Times Chronicle Staff
The South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association (SOMHA) U18 Rep team put in a solid performance at the BC Hockey U18 Tier 3 Provincial Championships but fell just short of the medal round.
The team emerged from their own league as OMAHA U18 Flight 2 League Winners. The next step saw them win their OMAHA U18 Tier 3 Playoff Championships.
The team then travelled to Terrace for competition March 19 to 23. From a pool of over 50 teams – from the Lower Mainland to Whitehorse – 10 teams advanced to the Provincials. The South Okanagan team advanced past the Penticton, Kelowna and Winfield teams, but didn’t manage to advance past the round robin portion of the tournament.
“The U18 players and coaches were very proud to represent SOMHA and OMAHA at this year’s U18 provincials,” says spokesperson Lynne Aldridge, Team Manager.
This age group with many of the players from this year’s team won the U18 Tier 3 Provincials last year in Summerland, and hopes are high for next year with many of these players set to return to play on the team next year.
The team is made up of 18 players from Grand Forks: Unruh-Ross; from OK Falls: Martin, and Russell; from Oliver: Launier, Lebedoff, Pearle, Ruck, Stone, Zinger, Coaches Colton Thomsen and Narcisse Baptiste; and from Osoyoos: Aldridge, Blaine, Costa brothers, Hanson, Jahn, Sapach, Vieira, Vrabel and Coaches Don Chase and Ryan Miller.
“We were extremely fortunate to have tremendous generosity and support from our communities to help us take 18 hockey players and four coaches to Terrace. You can imagine hotel expenses and food for seven days for 22 men!” Aldridge added.
