North Delta's U21 minor hockey team won another B.C. championship banner on home ice Sunday night (March 23).
In front of a large crowd at Sungod Arena, the North Deltans were forced to kill a number of penalties and persevered to beat Chilliwack Bruins 5-2 in the final game of a thrilling best-of-three weekend series.
For North Delta, Sunday's big win followed a 4-2 loss Saturday night at Sardis Sports Complex in Chilliwack, and a series-opening 3-2 victory Friday at Sungod.
The provincial-title win was the second in three years for the Barry Caswell-coached Sun Devils, who also hoisted the 2023 banner in B.C.'s U21 division.
"What a way to cap off an incredible season that started last August," Caswell posted on Facebook.
"This is close to the purest form of hockey. The guys play for the love of the game and for their teammates. They juggle school, work, pay for much of their own gear and often drive in harrowing weather just to make it to away games. Many of them have been lacing up together since they were wearing Timbits jerseys. And for 12 players (who are now aged out of minor hockey), that was their final game for North Delta.
"It’s a privilege to coach this phenomenal group of young men, and I couldn't be happier for them."
On March 9, North Delta won the regional Pacific Coast banner in a five-team round-robin playoff, setting up a B.C. championship series with second-place Chilliwack.
The Sun Devils players are Kage Prefontaine, Sam Diestro, Tahir Bajwa, Brad Saunier, Matthew Morettin, Owen Reid, Quinn Miller-Shapansky, Aiden Benza, Bryce Mueske, Tomas Isaak, Nolan Caswell, Ty Fletcher, Peyton Sami, Jaden Pawluk, Vince Rodrigues, Jacob Zillich, Peter Dueck, Nik Dukanovic and Trenton Nissi. Team officials are head coach Barry Caswell, assistant Travis Miller, safety personnel Ethan Caswell, Gurnoor Bhoey and Andrew Madden, and manager Catherine Miller.
The team's games are streamed on facebook.com/SundevilsU21A1.
North Delta's U21s were among several Surrey and Delta-area minor hockey teams that competed for B.C. championship banners over the past two weeks, representing five different associations. BC Hockey-sanctioned championship tournaments were played in 15 cities across the province over the spring break — for U13, U15 and U18 teams in four tiers each, plus three female-only divisions.
Two Surrey Falcons female hockey teams played for B.C. championship banners Sunday (March 23) in two different cities, both against teams from Kelowna. The association's U13 squad won gold with a 4-2 victory at Kin Centre in Prince George, while the U15 team finished second in the province after falling 3-1 at Richmond Ice Centre.
In the U18 Tier 1 division, Cloverdale fell 3-0 to Victoria in the championship final, played in Coquitlam.
The Semiahmoo U13 A1 squad played for the provincial Tier 1 title in Campbell River, where the Ravens lost 9-4 to Burnaby Winter Club in the final game, scoring silver. In Kelowna, the South Surrey/White Rock association's A2 squad finished fourth in the fight for B.C.'s U13 Tier 2 title.
BC Hockey also sanctions the PJHL junior A league playoffs, where Ridge Meadows Flames and Delta Ice Hawks are battling for the Stonehouse Cup. With Delta up 2-1 in the series, Game 4 is Tuesday night (March 25) at Ladner Leisure Centre, 7:35 p.m. puck drop, with Game 5 back at Cam Neely Arena Planet Ice on Friday.
Champions of the PJHL and the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) will play for the Mowat Cup in Best of 5 series in April. The series kicks off with the PJHL champion hosting Games 1 and 2, then shifts to the KIJHL champions' turf for remaining games, including Games 4 and 5, if necessary.
