THE Vancouver North West Giants won their fourth consecutive B.C. Major Midget League hockey title March 25, booking their ticket back to the Pacific Regional Championships.
The Giants, a team made up predominantly of North Shore players, beat the Cariboo Cougars two straight games in the B.C. MML championship series held at Burnaby Winter Club, knocking off the Cougars in the provincial final for the second straight year.
In game 1 of the series Cariboo took an early 1-0 lead and held on to it until midway through the second period when Justin White tied things up. The Giants blew the game open with three goals in the third, two from leading scorer Adam Helewka, to run away with a 4-1 win.
In game 2 the Giants went up 2-0 in the second period to take a stranglehold on the series. The Cougars replied with a goal late in the third but couldn't complete the comeback as the Giants claimed the series with a 2-1 win. Josh Thrower's goal went for the game-winner.
The win sent the Giants, coached by North Shore Winter Club hockey director Todd Harkins, to the Pacific regional which is being contested this weekend in Alberta against the Red Deer Rebels. That series is also a rematch from last year with the Giants looking to repeat their 2011 regional win that earned them a spot in the Telus Cup national championship.
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Another club with NSWC ties also scored a provincial title recently. The North Shore Winterhawks pee-wee A team cruised to a provincial title at the tier 1 championships held March 19-22 in Langley.
The Winterhawks went 6-0 in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 48-7 along the way. In the championship final the Hawks thumped the host team from Langley 70, outshooting them 63-16. Carter Berger scored a hat trick in the final while Jordy Bellerive and Brett Stadley chipped in a goal and an assist each and Justin Almeida notched two assists.
The win capped an incredible season for the Winterhawks in which they won 63 games while losing only two. One of those losses came in the elite division championship final of the Quebec International Pee-wee Hockey Tournament, regarded as the toughest peewee tournament in the world.
