The Okanagan Nighthawks celebrated their Ice Breaker championship win by sipping out of the trophy.
“They were really excited and passing it around after the game,” said coach Rod Kenney. “We got to the room and they were passing it around drinking water out of it. It was pretty cool.”
The Nighthawks rolled over the Okanagan Lakers (Salmon Arm/Vernon) 9-3 at Memorial Arena Sunday with Liam Ruck, Cole Beresford and Mathis Preston each scoring twice, while Brodie Kenney, Jaxon Unruh-Ross and Will Mohns also scored. Evan Russell was named the most valuable player in the championship game, while Delainey Walton was perfect in goal, winning all four games.
The Nighthawks opened with a 16-0 thumping of the Okanagan All Stars, with Kenney earning MVP honours, then they topped the Kelowna Heat 6-5 in the final round robin game before handing them a lofty 14-1 loss in the playoff round. What Kenney liked most over the weekend was how the team gelled quickly and bought into the team game.
“It was exciting for us to watch because they are so young,” said Kenney. “Just our forecheck and puck pursuit … it was better than expected. We really wanted to focus on a good forecheck, playing a team game and just having fun and I think we definitely accomplished all of those goals this weekend.”
The Nighthawks also received strong defensive play from Dani Maynard, Mohns, Nolan Vieira and Evan Russell.
The Calgary Havoc won the bronze medal over the Kelowna Heat.