The Peewee Rep Seawolves made the trip to Fernie last week to compete in the Tier 4 provincial championships, which began on Sunday.
After a particularly strong season, the team hopes to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish at provincials in North Okanagan.
But coach Vince Aceto is confident in his squad.
“We have skill, good speed, size, we have some good players that can shoot the puck, we have some good shooters and good playmakers, so we have a good variety of a mix that can make a game interesting,” he said.
Prince Rupert is one of seven teams that make up the tournament. Fernie is hosting because they won the title last year, even though Rupert beat them once earlier in the 2016 tourney.
Despite playing against some tougher competition that has played many more games than the Seawolves, Aceto knows they have a good chance.
“These guys are ready and they’re there. They should be very competitive as long as they play hard like we know they can,” he said.
In the month since winning the zone, the team has specifically been working on defensive play, neutral zone positioning, forecheck and their breakouts in practice.
But no matter the outcome, he just wants to see a good effort from the peewees.
“Regardless of the division W there or not, as long as they play hard, we’ll be proud of them,” Aceto said.
The Seawolves opened up the tournament with a 19-1 win against Chetwynd on Sunday, but fell 9-4 to North Okanagan on Monday. The team will also play Fernie, Langley, 100 Mile House and Kimberley before the championships, which take place on Thursday at 6:15 p.m.
Look for the story of their final result from provincials in next week’s issue of the Northern View.