U17 Canadians Sweep Blazers in Kamloops

The U17 AAA Greater Vancouver Canadians swept the Thompson Blazers this past weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 1) in Kamloops, maintaining a share of first place in the BCEHL’s 17 division. 

The Canadians are now 3-0-0-1, tied with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (3-0-1-0) for top spot in the division.

On Saturday at the McArthur Island Sport and Event Centre, the Canadians scored four straight goals, including three in the second period, and hung on for a 4-2 victory. Nishaan Gill scored twice, and Sean Wickenden and Luca Martyniuk each had a goal for GVC. Wickenden and Martyniuk each added an assist. In goal, Alan Peregrym improved to 2-0-0-1 on the season.

On Sunday at the Sandman Centre, the Canadians completed the sweep with a 6-4 victory, using a three-goal second period to go ahead for good. Nicholas Drapack opened the scoring midway through the first period before the Blazers tied it at 1-1 three minutes later. Trevor Chin then put GVC up 2-1 at the 11:40 mark of the second, but Thompson tied things up with 4:41 remaining in the period. Sorash Ramlal, however, put the Canadians ahead for good less than a minute later, and Aidan Mark scored with 2:35 left in the second for a 4-2 lead. Luca Martyniuk and Nishaan Gill both scored in the third to close out the 6-4 win, with goaltender Liam Leslie picking up the victory in his first action of the season.

Next up, the U17 Canadians will take on the U17 Vancouver NE Chiefs this weekend (Oct. 7-8) in a home-and-home series. The first game on Saturday will be at the Scotia Barn in Burnaby at 3:30 p.m., while the series finale on Sunday will be at the Richmond Olympic Oval at 11:15 a.m. Both games can be seen on playfullscreen.com.