The Junior Coyotes Pee Wee Tier 3 team is off to the provincials in Dawson Creek after recent tournament successes. (Contributed photo)
With a collection of kids from all over the region, head coach John Seminoff wasn’t sure how his South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association (SOMHA) Junior Coyotes Peewee hockey club would come together.
But he knew after only a couple of regular season games he had a special group of kids.
After a tremendous regular season and incredible tournament success – where they captured three of the four tournaments they competed in – the Junior Coyotes peewees this past weekend completed an eight-game playoff sweep to capture the regional championship and qualify for the B.C. Peewee Tier III Hockey Championships in Dawson Creek from March 19-26.
This will be the second year in a row the Junior Coyotes have qualified to compete in the peewee provincial championships.
“You never know how things are going to go when you bring in a whole new group of young kids at this age group,” said Seminoff. “But after a couple of games early on in the regular season, I remember turning to a couple of parents and telling them that I think this team is good enough to win the league and qualify for provincials.
“I knew early on that if we gelled and played as a team that we had a squad capable of going back to provincials.”
The Junior Coyotes are made up of four players from Osoyoos, four from Oliver, five from Grand Forks/Christina Lake, two from Princeton and one from Keremeos.
The Junior Coyotes have put together a remarkable overall record of 31-5-1, including a playoff run where they defeated Vernon, Salmon Arm, regular season champion Kelowna and Merritt all in two straight games in best-of-three series.
This past weekend, the Junior Coyotes captured the league championship by defeating Merritt 4-2 in Merritt and winning the regional championship 4-2 at the Sun Bowl Arena on Saturday.
“To not lose a single playoff game was pretty impressive,” said Seminoff.
The Junior Coyotes also captured championship trophies in tournaments they entered in Vernon, Penticton and Kamloops.
The only tournament they didn’t win was their home tournament in Osoyoos and that’s because they matched up against two Tier II teams and lost by a single goal in both games, including a one-goal loss to Chilliwack, the team that won the tournament, he said.
The success of the Junior Coyotes is shared by every player on the team, said Seminoff.
“I would say our greatest asset is balance,” he said. “The coaches from most of the teams we faced say we had the most balanced team they had faced all year.
“At the peewee level, you usually have to shut down one top player or one top line, but we have three very balanced lines that can all score and you just can’t shut down one line and expect to beat us.
“We’re also very strong and balanced on defence and with our goaltending. In our 13 regular season games, we only allowed 20 goals, which is pretty impressive for peewee rep hockey.”
The team will be leaving for Dawson Creek on Friday, March 17, with their first game set for Sunday, March 19.
It’s going to cost significant dollars to pay for the trip to provincials, so several fundraising events have already been organized, including community bottle drivers in Osoyoos and Oliver, he said.
The Owl Pub in Osoyoos will be hosting a team fundraising event on Saturday, March 11 where members of the public can buy a a roast beef dinner with potatoes, vegetables and salad for $20, with all proceeds going to the Junior Coyotes’ trip to provincials, he said.
Players and coaching staff will also be accepting donations when they bag groceries at grocery outlets in Osoyoos and Oliver over the next two weekends, he said.
The SOMHA also sets aside a significant amount of money to help pay for the costs involved with its teams qualifying for and competing in provincial championship tournament, he said.
Meanwhile, the SOMHA Midget rep team is leading its best-of-three regional final series against Kelowna 1-0 and can win the championship on home ice Saturday night at 6 p.m.
If they win that game, they will qualify for the provincial midget Tier III championships in Terrace, which also take place from March 19-26.
If a third-and-deciding game is needed, it would be played in Kelowna Sunday afternoon.
Members of the Junior Coyotes peewee team include Connor Costa, Braydon Aldridge, Jacob Helms and Andon Maynard from Osoyoos; Tyler Seminoff, Lyndon Gervais, Ryland Thomsen and Brett Calhoon from Oliver; Charlie Lockhart, twins Ben and Alex Edwards, Kitchner Leslie and Marcus Carney from Grand Forks/Christina Lake; Sydney Lawes and Jaeden Mullin from Princeton; and Shelby Etty from Keremeos.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
