellies capped a solid year by finishing second at the provincials, falling 7-5 to Ridge Meadows in a back-and-forth battle.
New West charged out to a 3-0 lead, but Ridge Meadows rallied. While the teams traded goals over the second half, a pair of late tallies proved to be the difference.
The ’Bellies advanced to the final on the strength of a 4-0-1 record in the round robin, including wins over Nanaimo (8-4), Surrey (12-7), Coquitlam (10-7) and Langley (6-4).
Generating much of the offence were Reid Hinds McDonald, Luke Soenen, Luke Phelan, Noah Faria and Wren Glanville. Soenen would pick up the Warrior Fair Play Award.
In the u12 girls invitational tournament, New West 2 picked up the gold medal, beating Ridge Meadows for the honour. Warrior Sports Canada Fair Play Awards went to New West 2’s Erin Godoy and New West 1’s Lauren Rawson.
In the u15 girls invitational, New West finished second behind PoCo. Olivia Smith was presented with the team’s Warrior Sports Canada Fair Play award.
