Wildcats reach semi-final round at Kiwanis tourney

BY JOHN DECOSTE

NovaNewsNow.com

The Valley Sport Swappers Wildcats have reached the semi-final round at the Kiwanis International midget hockey tournament in Gatineau, Quebec.

The Wildcats advanced with a round robin record of a win and two ties.

Valley played to a 2-2 draw with Fredericton Canadiens Wednesday, tied Toronto Marlboros 2-2 Thursday then defeated the Central Training Academy IcePak from Newfoundland 4-2 Friday.

Against Fredericton, Nick Parker’s power play goal at 6:20 of the third period held up for the tie. Matt Drapeau had the other Valley goal. Charles Grant stopped 33 of 35 shots on goal.

Against Toronto, the Wildcats led 2-1 before the Marlboros scored the tying goal with less than a minute remaining in the third period. Matt Pace and Colby Harris had the Wildcats’ goals, both in the second period.

The Wildcats again got solid goaltending, with Travis Hall stopping 36 of 38 shots and earning player of the game honours for his team.

Playoff berth on the line

Against Central Training Academy, with a playoff berth on the line, the Wildcats fell behind 2-0 in the second period before finding the scoreboard on Mike MacLean’s goal at 8:34 of the second period.

Nick Parker tied the score before the period was out, at 12:42, with MacLean and Kayleb Lazaric drawing assists.The Wildcats then had the only two goals of the third period, with Harris scoring at 4:53 assisted by Pace and Parker adding some insurance at 9:03 on assists from Lazaric and Chad Greenough.

The win and two ties ran the Wildcats’ undefeated streak to seven games. The team had won four games in a row in league play immediately prior to making the trip to Gatineau.

The Kiwanis International is the most prestigious tournament the Wildcats attend each year, and is always heavily scouted for draft-eligible players.

Forty top midget teams from Canada and the United States are competing in this year’s event. Other Novs Scotia Major Midget League teams competing include Halifax McDonalds, Dartmouth Subways, Pictou County Weeks and Cole Harbour McCains.

The semi-final round of the tournament is set to begin Saturday (Jan. 10), with the championship games set for Sunday.