The Terrace Kermode MacCarthy Motors Bantam rep team is the latest Terrace minor hockey team to qualify provincials, winning the best of three northwest district zone final two weekends ago against the Smithers Storm.
The teams faced off twice Saturday, March 1, with Terrace winning the first game by a score of 9 – 8, hanging on for the victory after a late rally by Smithers that included three goals scored in a two-minute span late in the third period.
Smithers kept the momentum going for game two, with a nailbiting 5 – 4 overtime victory setting up the winner-take-all final for Sunday.
On Sunday, a determined Terrace team stormed out of the gate – scoring in the first minute and adding three more unanswered goals in the first. The Kermodes continued to pressure the Smithers team throughout the game, cruising to a 9 – 1 victory.
Mason Richey and Gianni Cormano contributed a hat trick apiece and Terrace goalie Josh Fernandes recorded the victory with Smithers spoiling his shutout bid in the final minutes of the game.
Terrace finished in first place overall in the regular season Skeena Valley League (SVL) schedule with an undefeated record and was awarded pennants for both SVL League and Northwest District Zone champion for the 2013/2014 season.
Terrace competed in five invitational tournaments this season (Quesnel, Salmon Arm, Terrace, Prince George and Williams Lake) recording two second place and two third place finishes.
The team will now be travelling to West Kelowna to compete in the Tier 3 Bantam provincial championship during the week of March 15 to 21.