A joint Campbell River and Comox hockey team can officially call themselves the fourth-best Tier 1 U15 hockey team in the province.
The Strathcona Bears took on teams from the Yukon, Langley, Okanagan and a West Kootenay team after winning the Island Championships and going on to the provincials, held at the North Shore Winter Club from March 17 to March 20.
“I think overall, this team really came from nothing. They didn’t win a lot in the beginning, so the fact that we were even in the provincials is pretty amazing,” says Sam Morlan, the team’s manager.
They won one game, drew two and lost two to claim fourth place. Their lone win was against the West Kootenay Crusaders, claiming victory with a 7-4 scoreline.
“(I’m) super proud. They came leaps and bounds. Most of these kids never played before,” Morlan, who has a son on the team, says. “They started really rusty, but they finished off the season well. We are super proud of them.”
A brand new coach, Ed Rosse, also guided the team to their Island Championship and the provincial tournament.
Morlan says Anthony Chevalier, Maxim Lefebvre, Isaac Hannah, and Landon Rosse were standout players for the team during the tournament.
Around eight kids will be moving on to the next age group.