PORT McNEILL—They did not get a clean sweep, but the North Island’s midget house hockey team made the most of a rare opportunity to get in a series of games at Chilton Regional Arena Jan. 18-19.
Technically, the midgets play under the auspices of Port McNeill Minor Hockey. But with Port Hardy unable to fill a squad this year due to low turnout, the handful of Port Hardy midgets — normally Port McNeill’s most regular opponent throughout the season — have been folded into a Whalers team that already includes players from Alert Bay and Port Alice.
On Jan. 18, this combined North Island team hosted Campbell River and Gold River and a three-team, round-robin jamboree and came away with a split. On Jan. 19, the midgets returned to Chilton Arena and topped the North Island Eagles rep bantams, 9-1, in an exhibition contest.
In Saturday’s jamboree opener, the midgets were unable to hold an early 2-0 lead as Campbell River rallied for a 7-3 win. After Campbell River topped Gold River in the second game, the host Whalers returned to the ice and rolled to an 11-5 victory over Gold River.