The depth of talent in Seafair Minor Hockey's Pee Wee Division will be on full display at next week's provincial championships.
The association will have three teams competing for tier titles in B.C. Hockey's showcase event.
Seafair's highly touted A1 team has more than lived to its pre-season hype and will be one of the main contenders at the tier one championships which take place at UBC's Thunderbird Arena in Vancouver.
The Islanders captured the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association Final Four playoff championship with three straight wins on home ice. Seafair knocked off Langley (2-1) and the North Shore Winter Club (5-2), before defeating Burnaby Winter Club 4-1 in a showdown of unbeaten teams.
The locals went 16-2-2 in the regular season to finish just behind BWC (17-1-2). The teams also split their three league meetings, going 1-1-1. Their rivalry will continue at UBC as two of seven clubs set to do battle. The other entries include Prince George, Cowichan Valley, Kelowna, Cranbrook and host Vancouver Thunderbirds. The Islanders open play at 4:30 p.m. Sunday against Cranbrook.
The gold medal game is slated next Thursday at 8 p.m. Meanwhile, a successful playoff run has earned the A3 Islanders a spot in the tier three provincial championships in Nelson.
Seafair captured its PCAHA Final Four tournament with a 2-0 win over the Arbutus Club. An extra game was needed after both teams completed round-robin play with 1-0-2 records including a 2-2 tie in their first meeting. Seafair also posted a 4-0 win over Port Moody and battled Langley to a 2-2 draw.
The Islanders and Arbutus will continue their rivalry in Nelson. Other participating teams include Cranbrook, Dawson Creek, Vanderhoof, Quesnel, Nelson, Victoria, Whitehorse and South Okanagan. The gold and bronze medal games take place next Friday.
The Pee Wee A4 Islanders already knew they were in the provincials as the host team but still came close to winning the playoff banner.
Seafair and the North Shore Winter Club also required an extra playoff game to determine a winner after both teams went 2-0-1 in round-robin play. North Shore prevailed 3-2. The Islanders will get a chance to avenge the loss Sunday morning when the two teams meet at Minoru Arenas to open the tier four championships.
Other participating teams include: Burns Lake, Revelstoke, Victoria, Elk Valley and Prince George. The top two teams meet in next Thursday's final at 8 p.m.
