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Teamwork, pinch of pressure help Clearwater U18 IceHawks win first place at BC Championships

The big win was ‘one of the greatest experiences in my whole entire life’ player says

The Clearwater IceHawks struck gold and captured the BC Championship banner before a cheering home crowd at the U18 Tier 4 provincials after winning 7-1 against the Creston Bruins in the final game.

“It was really exciting, I was lost for words. It was honestly one of the greatest experiences in my whole entire life, because we were the first ones in Clearwater to ever win one,” co-assistant captain Devin Holland told the Clearwater Times which werehosted in Clearwater from March 19 to March 23.

On Day One of the tournament Clearwater won its first game against Vanderhoof 5-4 before the opening ceremonies officially welcomed all the teams to the tournament. Clearwater District Minor Hockey Association president Elijah Wicks and six younger local hockey players welcomed the participating teams, including the Creston Bruins, Vanderhoof Bears, Windermere Valley Rockies, Kelowna Rockets and Quesnel Thunder.

The IceHawks’ second game resulted in a tie against the Kelowna Rockets. On the evenings of March 20 and March 21, Clearwater took 7-4 wins against Quesnel and Windermere Valley respectively. At that point, the IceHawks coaching team knew the Clearwater boys were guaranteed to compete in the finals.

The coaches decided to rest some key players during the last round-robin game against Creston, Carter said. This resulted in a strategic 2-8 loss which paid off during the IceHawks’ performance in the final.

The Ice Hawk’s three co-assistant captains are all 16 years old and have one last year playing in minor hockey before they graduate. All three started playing hockey young, roughly around kindergarten age — all the years they put into the sport paid off at the finals.

Co-assistant captain Owen Sim said he did not expect too much from the IceHawks’s relatively young team throughout the season, but he felt quite a lot of pressure to do well at the championships. Evidently, the IceHawks rose to the challenge rather than cracking under that pressure.

“That tournament really showed us how we could play as a team,” Sim said. “As soon as it came to a big tournament in our hometown, I think everyone realized it was big and we all came together and it payed off.”

Ahead of the final game, everyone in the dressing room knew they were about to play the biggest game they had ever played, co-assistant captain Soren Coates told the Clearwater Times.

“We worked for it, so it was really nice to come out with the win.”

The IceHawks were also awarded the Fair Play Special Award for good sportsmanship throughout the tournament.

The Clearwater team’s approach to fair play boils down to playing rough without playing dirty, Coates said.

Good sportsmanship also involves helping fellow players out when you can and abstaining from any meanness no matter how the game goes, Holland added.

Hosting the tournament was both a motivator an a comfort for the players. Coates enjoyed resting after a game in his own bed. Plus, it was a rare event for his extended family from Kamloops to be able to come watch him play, which just added to the crowd’s energy.

On the evening of March 18, the banquet for players and coaching staff was a huge success because parent volunteers stepped up to make sure things ran smoothly, Clearwater’s minor hockey manager Tera Carter said in a statement.

The tournament was also made possible by its 37 sponsors, including local governments, organizations and dozens of businesses, which she listed in her statement.

READ MORE: Let’s bring back May Day celebrations back in Clearwater



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About the Author: Morgana Adby, Local Journalism Initiative

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