The 2000 Junior Flames earned silver at the 20th annual Challenge Cup over the long weekend, falling 3-2 to the North Shore Vipers in the peewee minor Division 2 championship final Monday at Planet Ice in Coquitlam.
Beset by penalties, the Flames battled back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits and threatened to tie the score until the dying seconds.
Jakob Mainhout and Josh Walls scored for the Flames in the final, while Damian Richards had an assist. Evan Allen was a standout in net.
The Flames, a spring hockey team consisting of players from Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Port Coquitlam, downed the previously undefeated Metropolitans 4-1 in the semifinals. Walls had two goals in that victory, while Keenan Rea collected two assists.
The Flames opened the Challenge Cup – which features teams from novice to midget, with boys and girls divisions – with a 9-2 win Friday over the Pro4 Panthers. Taylor Lewis had three goals and an assist for the Flames, while Richard had two goals and an assist.
The Flames then fell 5-4 in a shootout to the 2K Chiefs before downing the Calgary Riggers by the same score Saturday. Lewis and Ryan Berg each scored twice in the latter.
Mainhout had the only goal of the game as the Flames edged the Riggers 1-0 in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Allen had the shutout.
Lewis led the team with seven goals and three assists in the tournament. Richard had four goals and three assists. Walls had five goals, including two shorthanded, and an assist. Mainhout and Matteo Gagno both had three goals and three assists.
Other members of the team include Jaden Rutland, Alexis Kahlert, Nik Pederson, Cam Gjaltema, Ryan Kang, Sean McClosky, Nick Thompson, Justin Cloete and Jeffrey Sunshine.