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Semiahmoo Ravens cap midget hockey provincials with tie

Late goal gives hockey team a point in final game of provincial tournament in North Vancouver

They may not have duplicated their success from earlier in the month, but the Semiahmoo Ravens’ midget A1 team still finished the season on a positive note.

A few weeks after capturing a Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association Tier 1 league banner, the Semiahmoo Ravens’ midget A1 team moved on to provincials in North Vancouver, and though they won just once in five games, they capped the tournament March 19 with an impressive come-from-behind 5-5 tie against Prince George.

“Things didn’t quite pan out the way we wanted them to, but all the games were close – there were a lot of ties this year – and we played hard,” said Semiahmoo coach Matt Muscardin.

In that final contest, Semi trailed until the final minute, when Craig Tindle tied the game with just 28 seconds remaining.

Though Prince George still had something to play for in that game – they point they earned from the tie pushed them into the finals – Semiahmoo was by that point eliminated from contention.

That they still battled to tie the game impressed their coach.

“The game meant nothing in the standings, but that’s the thing about our guys – they never quit,” Muscardin said.

Prince George ended up finishing second – losing to Kelowna later in the day.

Semiahmoo opened provincials with a 6-2 loss to North Vancouver, though for the most part, Muscardin said the game was much closer than it appeared on the scoreboard.

“The score did not quite reflect the level of play,” the coach said.

The next day, the Ravens snagged their only win of provincials, defeating Juan de Fuca – the Vancouver Island champs – 3-1.

In their third contest, Hollyburn edged the Semi squad 6-3 in yet another game Muscardin said was closer than it appeared.

The Ravens trailed 4-3 until midway through the third period, when a pair of late goals extended Hollyburn’s lead and put the game out of reach.

On the penultimate day of the tourney, Semi lost 5-2 to Kelowna.

“Kelowna is a very strong team, and they played well,” Muscardin said.

Overall, Muscardin said he was pleased with how his team’s season went, and was especially happy with his team’s playoff performance, both in league and provincial championships.

“We were ninth in the regular season, so it was up-and-down. But we had some injuries, and we just came together well (in playoffs),” he said.