The Kelowna Rockets shut down the Penticton Vees 5-0 in Sunday’s final of the Okanagan Mainline Valley Midget Female Rec Hockey Playoffs at the Pat Duke Memorial Arena in Lumby.
Vernon’s Kristi Vassberg posted the shutout as Kelowna added the playoff title to their league banner. The Rockets stopped Lillooet 5-1 in the semifinals. Vassberg, a 13-year-old, recorded an eye-popping 14 shutouts this season.
The Rockets earlier won the Abbotsford tourney and took silver in Kamloops.
The Lumby Midget Stars lost 1-0 to Penticton in the other semifinal after tying Kelowna 2-2, bouncing Salmon Arm 4-2 and icing Kamloops 7-0.
Morgan Holland, Kalen Webster, Josey Nerling, Emily Romailler, Wynter Vanderveen and Vanessa Yaremcio handled the Lumby offence with clutch assists provided by Shaina Jones, Jordyn Pryor, Mia Maltman, Josie Sexsmith and Demi Williamson.
A pair of longtime rivals will square off this weekend in Kelowna in the opening of the B.C. Major Midget League playoffs.
The Okanagan Rockets will take on the Vancouver North West Giants in a best-of-three quarterfinal series beginning Friday at the Capital News Centre. Face off is 6:30 p.m.
Game 2 goes Saturday at 3 p.m., with a third game, if needed on Sunday at 10 a.m. at CNC.
The Rockets (21-13-3-3) finished fourth during the MML regular season, four points ahead of the fifth-place Giants (20-16-2-2).
The clubs split four meetings during the 2017-18 regular season. Vancouver won 6-4 and 5-1 in Kelowna in October, before the Rockets returned the favour with 5-2 and 4-3 victories in January in North Vancouver.
“The Giants are an older team that are very well-coached,” said Rockets coach Eric Blais. “They will be a very tough opponent.”
The Rockets played well down the stretch, closing out the regular campaign with three of a possible four points against the second-place Cariboo Cougars.
“I really like the way our team played this past weekend,” Blais added. “We have been playing fairly well of late. As long as we execute and stay disciplined it should be exciting hockey to watch.”