When assembling an organized team in any sport, the goal, no matter how lofty it may be, is to win it all.
The unfortunate reality is that the vast majority of teams fail to achieve their ultimate goal.
The KLP Construction Peewee A Tyee team was assembled last summer with the goal of winning the Provincial Tier II Championship. An incredible amount of time and energy was devoted by everyone involved.
“The plan from the start was to prepare ourselves to not only make the Provincial Tournament but to win it,” said head coach Pat Corrado.
Well, the plan worked!
With Campbell River arguably placed in the more competitive of the two pools, succeeding during round robin play to make the playoffs was a challenge in itself.
The challenge became even grander when Burnaby Winter Club, the team arguably favoured to win it all, scored two unanswered goals in the third period of game one of round robin play to defeat Campbell River 4-3 despite surrendering three shorthanded goals to Tyee captain Jalen Price.
The loss to Burnaby meant the Tyees needed to win their second round-robin game against the Port Moody Panthers.
Port Moody jumped out to a 4-1 lead and what looked to be an insurmountable hill to climb for the Tyees. Amazingly, the three-goal deficit motivated the Tyees to score eight of the last nine goals to bury the awestricken Panthers 9-5.
Though a good Fort St. John Flyers team awaited Campbell River in the final round-robin game, the high octane Tyees continued on their torrid pace, flattening the Flyers 10-4 to put the team in the playoffs.
A four goal performance by Price and a hat-trick by Davis Frank helped propel the Tyees to a convincing 10-3 victory over the Williams Lake Timberwolves and a chance for redemption on the biggest stage against Burnaby Winter Club.
Price opened the scoring on a slap shot from just inside the blue line to give the Tyees the all-important first goal, but a single reply by Burnaby had the game knotted at one after the first. Brendan Almer assisted on a Grady Robertson goal to give the Tyees their second lead of the game, but two quick replies at the mid-way point of the game put the Tyees down by one. A clear-cut breakaway goal by River Fahey tied the game going into the second intermission and set the stage for a nail-biting ending to a memorable game. Goals by Frank and Price early in the final frame put Campbell River in the lead to stay, and a late goal into an empty net by defenceman Bryce Narhi closed out the scoring on what would be an unforgettable season.
“It truly was amazing to watch how we competed, led by our “C” Jalen Price, with the support and great play of all players who were asked to accept their supporting roles for the team – as they worked to win the Provincial Title,” said coach Corrado. “Our kids continued to work hard all year.”
Tyee goaltender Antoine Minfray was recognized for his outstanding play throughout the playoffs. The entire team thanks team manager Grant Parker, and assistant coaches Peter Apostolakos, Greg Fox and Craig Robertson for their commitment and dedication to the team, which made this year possible. The team also thanks KLP Construction for sponsoring the Tyees, and the community of Campbell River for its support.