South Delta Atom A1 Storm hockey team headed northeast to brave the bitter cold (lows of -17) for the thrill of a hockey tournament in Salmon Arm. The weekend began with a Friday night encounter Williams Lake. The boys had them on the run from the moment the puck hit the ice. Goals were a plenty in a 9-2 win, ranging from spectacular wrist shots to strong armed backhanders, while a solid defensive core poured on the pressure hemming the puck in the offensive end.
The boys were well rested and got off to a flying start against Kelowna early Saturday morning. South Delta was the stronger team and dominated the game from the outset. The pace was quick and the boys moved the puck beautifully - playing some great hockey.
When the dust settled, the Storm had produced a lopsided 11-0 victory.
By that afternoon the locals played their last round robin game against West Kelowna, a stronger team, and were fortunate enough to pull off 7-2 win. The 3-0 record left South Delta atop Pool B and set-up a Sunday morning semi-final encounter with Langley.
It was the toughest team they had met so far and the competitive level of this game was certainly worthy of a final four match-up.
First period action saw Langley take a two goal lead. The boys battled back, never showed signs of defeat and were rewarded for their perseverance. Through a great deal of hard work they were able to pull out a 5-4 win and advance to the championship game The dressing room was pumped as the boys prepared for the final.
Luckily, they had a calm head coach Brent Wheatley at the helm which kept the nerves in check and the players focused on the task at hand.
"Let's take care of our business" were the sage words of advice uttered by Wheatley each game just before they hit the tunnel.
The boys were ready to play but so was a big and strong team from Kamloops.
Play was quick and went back and forth for all three periods. Alas a championship was not meant to be, Kamloops potted an empty netter in the final minute in a 5-3 win.
Not all was lost as the Storm finished up the weekend as a better team, proud of a winning streak and a second place finish.
