In a game to determine the last remaining semifinal berth at the Tier 2 provincial hockey championships, the Campbell River bantam A Tyees skated to a 4-4 draw against Vancouver Tuesday in Cranbrook.
The result gave Vancouver the semifinal nod via a slender edge in tiebreaking criteria, and the result was even more bitter for the Tyees when Vancouver went on to claim the provincial championship with an 8-0 victory Wednesday over Greater Trail.
The KLP Construction bantams finished the tournament with a 1-1-1 record, suffering a one-goal comeback loss to Greater Trail and the tie with Vancouver in what turned out to be the toughest pool in the nine-team competition.
Cody Savey scored a pair of third-period goals as the Tyees rallied from a 3-1 deficit to earn the tie. But Vancouver got the semifinal nod with a higher goal average for the tournament, outscoring its opponents 19-12 while Campbell River held an 18-13 differential.
River Fahey added a goal for the Tyees in the tie.
The bantams opened the tourney Sunday with a bitter, 6-5 loss to Greater Trail, which went on to claim the top seed in the pool.
Savey and Jalen Price had two goals each as the Tyees took a 5-4 lead in the third period, only to fall on the strength of two late goals by Brad Ross.
Campbell River rebounded with a 9-3 romp over Prince George Monday, with Price netting four goals and Nolan Corrado adding four assists in the win.
Campbell River’s peewee A Tyees, meanwhile, suffered a pair of heartbreaking, one-goal losses in the Tier 2 provincial championships in Prince George and fell short of a berth in the playoffs.
The No. 1 Auto Body Tyees opened the tourney with a 3-2 loss to Penticton Monday, then closed out pool play with a 6-5 loss to Greater Trail Wednesday morning.
In between, the Tyees were overwhelmed 13-2 by Burnaby Winter Club and finished 0-3 in pool play.