Bantam, Pee Wee teams capture league championships
The Bantam IceCats capture the league championship. Submitted photos
The Brandon Valley Hockey Association Pee Wee team finished league play last week with a record of is 17-3-2, securing the first ever League Championship for Brandon Valley, along with second-place finishes in the Dakota Premier Classic Tournament in Brookings and the Worthington, Minn. Pee Wee tournament.
The Brandon Valley IceCats captured South Dakota’s Bantam B league championship with a pair of wins earlier this month. The victories elevated the IceCats record to 17-0 for the season with one game remaining before the state tournament, which is Feb. 28-March 1 in Brookings. The victories also secured a top seeding for Brandon Valley heading into the tournament. The wins also secured Brandon Valley’s spot as the tournament’s top seed.
The team boasts two of the state’s top two goaltenders and several of the state’s top skaters. Goalie Treyson Boesch leads the league in goals against average with 1.21 per game and goalie Joe Weber is second at 1.24. Weber has the second-highest save percentage at .924 and Boesch is third at .911.
Andre Carbonneau leads the state in goals (46), assistants (19) and points (65). Isaac Johnson is third in for goals (20), third (tie) for assists (12) and second for points (32). Other skaters in the state’s top 10 include: Ayden Petty is third (tie) for assists (12), and Evan Gundvaldson is fifth (tie) for assists (11).
The Brandon Valley Bantam B IceCats are coached by Chris Weber, Sam Johnson and Ryan Grimmius.
Pee Wees take first championship
The IceCats Pee Wee team gained their first state championship birth on Feb. 22 in their short four years of South Dakota Amateur Hockey Association play. Keaton Hruby had a hat trick and the game winner, while Max Peters had two goals and two assists. Ethan Ericsson, Carson Kludt and Caleb Johnson also scored, with assists by Jack Reinsch and Braeden Tripp. Jaden Gluf stopped 21 of 23 shots on goal.
The IceCats Pee Wee team played the Mitchell Marlins for the championship on Feb. 23. The Marlins scored first, making it 0-1 at the end of one period. BV rallied and ended up winning 5-3.
Hruby led the scoring with two goals and an assist. Peters, Tripp and Kludt also scored, with assists by Reinsch and Ericsson. Gluf stopped 12 of 15 shots on goal.
The IceCats finished the season 19-3-2. They will travel to Omaha this weekend for the Omaha Stampede Tournament facing Omaha Jr Mavericks, Fremont Flyers and Wichita Jr Thunder in pool play.
