Campbell River’s bantam Tyees are playing for a medal this morning.
But the colour – gold, silver or bronze – is up in the air after the No. 1 Auto Body Tyees advanced to the semi-finals of the provincial Tier 2 championships in thrilling fashion.
The two semi-final games were played last night in Trail with Campbell River advancing to the playoffs following a do-or-die win over Westside Warriors on Monday night. In their opening game on Sunday, the Tyees skated to an easy 13-2 victory over Fort St. John.
Grady McInnes had a huge game for the local boys, scoring five times while Gavin Rauser and Travis Goodwin also sparked Campbell River with four points apiece.
But on Monday morning, the Tyees got into penalty trouble and dropped a close 3-2 decision to Burnaby Winter Club. Rauser and Goodwin scored for Campbell River.
With the loss, the Tyees played a must-win game on Monday night, their second match of the day, against Westside which had defeated Burnaby 5-3 earlier in the tournament. Both teams were vying for a playoff birth and the action was end to end. Midway through the third period, with Campbell River leading 7-5, the Warriors scored to close within one. With time running out, Westside pulled the goalie for the extra skater, but the Tyees scored an empty-netter to regain the two-goal lead.
But it wasn’t over yet.
With just 40 second remaining in the game, the Warriors scored again, but it wasn’t enough as Campbell River hung on for the 8-7 victory to earn a spot in Tuesday’s semi-finals.
At press time, it’s unclear who the Tyees played on Tuesday night.
The final games are running this morning with the bronze medal game at 8 a.m. to be followed by the championship at 11 a.m.
For the latest updates, follow www.campbellrivermirror.com or visit www.BCHockey.net, click “Championships” and then “Bantam Tier 2.”