The Mainstream Biological Consulting Ltd. PeeWee B Tyees were on the ice in Port Alberni for a three-day Tournament over Thanksgiving that featured eight teams from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
The team faced a strong and consistent opponent in West Vancouver in their opening round robin game.
Goaltender Jayce Hudak faced his share of shots in the first period before a Tyees penalty allowed West Vancouver to capitalize on their power play and get the first goal. Despite a tough West Van offense the team blocked many shots and Hudak continued to come up with brilliant saves until defenseman Kayle Majic answered back with a quick wrist shot to the top right corner of West Van’s net.
The second period saw a successful series of shifts to kill another Tyees penalty before Robert Gurney got the go ahead goal to make it 2-1. The lead was short lived, however as West Van answered back with the tying goal and an onslaught of shots. A couple of West Van 2 on 1 rushes and an unlucky rebound of of Hudak’s pads saw the Tyees lose momentum mid-way to an 8-2 loss.
Who let the dogs out?
The Tyees’ next opponent were the host Alberni Valley Bulldogs and the Tyee’s followed through with a plan to get more shots on net resulting in a goal by Robert Gurney with the assist coming from captain Dakota Sinclair not even two minutes into the game. Kyle Billy added to the tally in the first period as well.
Again momentum proved elusive for the team as Port Alberni used a turnover at the Tyees’ blue line and a strong point shot to come back into the game. Experienced second-year players Cole Devlin and Ridge Rosa added another goal each midway through the third period to ensure a 4-3 win.
Capital offense
That same Sunday afternoon the Tyees faced the Cowichan Valley Capitals. After unloading four shots in the first minute of play, the team found the back of the Cowichan net a total of nine times, including a hat trick by Jordan Baker, another two goals from Ridge Rosa and singles from Nathan Lagos, Dakota Sinclair, Gordon Ludvigson and Ethan Mainprize. Goaltending duties were shared by Jayce Hudak and Jared McAneeley and that combination only let in two goals. 9-2 final.
No rest for the wicked
That win rewarded the team with only just over an hour’s rest as they had a spot in the semifinals Sunday evening against another strong Lower Mainland opponent, Ridge Meadows.
Players had to forgo the hosting committee’s Thanksgiving buffet and its accompanying aroma for lighter fare in preparation for this opportunity to be in Monday’s final. The opening period saw both teams play with an increased sense of urgency and pace and Jayce Hudak came up with some super saves. The Tyees had a two-man advantage towards the end of the period but Ridge Meadows had a solid penalty kill to take away any scoring chances. Ridge Meadows were up 1-0 at the first intermission.
Tyees’ shots went wide and attempts to clear the zone were repeatedly stopped by the Ridge Meadows defence, though Cole Devlin did get the equalizer part way into the second period. Another two-man advantage was not utilized by the Tyees and they gave up a short-handed goal, followed by another 5 goals from Ridge Meadows in the rest of the game. Dakota Sinclair did get a second Tyees goal with 30 seconds left on the clock. 6-2 final.
We meet again
The Tyees went full circle as West Vancouver had fallen to Oceanside in the other semifinal and the battle was now against them for third and fourth place.
The opening period saw an increased effort to keep the puck in West Van’s end and get more shots on net. Down 1-0 partway through the 1st period, Tyee Ethan Mainprize used skilled stickwork to weave his way through West Van’s defence to tie the game. As the final minute wound down in the period, Riory Young made good on a rebound to get the go ahead goal. The next two periods saw the Tyees’ defence blocking numerous shots and assisting the offence with point shots but the team just couldn’t get the lucky rebounds on that day and fell 5-2 to finish in fourth place overall.
Tyee talk...The Mainstream Biological Consulting Ltd PeeWee B Tyees are holding a bottle drive this Saturday to offset season expenses then they travel to Duncan to face Cowichan Capitals “B” on Sunday, Oct. 20.