Regals hockey
Powell River Regals won a best-of-three series in two straight home games Saturday, February 20, and Sunday, February 21, versus North Island Capitals. Regals took the first game of the series 6-3, thanks in part to a strong game by returning goaltender Chad Vizzutti, playing his first full game since coming out of retirement. Sunday’s game was a closer battle. Regals were down 2-1 going into the third period, scoring four minutes in to tie the game. Regals got the 3-2 go-ahead goal with five minutes left, only to see the Capitals tie it up with 15 seconds remaining in the game. Regals player Steve Schmidt scored the overtime winner just 40 seconds into the extra frame, giving the team a series win. “It was our first two games in three weeks, so it was a bit scrambly,” said coach Tod English. “It was good to be down and come back, and it was a fun series.” The victory advances the Regals to another series versus Whitehorse on March 11, the winner of that to go on to the four-team Coy Cup tournament, starting March 22. “We’re pretty excited about our team right now,” said coach Tod English. “We’re a contender, there’s no doubt.”
Minor hockey
Town Centre Bantam Kings advanced to the Vancouver Island finals with a 3-2 win over Saanich on Sunday, February 21. Bantam Kings were led by Nicolas Porchetta, who scored two goals, including the winner. Liam Schreiber scored Powell River’s other goal, Cam Stevenson had a strong game in net and defencmen Gab Shipley and Brett Anderson led in the back end. Bantam Kings will now play Campbell River in a best-of-three final. The team’s next home game is Saturday, February 27, at 1:30pm. The winner of the series moves on to the provincial championship.
Curling bonspiel
More than 60 local and Vancouver Island curlers participated in the first annual Jim Betteridge Memorial Open Bonspiel on Saturday, February 20. Three games were played by each of the 16 teams and the winning team featured skip Jim Schutz, lead Nick Breckhuizen of Nanaimo, second Phil Harris and third Marian DeVita. The bonspiel also included approximately 20 curlers who had never played the sport before. The event raised $4,330 for the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of BC in memory of Betteridge, a longtime Powell River curler who died in July 2015.
