Morning Star Staff
The North Okangan Zone Kings were 1-1 going into Saturday night play in their invitational Midget Tier 1 hockey tournament at Civic Arena.
Jared Barendregt’s Kings lost 4-2 to the Calgary Buffaloes Saturday morning after shelling Delta Academy 7-3 Friday night. They face Central Zone (Kelowna) tonight, 5:15, Civic. The final goes Sunday at 12:45 p.m.
Alex Danis bagged two goals to spark the Buffaloes, who led 2-0 after 20 minutes. It was 2-2 after two periods.
Captain Joe Eggert buried a backhander for Vernon’s first snipe, while Kohen Martin banged in the equalizer on a rebound of a Jaron Bootsma shot.
The Kings outshot Calgary 51-34 with Tyler Sedlacek making a huge breakaway stop in the second period.
It was the Nic Teale show Friday night as the speedy forward sniped five goals, including a natural hat trick in the first 11 minutes as the Kings grounded Delta.
Eggert’s deke was stymied and Teale pounded home the rebound as the Kings came out flying. He made it 2-0 less than two minutes later on the powerplay again, jumping on a juicy rebound by Eggert with alternate captain Dawson Chase picking up the secondary assist as the North Zone boys deftly moved the puck around.
Assistant captain Dylan Sedlacek sprung Teale on a breakaway to make it 3-0 Kings as Teale ripped a low glove snapper for the natural trick. Grandpa Dennis Teale gladly tossed his lid on the ice in appreciation.
Delta refused to go quietly however as they answered with a beauty of their own on the power play with a low one time slapper by Grayson Bush from the right circle off a cross ice feed by Easton Elmer. They closed the gap to one with 1:38 left in the first frame again on the power play as Elmer wired a slapshot from the point beating a screened Tyler Sedlacek.
The Kings got an early second period powerplay and took advantage of the fresh ice as Teale picked up his third rebound and fourth of the game, tucking a backhander high blocker.
Caden Bracken stuffed home an open net backhander at 12:52 off a Cameron Moger rebound to give the Kings a 5-2 cushion and chasing the Delta starting tender.
Blueliner and alternate captain Aiden Rysen added to the tally on the powerplay with a snapshot over the blocker with assists from Eli Dwyer and Kohen Martin, giving the North Zone a solid gput-goal lead going into the final frame.
The Kings were on cruise control in the third until Dwyer took a major for checking from behind, sending a Delta player hard into the boards injuring his leg. Delta took advantage on the five-minute powerplay by recording their third PP marker with a high blocker wrister by Dion Fowler through traffic.
Teale pocketed his fifth on a tap-in off a rush by Cole Johnson that he left laying behind the tender on the line.