Playoff champions

Shawnigan's Midget Varsity team has earned another championship banner.

The squad posted a 5-1 victory over Pursuit of Excellence on Tuesday to wrap up a sensational season on a winning note.

Thanks to an astonishing 30-2 record, Shawnigan finished in first place in the regular season, just one point ahead of Manitoba's Pilot Mound Academy.

Entering the playoffs as the top seed, the group recorded a 3-0 record in the playoff round robin, but faced a semifinal matchup against Pilot Mound after their regular season rivals lost a round robin matchup against Pursuit.

In a wild semifinal, Shawnigan got a hat-trick – including the late winner – from Griffen B. to win 6-4 and advance to Tuesday's championship game.

In the end, the title game was all Shawnigan, as the champs rode more solid goaltending from Aaron T. to a convincing championship triumph.

Griffen B. was named the league's best defenceman at the conclusion of the playoffs, while Aaron T. was named best goaltender and Ethan A. was named the Most Sportsmanlike Player.  Meanwhile, Carl S. was named the team's Student Athlete of the Year.

The victory marks the third time in four years that Shawnigan has claimed the CSSHL's Midget Varsity title. Shawnigan first joined the CSSHL in 2015, winning the division with the School's lone entry. The next year, Shawnigan's top team moved up to the Midget Prep division, but a second team joined the Varsity level and defended the title. In 2017, the School had five teams overall, including a new girls program and two squads at the Midget Varsity level.

 

Shawnigan's Midget Prep team also had a strong run in the playoffs. The squad entered the post-season as the 7th seed overall, but quickly found another gear in the Okanagan.

The Prep team opened the playoff round robin with a 6-5 overtime victory over Northern Alberta, before adding a 3-1 win over Pursuit. Friday's 3-0 loss to Burnaby left the group with a 2-1 record, not quite enough to earn a spot in the weekend's semifinals.

 

Likewise, the Bantam Prep team finished their season with a positive post-season performance. Playing in the consolation round robin, the bantams finished their round robin with a 2-2 record, including wins over Pursuit and Edge and losses to Notre Dame and Delta.

 

After moving up from the Female Varsity to the Female Prep division, Shawnigan's girls team enjoyed mixed success in Penticton. The girls opened with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Okanagan Hockey Academy, before earning an impressive 2-0 win over Delta. The girls finished their post-season journey with a 3-0 loss to Northern Alberta.