The Juan de Fuca Atom C6 Grizzlies earned themselves a post-Christmas present, winning gold at the Cowichan Valley Minor Hockey Association’s annual Winter Showdown tournament.
They were among roughly 150 nine and 10 year olds who took time off from playing with their new gifts to play some hockey on Dec. 27 and 28.
Ten teams, from Comox Valley to Victoria, played a round robin at Fuller Lake Arena in Chemainus and the Island Savings Centre in Duncan, with Juan de Fuca entering three of their six recreational Atom teams (C4, C5 and C6).
With a perfect tournament record, the Comox Valley team (4-0) met the Grizzlies C6 team (3-1) in an exciting gold medal game.
The North Island team jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period, but C6 tied it up by the intermission. Each team added a goal in the second period. Tied 3-3, the teams traded goals in the third and the score was 4-4 with five minutes left.
As time wound down, Juan de Fuca got the puck to a forward in front of the Comox Valley net for a picture-perfect goal, giving Juan de Fuca a gold medal win in a 5-4 finish over Comox.
– Submitted by Michelle Scoville