The Prince Rupert Novice Seawolves wrapped up their season hosting the Prince Rupert Minor Hockey Association (PRMHA) Novice Tournament this past weekend. Teams from all over the Northwest came.
After the round robin finished on Friday and Saturday at the Jim Ciccone Civic Centre, ‘Prince Rupert Blue’ found themselves facing off against Kitimat in the finals.
Coach of Prince Rupert Blue, John Graham, commented on the final game and what made his youngsters so successful.
“Our kids started to play hard. That’s what we wanted them to do, and we wanted them to have fun. We put a three letter game on the board. ‘F’ stands for fast, ‘U’ for you drive to the net, and ‘N’ for no quit. That spells fun.”
“We tied three games and won one. That was a great result. We lost every game in our last tournament. We still persevered over the entire tournament,” added coach Corinne Bomben.
Brodie Graham for Prince Rupert Blue had an amazing end-to-end rush, scoring to cut into the deficit after Kitimat took a 3-0 lead early on.
The visitors put on intense pressure but the athletes from Rupert were able to use the fundamentals that the coaches taught them; using the boards, playing your position, and getting the puck out of the dangerous areas to enable them to weather the pressure.
Sarah Okrainatz was very good for Prince Rupert Blue in the second and third periods, stopping some point blank opportunities as well as second chance shots.
Rupert’s individual skating was impressive. Some of the kids had either much natural skill or have put in a lot of effort in to be so fast quick, which bodes well for the future.
Thor Pedersen for Rupert was able to bury a late goal with only seconds left, tying the game 4-4 after Prince Rupert Blue crawled their way to a comeback.
Coach Bomben was grateful for the tourney support.
“Thanks to all the parents and volunteers who helped support (the team), thanks to all the parents from every single team that came: for A coming, and B being respectful in the stands,” she said,
Prince Rupert Red also did the home crowd proud, taking part in the tourney.