The Campbell River Booster Juice Bantam A Ravens started their first round playoff series against Cowichan Valley Thunder (CVT)in Duncan on Sat June 29.
CVT took it to the Ravens who took it on the chin in this one, losing 9-4.
One key to success in life is getting right back up after being knocked down. Fortunately, the Ravens had an opportunity to put that to the test as game two of the series began at noon in Courtenay on Sunday, June 30. The Ravens shut CVT down in this game with a 5-4 victory to tie the series at one game apiece, forcing a third and deciding game.
Neither team would get much rest as the third game began less than two hours after the first one ended.
The Ravens jumped out to an early lead as Lukas Lund got the ball to Fair and he fired a low howitzer into the back of the net; 1-0 Ravens. They built up a 7-2 lead but CVT proved they weren’t going to go quietly as they kept the pressure on the Ravens, scoring twice to make it 7-4 before the Ravens scored another short-handed goal to make it 8-4 with less than three minutes to play. CVT pulled their goalie and kept a fast-tempo pace as they scored twice more in the last minute of the game but came up a bit short as the buzzer went in the Ravens’ 8-6 victory.
This series win means that the Booster Juice Bantam A Ravens will now compete for the Island banner against either Nanaimo or Peninsula (to be determined later this week). They’ve also earned a berth in the provincial championships to be held in the Lower Mainland July 18 to 21.