The Terrace bantam rep hockey team has once again proved it is the best in the northwest.
In a four-game sweep, the bantams won the Skeena Valley Hockey League’s zone title in Smithers, March 3-4.
It was an early 6 a.m. start for game one against the host team Smithers and Terrace came out strong, scoring a three goal lead within six minutes of play and taking the win 6-5.
Game two Terrace was up against Prince Rupert and skated away with a 17-0 win. Game three Terrace faced off against Kitimat, the only team to have defeated it in regular season play, however, it was another aggressive win for Terrace with a 10-2 final result.
The final game saw Terrace again facing off against Smithers, and Terrace took the match and the zone win with a 7-1 result.
The bantams will now head to provincial play downs in Burnaby, March 18 – 25.
As the team is 2011 defending provincial champs, coach Jesse Schroeder said the goal from the start of the season has been to win another provincial title.
“We definitely have some experience there, and have some players who know what it’s like to play in big hockey games,” he said.
Schroeder said the strategy at provincials is to out-work every team on the ice.
“You have to have the passion and the drive, and if you don’t have that you can have as much skill as you want but you’re not going to win hockey games,” he said.
In regular play, Terrace had the most points for its Skeena Valley Hockey League play, and won three out of five tournaments.