Smithers’ Midget Storm team recently travelled to Cranbrook to take part in the BCAHA Tier 3 Midget Hockey Provincial Championships. The Storm had surprised the competition at the Skeena Valley Zones early in March, winning the zone banner after starting out at last place in point standings.
In Cranbrook, the team started out strong on March 21, winning 7-5 over Grand Forks in an early morning game. Later the same day, the boys took on Windermere, winning 4-1. The next day, the team beat Merritt in a 5-4 matchup.
On March 23, the Storm met their match with West Vancouver, losing the game 8-4, and ending round robin play in a three way tie with Merritt and West Vancouver. All three teams had three wins and one loss, but when the goals for and against average was tallied up, West Vancouver came out on top, followed by Merritt, leaving Smithers with a fifth place finish out of a field of 11 of the best Midget teams in B.C.
At the end of the tournament, Merritt was in fourth place, while West Vancouver, the only team to beat Smithers, won a 7-1 victory over Sooke.
Parents of team members said the community in Cranbrook was very supportive, with the owner of the hotel the team stayed at sending his twin 10 year old boys to watch all the Storm games. Two of the players gave the boys their practice jerseys at the end of the tournament. The owner of the hockey shop in the arena also congratulated the team, bringing them Dairy Queen treats while they were watching the semifinals.