The Kitimat Winterhawks’ U15 and U13 Rep teams have both swept their Zone series over the weekend to secure their places at the Tier 4 Provincial Championships. With the U15 team overcoming the Vanderhoof Bears and the U13 squad outplaying the Prince Rupert Sea Wolves, both teams have set the stage for a thrilling representation of the North West District at the provincial level in Kimberley and Revelstoke over the March 17 weekend.
U15 Rep Winterhawks
The U15 Rep Winterhawks decisively swept their Zone series against the Vanderhoof Bears, securing their position as the North West District’s representatives at the forthcoming Tier 4 Provincial Championships in Kimberley, BC. In a closely contested series, Kitimat emerged victorious in both matches with scores of 6-5 and 7-2.
In the opening game, the Winterhawks and Bears exchanged leads in a tightly contested battle. Kingston Hanson initiated the scoring for Kitimat, with Liam Ray quickly equalizing for Vanderhoof. The Winterhawks then surged ahead with goals from Lakin Mailloux and Chase Wakita, only for Quentin Corbiere to narrow the gap for the Bears. The dynamic shifted with additional goals from Miles Besler and Bryce Livingston, extending Kitimat’s lead to 5-2. However, Vanderhoof staged a comeback, with Andrew Ludwig, Ben Barclay, and Dally Corbiere evening the score. The deadlock was finally broken by Kitimat’s defenseman, Kaleb Calkins, who delivered the winning goal in a remarkable end-to-end play, ten minutes before the final whistle, sealing a 6-5 victory for the Winterhawks.
The second game saw an assertive start from the Winterhawks, who netted five consecutive goals, thanks to a stellar performance from Kaleb Calkins, Braxton Sevigny, Bryce Livingston, and Chase Wakita. Despite a valiant effort from Maxton Funk of the Bears, who scored twice, Calkins completed his hat trick, and with an additional goal from Miles Besler, Kitimat clinched the game with a 7-2 win, ensuring their place at the Provincial Championships.
U13 Rep Winterhawks
Parallelly, the U13 Rep Winterhawks demonstrated their dominance in Prince Rupert, defending their Zone Crown against the Prince Rupert Sea Wolves with convincing victories of 14-5 and 12-1. Tristan Levesque Mera led the charge in the first game with an impressive tally of eight goals and one assist. The team’s collective effort was evident, with contributions from Coen Markwart, Jaxon Pankhurst, Jonah Lopes, Ewan Byrne, Everett Mailloux, and Dexter Gross. In the subsequent match, Levesque Mera once again stood out with four goals and three assists, supported by Lopes, Pankhurst, Gross, Byrne, Damek Galbavy, and Nicholas Beam, showcasing a well-rounded team performance that solidified their position at the next month’s Tier 4 U13 Provincial Championship in Clearwater, BC.
