A chance to move up the BC Hockey Major Midget League standings slipped past the Valley West Hawks last weekend, due in part to the Western Canada Under-16 Challenge Cup in Calgary.
In a two-game series with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds, a team which had won just one of their first 12 games of the season, the Hawks managed only a split.
But Valley West played without three players, who were part of Team BC which won gold at the Challenge Cup.
The Hawks were without forwards Jakob Stukel and defenceman Parker Wotherspoon, both of Cloverdale, and forward Matthew Bradley of Surrey.
Stukel leads the Hawks with 12 goals in as many games played, while Bradley is the top playmaker with eight assists.
Fraser Valley did not have a player chosen for Team BC.
Valley West won Saturday night in Chilliwack 3-1, but fell on home ice 2-1 Sunday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre.
Now at 7-5-2 (won-lost-tied) on the season, the Hawks moved into a fourth place tie with the Vancouver Chiefs in the 11-team MML, an elite league for 15-17 year-old players.
Valley West fell behind 1-0 after 20 minutes of play Saturday, but got goals from forwards Mitch Newsome of Surrey and White Rock’s Matthew Cox for a 2-1 lead after two periods. Cole Bevan of Cloverdale netted an empty-net goal in the final minute of play.
Fraser Valley scored once in the first period and added another in the second to take a 2-0 lead into the third period of Sunday’s match. Quinncy Leroux netted the lone Hawks goal with five minutes to play.
The Hawks will have a bye next weekend, before facing off against the Chiefs for two games the weekend of Nov. 17-18.