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NSWC hockey bantams dominate Chilliwack tourney
Jan-Christian Sorensen
jsorensen@nsnews.com
THE North Shore Winter Club's bantam-age Winterhawks are off to a 10-0 start to the hockey season.
After going 3-0 in exhibition play to open the 2003 season, the 'Hawks clawed their way to gold after going 7-0 at the 18th annual Chilliwack International bantam AAA tournament last weekend.
In pool play the 'Hawks defeated the Washington State Evergreens 8-3, host Coyotes 10-1, Burnaby Bandits 10-1 and Kamloops Blazers 8-3. In elimination play the local team beat the Burnaby Winter Club 7-1, Langley 10-2 in the semifinal and the defending U.S. National bantam-age champion California Wave 8-3 in the final.
All told, the 'Hawks scored 61 goals and allowed only 14. The offense was led by Drayson Bowman's 20 goals and seven assists, while Kyle Turris and Jacob Verheyden both scored nine goals apiece. On defence the team was led by John Negrin and Ryan Kerr while Martin Jones was solid between the pipes.
While most of the crew is new to the bantam ranks this season, Bowman is a second-year bantam import from the Burnaby Winter Club.
"He played very well, but the scary thing is he very easily could have had more goals. The amount of chances he generated this weekend was phenomenal," said Coupland. "He must have hit the post or the crossbar another 10 times as well, so he had a pretty special weekend.
"Our two second-year defencemen (Kerr and Negrin) were a brick wall on defence. It wasn't too many times that we gave up quality scoring chances but most of the time when we did Martin was there. We were firing on all cylinders, to say the least."
Next up for the team is the Medicine Hat International Hockey Hounds tournament, slated for Nov. 13-16.
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