If what was visualized in the final of a Lethbridge midget tournament can be repeated on home ice next month, the Kelowna Fripp Warehousing Rockets could well be on the way to hoisting a provincial banner.
At the urging of their head coach, Eric Blais, the Rockets envisioned the championship game against Rossland-Trail as though it were the B.C. Amateur Hockey Associa-tion final that will be played on March 23 at Memorial Arena.
Once on the ice, the Rockets played inspired hockey and posted a 6-1 win to take the tournament title and complete the three-day event with a 4-0-1 record.
"I have to say our first three games weren't all that great, but, when it came down to the crunch, these guys rose to the occasion," said Blais, whose team is unbeaten (7-0-2) since going winless (0-5) in The Daily Courier/ Tim Hortons International Midget Tournament in early January.
The victory in Lethbridge not only provided some momentum for the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey team, but also exposed them to a more physical game as they prepare for the league playoffs.
"The teams we saw were a lot more physical than those in B.C., and the officiating was much more liberal," said Blais. "But I really liked the way our team - they're certainly not the biggest guys - responded to the physical play. In the semifinal against Olds, they tried to run us through the boards, but the boys stood their ground and they battled back late in the game to win against a team that had lost only two games all season."
Defenceman Kevin Roth scored a goal and assisted on two others to earn most valuable player honours against Olds, while Riley Stewart, Austin Lindsay, Nick Landry and Jackson Naish added a goal apiece.
In the final, captain Andrew MacLeod was selected as the game MVP. He notched one of the goals, while the rest of the scoring was spread out amongst five others - Roth, Naish, Carter Hikichi, Braeden Cyra, and Adam Beatty.
Other MVP efforts came from Hikichi, who led the team in points on the weekend with five goals and four assists, Beatty and Josh Blanchard.
Chris Turner and Brennan Claypool shared the goaltending duties.
The Rockets opened the tournament by playing Sherwood Park, Alta., to a 3-3 tie. They dumped Lethbridge 9-5, then closed out round-robin play with an 11-4 romp over Whitehorse.
With the knowledge his team won't be playing many games before the provincial championship tournament in Kelowna, Blais was thankful to get in the five in Lethbridge.
The Rockets ran way with the OMAHA regular-season tier 1 title with a 14-2-4 record and will get a bye in the playoffs. The Rockets await the winner of a best-of-three semifinal involving Kamloops and Vernon.
The Kelowna Minor Hockey Association representatives swept all four games against Kamloops (7-7-6), while tying Vernon (5-9-6) twice and winning two.
Still considered the No. 2-ranked tier 2 midget team in B.C. behind Hollyburn of West Vancouver, the Rockets' biggest test leading up to the provincials will be staying sharp.
"Keeping (the team) focused is a concern, but I'm confident they will respond to what we (the coaches) have in store for them," said Blais.