A second-place finish by the Synergy Safety Solutions midget Tier 1 Cowichan Valley Capitals in their home tournament was one of many highlights for local teams over the winter break.
The midget Capitals finished first in their pool with a 6-1 win over Pacific Coast Hockey Academy, a 2-1 victory over Burnaby Winter Club, and a 2-2 draw with North Shore Winter Club. A rematch with PCHA in the tournament final was a heartbreaker, however, as the Sea Devils broke a scoreless tie with less than three minutes left to play.
Earlier in the break, the Cowichan midgets entered the Richmond International tournament, where they finished first in their pool with wins over Alaska and Semiahmoo, a tie against North Vancouver and a loss to California. The Capitals ran into penalty trouble in the quarterfinals, however, and were eliminated in a loss to Arizona.
Kerry Park hosted a bantam C tournament on Jan. 4 and 5, with the Islanders finishing a close third. Points were awarded for each period and game won, as well as for finishing a game with fewer than 14 minutes in penalties, something nearly all the teams managed to finish.
Saanich ended up atop the standings, followed by the Victoria, Kerry Park and Cowichan Valley entries, all within a single point, and Peninsula in fifth place. Saanich and Victoria played off in the final, won by Saanich.
Cowichan Valley teams placed second and third in the 10-team atom tournament they hosted on Jan. 2-4. The Cowichan C3 Snipers finished third, while the C2 TNT Bombers were second, narrowly falling to the Comox Valley White Lightning in the final.
In other tournaments, Cowichan won gold at its own bantam C tournament on Dec. 29 and 30, the bantam C1 team claimed silver in Peninsula earlier this month, and the pee wee Tier 2 Capitals competed in a tournament at Saanich.