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Campbell River Red Hurricanes win two VIAHA banners

Lontayao logs five points in playoff final victory
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The Campbell River Female Atom C Red Hurricanes won their regular season league and became the playoff champions with a 6-5 victory over the White Hurricanes March 8 in Nanaimo. The team, from left to right is: Halle Johnston, Olivia Uzzell, Dana Kim, Andre Riecker (coach), Lyla Swift, Rosie Pollitt, Gemma Quesnel, Dakari Frank, Kelly Uzzell (coach), Riley Easterbrook, Ashley Lontayao, Dale Preston (coach), and Anna Preston. Missing from the picture: Kaylie Riecker, Maybel McDonald, Molly McKenzie, Hailey LaPierre, Alivia Guthrie, Payton Braithwaite. Image provided

The 2019/20 Campbell River Atom Female Red Hurricanes will have two Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association (VIAHA) banners in the rafters at Strathcona Gardens.

After an unbeaten 11-game regular season, the squad concluded the year by winning the playoff banner in Nanaimo.

It was an all-Campbell River final, with the Red Hurricanes narrowly beating the White Hurricanes 6-5 on March 8.

The White Hurricanes got on the board first with Claire Harvey (assist to Tayla Lukey) scoring with just four seconds to go in the first period.

Ashley Lontayao (assist to Dakari Frank) evened things up at 5:48 of the second frame. The lead would shift over the rest of the period. Makayla Callanan (assist to Charley Harris and Daelynn Hutchison) put the White Hurricanes up 2-1, but Lontayao (assist to Frank) would tie things up before Alexis Bettenson (assist to Harris) got the go-ahead goal for the White Hurricanes with 1:34 left in the frame.

The White Hurricanes extended their lead 4-2 just under three minutes into the final frame as Shanna Speck scored unassisted.

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A couple minutes later, Lontayao logged a hat trick with her third goal of the game (assist to Riley Easterbrook and Dana Kim) to cut the White Hurricanes’ lead to one goal.

In the later half of the period, Frank (assist to Easterbrook, Lontayao) would even the score 4-4.

The White Hurricanes’ Kristan Speck scored unassisted to lift her side to a 5-4 lead.

With 3:09 to go in the game, Lontayao added her fourth goal of the night (assist to Lyla Swift) to tie the game up 5-5. As the final minute ticked by, Swift scored the game-wining goal unassisted with just 51 seconds left on the game clock.

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@marissatiel
marissa.tiel@campbellrivermirror.com

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