Powell River U13 Kings faced the host West Vancouver Thunder in their first game at the 23 BC Hockey Tier 3 provincial championships on Sunday, March 19.
After West Vancouver jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Lucas Gruntman and Gabriel Calderone cut the deficit to 3-2 with a pair of goals for the Kings late in the second period at West Vancouver Ice Arena.
The hosts regrouped in the third period, scoring six consecutive goals over a span of 18 minutes for a 9-2 lead.
Powell River's Reid Stekman and Kooper Kozmeniuk each scored in the final two minutes of the game, both courtesy of setups by Gruntman, to make the final 9-4. Kozmeniuk assisted on Gruntman’s goal in the second period.
Powell River faces Mission in its second game of the tournament at 8 am on Monday, March 20.
U13 Kings earned their way into the tournament by winning the Vancouver Island Amateur Hockey Association Tier 3 championship.
