The Williams Lake Bantam Rep Timberwolves finally got the monkey off their backs Saturday in Williams Lake.
The T-wolves, who’ve been the runners-up in all four of their tournaments this year, saved their best for home turf at the Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association’s Bantam Tier 2 Tournament, pulling out a win in the final and capturing a championship win.
Williams Lake hosted eight teams including Abbotsford, the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy (Kelowna), Terrace, Fort St. John, Prince George, Dawson Creek and a tier 1 team from Vernon.
In their first game Friday morning Williams Lake dominated Dawson Creek but were only able to put one goal past the opposing team’s netminder, taking a 1-0 win. Williams Lake’s Griffen Outhouse handled everything thrown at him in the 1-0 win.
In game two Williams Lake took a 6-3 win over POE, scoring three goals in the final frame to put the contest on ice. Hayden Lyons earned the win in net for the T-wolves.
Game three saw Williams Lake face an unbeaten Vernon squad. Williams Lake jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, taking a 6-2 win, with Outhouse, again, earning the win.
The perfect 3-0 round robin landed Williams Lake a spot in the final Saturday morning against league rival, the Prince George Cougars.
Knowing they will be facing Prince George next weekend in the zone playdowns for a spot at provincials, Williams Lake appeared determined to come out and send a strong message to their opponents, quickly building a 4-0 lead after one period.
The T-wolves cruised the rest of the way, limiting Prince George to just a few scoring opportunities, capturing a 6-0 win. Outhouse earned his second shutout of the weekend in the contest.
The T-wolves will now compete against the Cougars this weekend in a best-of-three playoff series for a provincial berth. Games one and two are scheduled to be played in Williams Lake this Saturday, Feb. 23. Game three, if necessary, goes in Prince George Sunday.