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The Stars of Tomorrow are here Today

Vernon Coca-Cola Classic Pee Wee Invitational Hockey Tournament is the best around.
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It’s a simple, but fitting motto: ‘The Stars of Tomorrow are here Today.’

Graduates of the Coca-Cola Pee Wee Invitational Hockey Tournament include the likes of Barry Pederson, who wore No. 4 and skated coast to coast for the Nanaimo Clippers in the 1974 tourney.

Everybody pegged him as a future pro and Pederson proved them right. He racked up 147 points with the WHL champion Victoria Cougars in 1981, a season after being a first-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins.

Pederson, a native of Big River, Sask., and the nephew of former WHL Vancouver Canuck captain Larry McNabb, played 12 seasons in the NHL, ringing up two 100-point-plus seasons with Boston and winning one Stanley Cup with the Penguins.

Now a Bruins broadcaster, Pederson is joined by such Coca-Cola Classic alumni as Morgan Rielly, Josh Morrissey, Matt Barzal, Curtis Lazar, Landon Ferraro, Matt Dumba, Ray Whitney, Kerry Russell, Doug Bodger, Robin Bawa, Brent Gilchrist, Jeff Finley, Matt Higgins, Jason Podollan, Brad Larsen, Matt Higgins, Jerred Smithson, Dennis Holland, Troy Mick and Gord Kluzak.

The 46th Classic opens Thursday at Civic Arena with the Vernon Watkin Motors Mustangs facing the Chilliwack Bruins at 8 a.m.

The California Wave, Cochrane Rockies of Alberta, Seafair Islanders of Richmond, Sherwood Park Spartans, West Kootenay Rapids and the Montana Thunderblades round out the Classic roster. The Thunderblades are coached by NHL Hall of Famer Lanny McDonald.

Vernon goes up against California in the feature game Thursday, 6 p.m., following opening ceremonies.

The Mustangs are 31-6-3 overall, going 12-3-3 in league play and 2-1 in the playoffs.

Jarred Feist leads the Mustangs with 65 goals, while Austin Roest is the top playmaker with 60 assists and a plus-121 rating.

Roest skates up the middle with Bennett Kuhnlein and Erik Pastro, while Feist centres a line with Cash Anderson and Nick Noren. The other Vernon forward line sees Kyle Wheeler between JJ Milne and Deagan McMillan.

Jace Weir and Riley Cormier are one defensive pairing, while Brock Holliday plays alongside Tyler Burke. Braden Schmiegelt and Cosmo Wilson are regular partners on the back end.

In net, the Mustangs boast a marvellous tandem with Austin Seibel (16-3-2, 3.58 GAA, .870 save percentage) and Matthew Kuhnlein (15-3-1, 3.87 GAA, .850 save percentage).

“The boys have been eagerly awaiting the Coca-Cola Classic to arrive,” said Vernon head coach Trevor Seibel. “The rich history of the tournament, coupled with the Winter Carnival atmosphere, will provide a memorable experience for the boys. The Mustangs are ecstatic for the opportunity to play against teams from other parts of Canada and the U.S.A., knowing they have the hometown crowd behind them.”

Seibel says hard work, speed and determination are the foundation of the Mustangs, who finished second in the Okanagan Mainline Tier 2 league and disposed of the Kelowna Rockets in three games to open the playoffs last weekend.

Vernon clipped Kelowna 3-2 Sunday at Civic to take the first-round series.

‎Kelowna opened the scoring midway through the first after a turnover in the Mustang end. A few minutes later, Weir, looking like a modern-day Bobby Orr, went end-to-end to level the score.

Just 30 seconds after the ice clean, Feist pounced on a loose puck at the Kelowna blueline and buried a wicked shot.

Weir added another snipe midway through the third on a sweet feed from Roest, converting a bomb from the ringette line.

Kelowna netted a controversial goal with a minute to go as it looked like the net was dislodged before the puck went in. After the referees consulted, it was deemed a good goal. Seibel was solid in net.

Kelowna won 4-0 at Saturday at Prospera Place despite the Mustangs dominating much of the play. Kuhnlein took the loss.

The Mustangs took the opener 5-0 Friday night on goals by Feist, 1:40 in, Feist again on a corker eight minutes later, Bennett Kuhnlein, Roest, on a penalty shot, and Schmiegelt. Seibel recorded the shutout.

Meanwhile, the Fix Auto Vipers swept their opening Bantam Tier 3 playoff series against the South Okanagan with 6-5 and 3-1 victories.

Teja Sheldrake was stellar in net Saturday in Osoyoos, registering some huge stops as the Vipers killed off a 5-on-3.

Jacob Green, Ronac Chauhan, with the winner, and Lochlan O’Keefe, with help from Gage Stoll and Chris Bond, supplied the goals.

Kassidy Schaper-Kotter earned the Game 1 win Friday night at Civic with South Okanagan getting three unanswered third-period goals to make things interesting.

O’Keefe, Green, Chauhan, Jaxxon Collard, Reily Teager, after a feed by Jacob Wettlaufer off a Liam Remple point shot, and Cody Beckner, with the winner off a fray in front, completed the offence. Maddex Minard and Collard drew assists on Collard’s tally.

In Midget Tier 3 playoff action, the Coke Vipers dispatched the Merritt Centennials 5-2 in a physical tilt Sunday at Priest Valley Arena.

Drew MacKenzie, with a deuce, Chris Moore, Dayton Bryan and Lincoln Connor handled the offence in front of Jordan Foster.

Zach Agar and Lucas Halvorson each pocketed two helpers. Bryan was stretchered off following an open-ice hit and is doubtful for Game 2 Saturday in Merritt.