The Cowichan Valley Thunder are bound for the provincial championships
The Thunder swept through their first-round Island junior B Tier 2 lacrosse playoff series against the Campbell River Ravens, assuring themselves of at least a berth in the Island final. The Westshore Bears won the other semifinal on Monday, and with Westshore guaranteed the host berth at provincials, the Thunder will get the Island berth, regardless of who wins the final series.
The Thunder had little trouble with the Ravens, winning 17-5 at Kerry Park Arena on Saturday and 15-9 in Campbell River on Sunday.
The Thunder finished the regular season atop the Island standings with 13 wins, two ties and one loss, well ahead of the fourth-place Ravens, who won six times and lost 10.
“The boys played well,” head coach Lorne Winship said. “Obviously, we expected to win. Everybody worked hard through the season to put the team in first place so we would have home advantage in the first round of the playoffs.”
The Thunder led Saturday’s game comfortably from start to finish, and held a 14-4 lead going into the third period that put the clock to running time.
Brayden Zunti scored four goals and set up three, Taylor Martin had four goals and one assist, Colin Winship had three goals and six assists, and Tyson Black finished with six helpers. Midget call-up Wade Mason scored twice and added an assist, Jacob Taylor and Olin Webb each had a goal and two assists, Brandon Corby had a goal and one assist, Steve Robertson scored once, goalie Pollo Claxton had two assists, and Kurt Smith had one helper.
Sunday’s game was somewhat closer. The Thunder led by a single goal after 20 minutes, and were up just 8-6 after two periods. Then they found themselves with two men in the penalty box for nearly a full two minutes at the start of the third period.
“They get a goal or two on the powerplay, and it’s a new game,” Winship noted.
Not only did they kill both penalties, but the Thunder also scored a shorthanded goal to go up by three, and pretty much cruised to victory after that.
Four players recorded three goals apiece in Sunday’s win: Colin Winship added three assists, Corby and Black added two helpers apiece, and Zunti had one. Martin added two goals and one helper, and Taylor also scored. Webb finished with two assists, and Claxton had one.
One of the most impressive aspects of the weekend for Winship was the team’s lack of penalties. Discipline was the Thunder’s Achilles heel this season, but the team took just five minor penalties on Saturday and seven on Sunday.
“We were disciplined, we got good goaltending, our defence stepped up, and our offence took care of that side of the floor,” Winship said.
The players are also very confident right now, stemming from both their regular-season success and the experience many of the players have in the playoffs and provincial championships.
“We’ve got guys who think they’re going to win because they’ve done it before,” Winship said. “That goes a long way to help with our success.”
The Island final series against Westshore will start later this week, although the details had yet to be ironed out as of Tuesday morning. Winship is looking forward to going up against the Bears.
“I feel like we stack up really well against them,” he said. “We have a lot of depth and balance.”
Sponsors for the junior B Thunder this season include the Black Swan Pub, Mr. Mike’s, Poland Crane and Hauling, and Pacific Homes.