U-15 hockey squads from northeast B.C. travel south for bantam tournament

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — U-15 squads from the north have descended upon the Okanagan for one of the biggest bantam hockey tournaments in western Canada.

The Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament (KIBIHT) kicks off on Thursday, December 18th.

The event features teams from around the world, which includes the Seklerland Ice Hockey Academy from Romania as well as teams from Canada and the United States.

The competition has existed in some form since 1968 and, according to its website, is a tournament which “brings together young athletes from around the globe to showcase their talent, passion and love for the game.”

Two teams from Fort St. John, the U-15 Tier II Fort St. John Flyers and the North East BC U-15 Trackers have made the trip to the Okanagan, with the Flyers highlighting its long bus ride on the club’s Facebook page.

The event has two divisions, with the Flyers playing in the Tier II Founders Division and the Trackers playing in the top-tier Randy Lindros Division.

The Flyers opened the tournament with a 3-2 loss against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, while the Trackers will play their opening game against the Central Zone Rockets of Kelowna on Thursday morning at 11:15 a.m.

The Flyers’ second game will be against the Cranbrook U-15 Bucks on Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m, while the Trackers will be in action against the Okanagan’s North Zone Kings at 7 p.m.

Energeticcity.ca has reached out to Trackers U-15 head coach Ray Taggart for further comment.