The Wild won gold at the seven-team winter tournament held in Lake Cowichan Dec. 28-30.
It was a happy year-ending celebration for the Oceanside midget house team that, after dropping an early game in the round-robin against Saanich, bounced back to complete the preliminary rounds in second place. That earned them a spot in the final and an opportunity to get even with Saanich.
In the final, the Wild got their revenge, topping Saanich 3-1 to snare the gold.
The Wild’s success in the tournament was keyed by the stellar goaltending of Shay Frederickson and Spencer Dipper, who shared the duties between the pipes.
In addition, strong team play defensively, led by first-year player Daniel Wilhelm, limited their opponents’ offensive opportunities.
Up front, the team was led by a number of forwards, including Matthew Chand, whose hat trick in the third game helped the Wild land a spot in the finals.
Wild players that scored in the tournament were Connor Freeman, Mark Knapp, Kaeden Letcher, Justin Patterson, Ryan Smith, Jonathan Wattenbarger, and Daniel Wilhelm.
The Wild hope to continue their success in an upcoming tournament in Victoria this month.
— NEWS Staff