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Tyees’ quest begins

The first leg of this journey is the North Island Bantam playoffs

The KLP Construction Bantam A Tyees began their quest for a provincial tier 2 championship this weekend.

The first leg of this journey is the North Island Bantam playoffs. The opening game of the round robin schedule saw the Nanaimo Clippers tier 2 team make the trip north. For the true fan, the playoffs are an exciting time of year, the hockey is faster and more intense, as the players understand that the stakes have increased.

As the puck dropped, it was clear that both teams were ready to play. The Clippers are a hard working group and were determined to make the Tyees earn every piece of ice.

The speed and skill of the home town Tyees was clear early in the game, the boys attacked the Clippers defense and forced the goalie to make a number of nice saves. Jalen Price was able to pounce on a loose puck and tuck it past the keeper to open the scoring. This goal seemed to energize the Tyees as Jacob Hartley increased the lead to two, when he converted a nice passing play from Braydon Kratzmann and Codey Savey.

As the Zamboni prepped the ice for the second half, the Tyees enjoyed a 3-0 lead, River Fahey found the back of the net just before the buzzer, assists went to Hartley and Savey.

The start of the second half saw the Tyees on the power play, Jalen Price was able to take advantage of the fresh ice and pick the top corner over the Nanaimo goalie. Tyees starting goalie Matt Johnson wasn’t especially busy, but when called upon, was up to the task. He made a number of big saves to help maintain the momentum.

Codey Savey scored a beauty late in the third period, as he roofed a backhand over the Nanaimo tender, the lone assist went to Grady Robertson.

The home squad prevailed, as the game finished 5-1.

“I was pleased with our compete level this weekend, we started to cheat a little early in the third and that allowed them to put some pressure on us. But the boys got it back on track. Nanaimo is a tough team to play; they work hard and finish their checks. Im pleased with our start to the round robin.” Head Coach Mike Feeney

The playoff continue next weekend, as the Powell River Kings visit the Brindy at 1:15 Saturday the 31st of January. Come out and cheer on the Tyees.