The Castlegar Atom Jr. Rebels No. 1 have won the West Kootenay championship.
“Our little team of scrappers battled hard all season, although they weren’t the strongest, and finished 11th out of 12th in the standings,” says manager Melissa McCormack.
They got a fifth seed placing out of six teams in the Pool B playoffs, where “our team never stopped believing in themselves.”
They battled to go 2-and-1 in the round robin playoffs to earn a berth in the semifinals. From there they defeated their rivals from Trail to move on to the finals.
“The kids put everything they had, left nothing in the tank, came together, and won the championship banner by defeating the home team Nelson in heart stopping fashion,” McCormack says.
Team members are Evan Green, Kasen Bell, Ethan Mclachlan, Evan Quiding, Sawyer Ferreux, Lenny Moore, Hudson Valerberg, Finn McCormack, Makayla Kravsky, Eddie Conroy, Jaydinn Mackenzie, and Tanner Ross.
The coaching staff is head coach Ed Mclachlan, along with Corey Ross, Cory Quiding, and Chris McCormack. In addition to Melissa McCormack, Kailee Ross was a team manager.