PORT McNEILL—While they may have been a bit disappointed by their final period, the Port Hardy Wolves hockey team had plenty to feel good about while claiming the second-place trophy Sunday in the annual Port McNeill Minor Hockey atom tournament at Chilton Regional Arena.
Goals by Brandon Brotchie, David Klatt and Zachary Noel were not enough to overcome the Campbell River Hornets, who scored four third-period goals en route to a 6-3 win in the championship final.
The game was tied 2-2 entering the third period, and the Hornets parlayed a series of odd-man rushes to finally overcome the goaltending of Wolves netminder Griffin Handley.
The Campbell River Devils placed third, the Comox Avalanche was fourth and the host Port McNeill Ice Champs finished fifth in the fundraising tourney, which drew just five teams but plenty of community sponsorship and support at its raffle table.
Sunday's final was a rematch of a round-robin meeting between the Wolves and Hornets. That was another nip-and-tuck affair with a mirror-image finish, as the Hornets rode three goals in the final period to a 4-2 win.
In their other round-robin games, Port Hardy topped Port McNeill 15-3 and dumped Comox 8-1.
Port McNeill didn't manage a win in the tourney, but did produce its share of highlights. Tristan Mardell scored on a late rush to avert a shutout in the fourth-fifth-place game Sunday, a 12-1 win by Comox, and goalie Brett Daffurn made a series of acrobatic saves while under constant pressure from the Avalanche.
2014 Port McNeill Minor Hockey Atom Tournament
Jan. 10-12
At Chilton Regional Arena
Championship
Campbell River Hornets 6, Port Hardy 3
Port Hardy goals: Brandon Brotchie, David Klatt, Zachary Noel. Assist: Rory Sinden.
Third place
Campbell River Devils 8, Comox 1
Fourth-fifth
Comox 12, Port McNeill 1
Port McNeill goal: Tristan Mardell.
Round-robin
Port Hardy 15, Port McNeill 3
Port Hardy goals: Brotchie 6, Noel 4, Sagel Wilson 3, Klatt, Sinden. Assists: Wilson, Noel, David Hurley, Brotchie. Port McNeill goals: Xander Rutherford 2, Chelsea Noel. Assist: Mardell.
Comox 7, Port McNeill 3
Port McNeill goals: Noel, Matthew Datos, Ethan Hunt.
CR Hornets 4, CR Devils 1
Port Hardy 8, Comox 1
Port Hardy goals: Noel 5, Klatt, Grant Joseph, Brotchie. Assists: Klatt, Sagel Wilson, D. Hurley.
CR Hornets 16, Port McNeill 2
Port McNeill goals: Rutherford, Datos.
CR Devils 6, Comox 1
CR Hornets 4, Port Hardy 2
Port Hardy goals: Noel, Brotchie.
CR Devils 16, Port McNeill 1
Port McNeill goal: Owen Johnson.