The North Island Atom Eagles had a tough semi-finals playoff game against league rivals the Powell River
Kings on Saturday, March 5 in Victoria, losing 8-2 in what was "a decent effort," said Team Manager Sonya
Strang. "We had a few under the weather players that toughed it out to play. They should still be proud to make
it to the semi-finals, especially considering the majority of the team are first time rep players."Head Coach Doug
Grant agreed, stating after the game that the team "had some really exciting games with Powell River this year,
but they were definitely the better team in the semi-finals. We didn't get many breaks and they played a very
strong game. I thought we still had a chance when Lucca Stewart scored to cut their lead to 5-2, but we had a
few players with colds and Powell River just wore us down."The Eagles showed great sportsmanship and "a lot
of class by playing hard right to the final buzzer," added Grant. "I was proud of them when they gave Powell
River a loud cheer and wished them good luck in the finals."As for how the Eagles' season went overall, Grant
was quick to mention that when the league games first started in September, "we were unsure if we had
enough players to make a team. With only two players with development hockey experience and just enough
young prospects with unlimited energy, we lost some very one-sided games early in the season. As the season
progressed, every player stayed positive, practiced hard and gained confidence."From there, the team made
noticeable improvements after every single game. When asked what the highlight of their season was, Grant
replied that it was "definitely our Christmas tournament win over Powell River in a thrilling championship game
that these kids will remember forever," adding that "many of these nine and 10 year old boys and their families
didn't know each other at the start of the season and are now good friends. It was an enjoyable year for the
players, the coaches and parents, and everyone represented the North Island communities exceptionally
well." The Eagles are currently preparing for their season ending tournament in Nanaimo, and the boys are "full
of anticipation for next year," said Grant.