The Merriman brothers lead the Ice Hawks in points in the tournament, Carson (left) with five and Conner with six, and have led Delta to the gold medal game on Sunday. Photo by Tav Morrison
The round robin wrapped up on Saturday at the 2022 Cyclone Taylor Cup with two games to determine the final standings before the medal round on Sunday.
Revelstoke 2 – Peninsula 1 – SO
It took two overtimes and 12 shootout rounds to decide the winner between the Grizzlies and Panthers on Saturday afternoon, as they finished tied 1-1 after 60 minutes. Jacob Smith had the unassisted goal in the first period for the Grizzlies, while Payton Braun scored his third of the weekend, on the power play, in the middle frame. Ten overtime minutes and 12 shooters per side later, Kurtis Kinoshita broke the tie, locking up the first win of the tournament for the Grizzlies and a third-place finish in the round robin. Both goalies were standouts; Jozef Kuchaslo was Revelstoke’s player of the game, and Ashton Lukan earned that title for Peninsula. These two teams will face off again on Sunday for the bronze medal, 12pm at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
Langley 2 – Delta 5
In a preview of the gold medal game, the two PJHL teams faced off on Saturday night, both undefeated so far in the tournament. Brock Mierzejewski got Langley off to a quick start, scoring 46 seconds into the game. Conner Merriman evened the score mid-period with a tip on Carson Hemenway’s point shot. In the second, it was the Hawks who had a quick start, scoring three goals within the first three minutes. Jamie Fuchs, Conner Merriman, and Logan Joslin with the tallies for Delta. Jamie Hylands would get one back for Langley before the end of the period. Dominic Passalacqua-Main restored Delta’s three-goal lead with the only goal of the third period. Langley’s Mierzejewski and Delta’s Conner Merriman were awarded player of the game following the Ice Hawks’ win. The gold medal game is slated for 4pm on Sunday, April 10 in Ladner.
