Morning Star Staff
Power forward Tristan Van Niekerk was pretty much in a league of his own in the Smiles for Miles Memorial Midget Rec Hockey Tournament.
The towering roadrunner pulled the hat trick Sunday as the Langley Eagles stopped the Talon Benefits Thrashers 6-1 in the gold-medal final at Civic Arena.
Yonni Silberman, Lex Rohweder and Matt Green added singles as Langley rang up a 2-0 first-period lead. Elliot Fast added two helpers.
Brendan Horsfield replied for the Thrashers, who are undefeated atop the local Super League.
“It was a tough final game,” said Thrasher coach Frank Kaempf. “Langley came out hard and we had a difficult time getting back into the game. The volunteers put in a lot of effort to make this a great experience for everyone and to remember Miles. Anyone who has ever spent time with Miles in a dressing room, will remember his bright smile and true love for the sports he played. It was an awesome weekend to remember this smile and watch his teammates play in front of his family and friends.”
Miles Wohlford was killed in a boating accident two years ago on Okanagan Lake. He was 14.
The Eagles erased a 2-0 deficit with a few powerplay snipes and upended the Vernon Authentic Trophy & Plaque Hawks 5-3 in semifinal play Sunday morning.
Nick Mitchell, Sam Frisby and Cody Webb handled the Hawks’ offence in front of MVP Dalton Stenberg. D-man Travis Aiechele took the Miles Memorial pennant as Most Inspirational.
Mac Gilchrist scored twice as the Thrashers dispatched the Vernon Corbett Office Plus Kings 5-1 in the other semi. Chris Niehausmann, Lorin Capaletti and Dakota Becker counted singles.
Landon Currie, on a great individual effort around the back of the net, scored for the Kings. MVP was Aaron Botterill, while the Miles award went to Isaac White.
The Hawks lost 6-2 to Langley in Saturday preliminary play.
Goalie Nick Maglio took the MVP gift card from Tim Hortons, while Steven Benischek won the Miles pennant.
The Kings tripped up the Summerland Jets 3-1 and grounded the Trail Smoke Eaters 4-2 in Saturday round-robin games.
MVP honours went to Tavyn Best and Lucas Towers, while a Miles award went to Alyssa Racine.
The Nedco Blazers tied Princeton 3-3 Sunday morning to share ninth place in the 10-team tournament
Inspirational player award went to Nic Poirier, while G Eric Foufoulas pocketed the MVP.
The Blazers lost 8-2 to Langley and fell 5-3 to Trail in Satuday tilts. Inspirational player awards went to Adam Young and Poirier, while MVPs were won by Colton Schaper-Cotter and Foufoulas.
Seb Wenger and Haydon Vardon each bagged deuces as the Hawks clipped the Kings 4-3 in inner-city play Monday night at Civic.
Wenger converted a sweet 2-on-1 pass by Nick Mitchell for the winner. Currie pulled the hat trick for the Kings.
The Vernon Five Star Awards Rebels dismantled Salmon Arm Three Buoys Storage 6-2, in Bantam Super League play. Sunday.
Down 1-0 late in the first, Vernon’s Maisun Ang-Hamilton executed a give-and-go with Jayden Veit and tied it with a screamer to the top corner. In the second, Owen Swiscoski took over.
First, Sapion Joe and Morgan Martens triangulated with Swiscoski, who banged in the centering feed. Next, Swiscoski tipped Tyler Hamilton’s slapper top shelf.
Then, while shorthanded, Tyler Kruysifix rushed end-to-end and found the hot-handed Rebel back at the goalmouth. Swiscoski tucked the puck around the goalie’s right pad for a natural hat trick.
After Salmon Arm narrowed the lead to 4-2 early in the third, Bailey Alexis set up Joe for a short-side snipe. Facing a breakaway, Rebel keeper Jakob Aeichele kept Three Buoys at bay with his flashing trapper.
Ang-Hamilton then went coast to coast, turned the Salmon Arm goalie inside out, and potted his second. Both teams are 5-4.
The DCT Chambers Cougars tied the Winfield Bruins 3-3 and lost 3-1 in a home and home Bantam series.
Maddex Fremont scored in the loss Saturday at Kal Tire Place on a feed from behind the net by Dylan Wapple. Vernon got great goaltending from the tandem of Jared Ross and Arianna Kositsin.
Zach Manthorne tipped in a stellar point shot by Jackson Sampert for the tying snipe Sunday in Winfield.
Captain Griffin Fletcher who won the draw back to Sampert, was deadly at the face off circle all game long.
Ashton Pede supplied the other two Cougar snipes on identical Mark Messier-style wristers to the far post.
In Atom play, Waylen Stowards produced a pair as the North Okangan White Knights iced the Vernon Interior Savings Gladiators 7-3.
Cody Collette, Kohen Pounder, Aidan Wattie, Phoenix Cardinaland Preston Taylor completed the Knights’ attack in front of Brayden Rypkema.