Fighting through the playoffs to the goldmedal final of a January tournament that attracts 40 teams from across British Columbia, the Selkirk Recycling pee wee Tier 1 Cowichan Valley Capitals met a team from just up the highway in the final.
The Capitals battled through the Platinum tier at the 55th annual Chilliwack Pee Wee Jamboree only to face their league rivals from Nanaimo in the championship game. It worked out in Cowichan's favour, as the Capitals won 5-2 to claim the title.
Kahlil Fontana led the way in the final with a hat trick, while Luc Wilson and Corson Hopwo each had a goal and an assist.
The Capitals' biggest heroes in the tournament may have been goalies Will Gurski and Sacha Rouselle, who combined for a .902 save percentage and 2.00 goals-against average, winning the Robbie Tallas Award as the tourney's top netminders.
The tournament started with a 5-1 win over the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies. Hopwo scored twice, Jo Jo Tanaka-Campbell had a goal and two helpers, and Ty Brant was named Player of the Game.
Wilson scored twice in the next game, a 4-1 victory over Ridge Meadows. Brant and Kabore Dunn also scored, and Rouselle was named Player of the Game after making 21 saves.
The round robin wrapped up with a 6-3 win over the Kelowna Rockets. Gurski preserved his team's lead as Cowichan was outshot in the third period. A hat trick netted Player of the Game honours for Cody Shepheard, while Tanaka-Campbell had two goals and Hopwo chipped in with three assists.
The quarterfinals saw Cowichan top Surrey 9-3. Wilson had a hat trick and one assist, Fontana had two goals and a helper, and Easton recorded a goal and two assists and was named Player of the Game.
The semifinal was a rematch with the Kelowna Rockets. The Capitals went ahead on goals by Isaac Leik and Easton, only to see the Rockets force overtime, followed by a shootout. Shepheard had the lone goal of the shootout, and player of the game Gurski turned aside all three Kelowna shooters to send his team to the final.