They had nine skaters and two goaltenders.
Short-staffed, yes. Short on talent, no.
The Prince George midget Canadiens skated to a minor hockey tournament victory in Hope on the weekend. In Sunday's final, they scored with one minute left on the clock and held on for a 5-4 win against the host team.
"The whole team just worked and worked and worked -- very determined," said coach Mike Bryce. "I'm not sure if I could name one player in particular that stood out. They all contributed immensely to the outcome. If I had to pick one for the most unwavering, consistent effort, it would be defenceman Kyler Wilkinson. We played the whole tournament with three defencemen and his effort and determination was nothing short of inspirational."
Jordy Picton scored Sunday's winning goal. On the rush, Picton took a pass from Austin Hamilton and used a backhand deke to find twine.
In the semifinal round, the Canadiens dumped Langley 12-1.
In round robin, the Canadiens beat Surrey 9-0, cruised past Chilliwack 7-3, skated to a 2-2 deadlock with Hope and silenced Semiahmoo 12-0.
Other team members are Jake Picton, Kyle Serup, Jonathan Ardell, Taylor Barber, Brendan Doucet, Devin Hartney, Clayton Hapke and Luca Bertschinger. The coaching staff is rounded out by Shane Lapierre and Steve Ardell.
