The Creston Valley Minor Hockey Association’s bantam rep team travelled to Cranbrook on the weekend for the Cranbrook Tier 3 tournament.
The excitement started Friday afternoon at Western Financial Place where the boys lost their battle against Invermere with a final score of 4-1. Cole Bright was starting goaltender, and Creston’s only goal was scored by Brody Ryan.
Friday evening the boys set out for a win against Claresholm, Alta., at Memorial Arena and found one, with a final score of 9-3. Matthew Armitage was starting goaltender. Two goals were scored in the first period by Jake Kolodychuck, both assisted by Ethan Plotnikoff. Two more goals were scored late in the second. First one buried by Jordan Wood, unassisted, followed a minute later by Tyler Everett, assisted by Plotnikoff. Fifty-three seconds into the third, an unassisted goal was scored by Ryan. Minutes later, Matthew Toews found the back of the net, assisted by Ryan and Wood. Scoring Creston’s seventh goal was Jake Livingstone (unassisted). With half the third period remaining, Plotnikoff snipped, with the assist going to Ryan. With minutes left, Toews got his second of the game, also assisted by Ryan.
Saturday morning the boys were back at Western Financial Place facing St. Albert, Alta. Bright and Armitage shared goaltending. Creston’s first goal was scored by Kolodychuck, assisted by Alex Blackmore. Four minutes later, Livingstone scored, with the assist going to Ryan. One second-period goal was scored by Kolodychuck, assisted by Plotnikoff. Third period goals went to Levi Palmer (unassisted) and, making it a hat trick, Kolodychuk, assisted by Plotnikoff. Creston took back-to-back wins, with a final score of 5-3.
On Saturday afternoon, the boys battled a strong team from Cochrane, Alta. Armitage was starting goaltender. After the first period, the scoreboard was in our favour with a score of 1-0, with an unassisted goal by Kolodychuck. By the end of the second period, Cochrane scored three. Early in the third, Cochrane scored again, quickly answered by Creston, with a goal scored by Livingstone, assisted by Kolodychuck and Hunter Smeaton. Despite their best efforts, Creston lost 5-2.
On Sunday morning, the boys battled for fourth place against Spring Bank, Alta., at Memorial Arena. Bright was starting goaltender. Kolodychuck put Creston on the board, with the assist going to Livingstone. Ryan made it 2-0, assisted by Plotnikoff. Alex Blackmore followed, with an assist from Ryan. Tyler Everitt scored early in the second period, assisted by Levi Palmer. Going into the third, Spring Bank made it a close game. Pulling their goaltender with a minute left allowed Kolodychuk, assisted by Armitage, an empty netter with 22 seconds remaining in the third. The boys finished the tournament with a 5-3 win and a fourth-place standing.
—CRESTON VALLEY MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION