The three Kitimat hockey players selected to attend the U15 Hockey Provincial tournament in May performed well despite playing against some of the province’s best.
Chase Pacheco, Logan Tweedy and Ayden Baldo were put through their paces at the tournament, held in Penticton from May 12 to 13, as part of a group of 160 players.
On days one and two, Ayden and Chase were put through a combination of individual timed skills by the Western Hockey League - the numbers from that exercise are entered into a database for future reference. The goalies completed a separate skills evaluation.
The games were fast-paced with hard-hitting, end-to-end action.
Chase’s team made it to the finals but unfortunately lost in the third period and came in second place. Ayden’s team came fifth and Logan’s team came seventh.
Chase, Ayden and Logan all played well in the tournament, which was definitely an eye opener - despite the challenge they proved that they deserved to be there.
“The difference between playing hockey up here and down south is you need to make quicker decisions when you have the puck.
“You get very little time and space as it is very high-paced action,” said Kitimat Minor Hockey head coach Donald Pacheco.
“The boys know what they need to improve and get better if they want to compete at the next level. Overall it was a great experience with lots of learning, lasting memories and friendships made.”