After a week of hockey, the bantam Thunder finished provincials with silver around their necks.
“I’m extremely proud of the kids,” coach Dustin Peacock said.
The Thunder faced Dawson Creek in the final on Thursday for gold, but were unable to overcome the team.
Dawson Creek scored the only two goals of the game in the first period, then sat on their lead for the rest of the game.
In the round robin, the Thunder had 2-1-1 record, which put them on top in their division.
They did, however, lose a couple of players due to injury, including one of their top offensive players, which was a huge blow to the team, Peacock said.
Despite this, the team came together to make up for the lack in their line.
In the semi-final, they faced off against the Sunshine Coast in a do or die situation.
In a dramatic come back, from a two goal deficit early on in the game, the Thunder over came to win and gain their spot in the finals.
“The kids battled hard, coming back in some games where we could have closed up shop and went back with our tails between our legs,” Peacock said.
The provincials kicked off early last Sunday morning, pitting Quesnel against Arbutus Club.
The Thunder took the lead in the first, with Marshall Brown netting the only goal in the period.
In the second, it was Quesnel’s Jackson Nickolet who scored the solitary goal for the period.
In the third, Arbutus finally put things together, scoring twice in the period, but Nickolet scored his second of the night with 16 second left to give the win to the Thunder, 3-2.
In game two, Quesnel took on Castlegar, who proved to be very tough.
In the first, Castlegar scored three goals without interruption. Logan Petrin scored the only goal for Quesnel, leaving them down two points going into the second.
The Thunder’s Brown made it a one point game in the second and Quesnel kept it there through forty minutes.
A fourth goal for Castlegar went unanswered in the third to give them the 4-2 win over Quesnel.
Tuesday, Quesnel faced off against Kamloops.
Landon Russell put Quesnel on the scoreboard first, with the only goal after twenty minutes.
In the second, Quesnel extended their lead when Russell scored to give them the cushion.
The third, however, was all Kamloops, as they came back with a pair of goals to tie the game 2-2.
The game took it’s toll, however, as Marshal Brown went out with a broken wrist.
Wednesday Quesnel took on Dawson Creek.
Dawson Creek came out strong, with a pair of goals before Quesnel could get anything together.
But once Quesnel got started, they fired off four unanswered goals courtesy of Josh Daniel, Russell, Chase Ballendine and Nickolet, taking the game 4-2 after 60 minutes.
The continued intensity of play took down another player, however. Jacques Gilkerson was taken to the hospital with a broken arm.
In their fifth game, the Thunder played the Sunshine Coast.
The Sunshine Coast got off to a quick start, scoring twice early in the first. Quesnel’s Michael Wright score to keep the Thunder within a goal, but Sunshine score once more in the first to put them up 3-1.
But with double power play in the opening minutes, the Thunder gained some momentum, with Russell, Aiden Jarvis and Nickolet scoring to put the Thunder up. The Sunshine Coast scored to tie it, but Nolan Parr scored to put the Thunder up 5-4 after 60 minutes.