Coastal Shredders AA spring hockey team, coached by Greg Fox, possesses a “team first” philosophy composed of a strong group of players born in 2001 from Campbell River, Courtenay, Parksville, Gold River and Powell River. Their season commenced at the end of March with vigorous, high-tempo practices, fitness training and an exhibition game in preparation for their first spring tournament.
Three Powell River boys travelled to the Lower Mainland last weekend to take part in the Mainland Cup held at Coquitlam’s Planet Ice. Forward Caleb Parkhouse, defenceman Michael Behan and goaltender Cameron Stevenson played four round-robin games in an effort to qualify to participate in the Mainland Cup gold-medal game.
During game one, Behan earned one assist and Stevenson played a strong game between the pipes, allowing only one goal in a convincing 8-1 triumph over the Pacific Knights.
Behan led the team offensively during game two of round-robin play, potting one goal to go along with two more assists to shred the Seattle Spitfires 6-0. Parkhouse also scored and added an assist to help lead the Shredders to victory.
Outstanding play by Stevenson in net and an early goal by Behan in the first period in game three wasn’t enough as the Shredders fell 3-2 to a strong Pacific Alliance squad.
The Shredders needed to win game four against the Legends in order to propel them to the finals, and the Shredders would not be denied. Parkhouse and Behan both played exceptionally well, with Behan adding one more assist to his stats as the Shredders blitzed the Legends by an 11-1 score to send them to the gold-medal game.
The final was a see-saw battle that was tied 2-2 after two periods. Exceptional defensive play by Behan and Parkhouse and several saves in a 28-save performance by Stevenson were key in the Coastal Shredders winning gold in their first tournament of the spring hockey season.
Coach Fox couldn’t have been more pleased with how the team came together so swiftly and played so hard for each other. “We have asked a lot from these boys at practice, and this weekend their hard work paid off. They played for their team rather than for themselves, and for that I am proud of them.”
Many businesses supported the team and coach Fox, assistant coaches Dave McMurdo, Chris and Brayden McCartney, goalie coach Nathan Hoff, and all of the players and parents of the team are very grateful for their help.
