Two Fort St. John hockey teams punch their ticket to provincial finals

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Two local hockey programs have punched their spots for a chance at a provincial championship, with a third in the running for a potential finals appearance as well.

Teams from the North East BC Trackers (NEBC) and Fort St. John Flyers programs each had spots in BC Hockey provincials this week in their respective age levels.

The U-18 NEBC Trackers, who are hosting the BC Hockey tier one championship in Fort St. John this week, finished their round-robin play on Tuesday, March 17th with two wins in three games. 

They will play for the championship at the North Peace Arena at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18th, after defeating the Vancouver Thunderbirds by a score of 3-2. Carson Arberry, Mason McGinnis and Lucca Brooks scored for the Trackers.

In addition, the U-15 Trackers are playing in the U-15 tier one championship in Ridge Meadows. They lost their semi-final contest to the hosts by a score of 7-4, meaning they will take on East Kootenay in the bronze medal match set to begin at 5 p.m. on March 18th.

Their offence has carried them throughout – as they have scored 17 goals in three round-robin matchups while winning two of three pool games.

Meanwhile, the U-13 Flyers, playing in the tier two championship in Hollyburn, will also compete for a title after winning their semi-final matchup against the Kelowna Rockets in a one-goal game, by a score of 4-3.

Carter Andersen had a pair of goals – including the overtime winner. Additional goals came from Charlie Oversby and Bryson Bueckert. 

The Flyers will play the winner between the Vancouver Spirit and Semiahmoo Ravens in the other semi-final.

More details about the BC provincial hockey championships can be found on its website.