The peewee Thunder ended their season, one filled with moments of sunshine and clouds, with a silver lining at the provincials in Creston last week.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team, as we were in a very tough pool and still made it through to the finals,” coach Dustin Peacock said.
The Thunder picked their way through the competition with a great goaltending team of Nathan Schofield and Brandon Peacock and by capitalizing on every chance they got.
They started the playoffs with a double-header, taking on Castlegar and their hosts, Creston.
Both games turned out to be close, with good goaltending keeping the Thunder within reach of the win and skaters that made their shots count.
The Thunder took Castlegar 3-2 in a tight game that was tied 1-1 through the first two periods.
“This was a great game for our team; we needed to start the Championships on the right foot and we did that,” Peacock said.
The Castlegar game was similarly matched, with both teams a little tired from earlier games. The Thunder took the lone point to win 1-0.
The second day pitted the Thunder against eventual tournament winners Dawson Creek. Despite a lopsided score, Peacock was proud that his team never gave up.
Tuesday brought the team up against the Burnaby Winter Club, which played out opposite to the previous game, with a 5-2 win and a lag in their play.
“ I didn’t think we played our best game but we seemed to keep scoring,” Peacock said.
With a single lose in the round robin, the Thunder were looking at semi-finals with a 5-2 win against Whitehorse.
Coming up against Terrace, the Thunder knew a win would put them in a guaranteed medal position. With that push behind them, the Thunder came out firing on all cylinders.
“This was a great game for us, from Brandon Peacock in net all the way out,” Peacock said.
“We had scoring from all three lines and the defense chipping in with multiple assists.”
Coming into the finals, the Thunder met the only team to find a chink in their armour: Dawson Creek. In the finals Dawson Creek hit hard and fast, taking the game 14-1.
The Thunder, though, had taken down every other team, earning the silver lining.
The season was plagued with injuries and sickness, said Peacock, but he saw the resilience that took the team to silver from the very beginning.
“This 2012-2013 PeeWee team should be very proud of themselves, as they have represented Quesnel with class and respect. I know one thing they made there coach very proud,” Peacock said.
“Thanks to all for a great year.”