The Tumbler Ridge U18 Raptors made their way home on Sunday January 11 with some much-deserved hardware from a U18 hockey tournament in Prince George.
The three-day tournament saw 12 teams go head-to-head, with only the top team from each pool moving on to the final on Sunday. Much of the team drove down to PG through the treacherous Pine Pass on Friday to be ready for their first game on Saturday morning against a team they haven’t seen before—PG-U18-6-Light Blue.
With nine skaters and a goalie they took to the ice. The Raptors came out strong with Teagan Irving scoring two minutes into the first period. Hudson Pittman would add another one before the end of the period.
Irving, Seth Campbell, Carson Tobinmeck and Hudson Hayes would score in the second to put the Raptors up 6–2.
The third period was a battle from end to end, with Pittman scoring his second goal of the game to help lead the Raptors to a 7–2 victory. A great start to the tournament.
Game two would see the return of Noah Kempers and would give the Raptors two full lines: ten skaters and a goalie. The Raptors would be facing PG-U18-1 White, a team they had previously faced in Clearwater and lost badly to. They were not deterred and were focussed on getting the win. A litte retribution for the game in Clearwater was on everyone’s mind. PG-White came out fast, and quickly went up 2–0 and then 3–1 at the end of the first period. Campbell scored the only goal Raptors in the first period.
He would also score one of Tumbler Ridge’s three goals in the second period with Keegan Hendrickson scoring the other two. It was 4–3 Raptors at the end of the second period, and the team was hyper focussed on winning this game. Halfway throught the third period PG-White would tie it up and was putting on some serious pressure, but veteran goalie Austin Lindsay wasn’t having any of it and stopped them dead in their tracks.
Campbell would net his third goal of the game, completing his hat-trick to put the Raptors in the lead at the 7:34 mark of the third period. This would prove to be the game winning goal. How sweet it was to see them beat a team that thought they were coming for an easy win.
The Raptors were on cloud nine, with one game remaining on Sunday. PG-U18-7-Blue was next on the tournament schedule for the Raptors. Goaltender Lindsay would put on a clinic and Campbell would score two more, with Ryker Michie, Pittman and Hendrickson adding helpers. 5–0 was the final, with a shut-out for Lindsay, meaning the Raptors finished the round robin with a perfect three wins and zero losses.
A 3pm final was set against 100-Mile House, who had also gone a perfect 3–0 in the round robin.
As the Raptors took to the ice for warmups, their short bench was even more noticeable against 100-Mile House’s 20 players on the ice. 20 players vs ten. David vs Goliath!
Tumbler Ridge was down a player due to Abbigail Favelle’s injury in Game 3. While screening the opposing goalie she was hit with friendly fire from the point and would need x-rays to confirm there was no fracture. She would put on her helmet, neck guard and gloves and join the team on the bench before getting checked by a doctor, though. Hockey players are TOUGH!!
The Raptors came out of the gate hot. Leading off the scoring was Raptor’s Captain Ryker Michie, followed up by Seth Campbell, Teagan Irving and Keegan Hendrickson. It was 4–1 after the first, with Keegan Hendrickson racking up an outstanding four points. The second and third period would see the exhaustion set in. The legs slowed and the shots on net and clearing attempts from our own end were just not as strong as before and 100-Mile would take advantage. They scored a single goal in the second period, keeping the Raptors off the scoreboard.
Then the unthinkable. Two goals in less than two minutes at the start of the third period and the game was tied. Could the Raptors dig in and claw their way back? The answer is YES. They found that little extra and pushed themselves, and at the 12:34 mark of the third period Campbell would be the hero once again and score the eventual game winning goal!
In the lead once again, 5–4, the Raptors battled to the very end of the game and with four seconds left, Campbell put the puck into an empty net goal for another hat trick. Tournament over.
Tumbler Ridge’s first U18 team in almost 20 years—ages ranging from 13–17—were champions once again, taking two tournaments back-to-back. First at home and now in Prince George. What a game!!! What a weekend!! What a team!!!
Now, on to the next game!
