Flyers and Trackers have different experiences at KIBIHT in Kamloops

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Hockey players preparing to face off. (Canva)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Each of Fort St. John’s U-15 programs had a unique experience at one of western Canada’s biggest bantam-level tournaments.

Both the U-15 Fort St. John Flyers and North East BC U-15 Trackers took on some of the best teams from B.C., Alberta, Washington State and even a team from Romania, during the Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament (KIBIHT) from December 17th to December 21st.

Each team competed in a different division: The Flyers competed in the second-tier Founders Division while the Trackers played in the top-tier Randy Lindros division.

The Flyers went 1-3 over their four-game stretch, with the team’s lone victory coming courtesy of a 7-0 win over the U-15 Cranbrook Bucks.

The team battled hard, falling in one goal games against both the Salmon Arm Silverbacks by a score of 3-2 on December 18th and 4-3 against the Kamloops Tier three U-15 Blazers on December 20th.

Their other loss was by a score of 8-4 against the New Westminster Royals.

Meanwhile, in the Randy Lindros division, The Trackers had an incredible run, getting to the championship game.

Coached by Ray Taggart, the Trackers opened the tournament with a victory over Kelowna’s Central Zone Rockets by a score of 3-2 on December 18th, with the winning goal coming with just 26.5 seconds left in the game.

They followed it up with a 6-1 victory over the North Zone Kings, scoring five in the third period on the same day and a 9-2 win over Kelowna Rink Hockey Academy’s U-15 squad on December 19th.

The team finished off a perfect round-robin by defeating the U-15 Langley Eagles by a score of 8-2 on December 19th, and a 5-0 shutout win over the Victoria Racquet Club, qualifying for the semi-finals.

In the semi-final round, the Trackers battled a tough squad from Victoria’s Pacific Coast Sports Academy, winning by a score of 4-2 on December 21st, advancing to the finals.

However, their tournament ended on a losing note, as the Trackers fell to the Szeklerland Ice Hockey Academy of Romania by a score of 4-1, ending up as tournament runners-up.

The KIBIHT tournament took place from December 17th to December 21st, the event took place over local venues in Kamloops and has been hosted in the town since the 1960s.

For more details, see the tournament’s website.