By Glen Erickson /
There are many kinds of pressure to deal with in the wacky world of sports. Lining up against an overwhelming favourite is one type of pressure: playing the underdog role. There is also the pressure that comes with winning when all the signs suggest that is exactly what you
should accomplish.
Such was the case for the Okanagan AAAA Rockets at the 31st annual Kelowna International Major Midget Tournament. As the only AAAA entry in the 12-team field, the tournament was effectively theirs to lose. And given that a local area team had never won the event over the course of its storied past, coach Misko Antisin and his charges indeed faced a
tall order.
Following an opening 4-3 overtime loss to the defending champion Thunder Bay Kings, in a game the Rockets led 3-0 after two periods, the group buckled down and reeled off six straight wins to emerge victorious.
In one crossover semi-final, the AAAA Rockets faced the Kelowna Fripp Warehousing AAA Rockets and dispatched their local rivals by a 7-3 count. In the championship game against the Calgary Edge Mountaineers, the Rockets scored early and often. Leading 4-1 after the first period and 6-2 after the second, the locals put the finishing touches on an 8-4 victory.
The AAAA Rockets won the Tim Horton’s Division, while Thunder Bay finished second. Calgary went undefeated to win the Kelowna Daily Courier Division, while the AAA Rockets finished second. In the other crossover semi-final, Calgary hammered Thunder Bay, 9-2.
Teams from across Canada attended the five-day event, coming from Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. |