Though this past week marked the calendar’s end of what was a beautiful summer, it was also the dawn of a highly-anticipated hockey season for head coach Vince Devlin and the KLP Construction Bantam A Tyees.
This years’ team, composed of mostly second-year players and featuring an abundance of skill, played a pair of tiering games at Rod Brind’Amour arena this past weekend.
On Saturday, the Tyees trounced their rivals from Comox 11 – 1.
Captain Cody Savey, Jory Swanson, and Grady Robertson scored in the first period to give the Tyees a 3-0 lead after the first period. Two more second period tallies by Swanson in addition to singles by Owen Parker and Davis Frank put the Tyees up 7-0 after two.
Swanson, Frank, Robertson, and Cole Devlin scored in the third period to close out the scoring for the Tyees with goaltender Antoine Minfray allowing only one puck to beat him late in the game to earn a win in the lopsided victory.
On Sunday, the Tyees faced off against the T2 Juan de Fuca Grizzlies. Defenseman Matthew Ubriaco opened the scoring on a slap shot from the point, and River Fahey doubled the home team’s lead before the end of the first. Cole Devlin, Jory Swanson, and two more by Fahey gave the Tyees a commanding 6-0 lead after the second stanza. Luka Kellerhals made the lead a converted touchdown before Logan Chapdelaine closed out the scoring on a clear-cut breakaway goal after stealing the puck from a Grizzly defenseman at the blueline.
The tiering round continues at home versus Nanaimo T1 on Saturday before heading to play their first road game in Powell River on Sunday.