Blues take aim at Quebec Peewee classic

Richmond Peewee Blues celebrate a 5-2 win over Kelowna in the final of the Gil Martin tournament in Langley.

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The Richmond Blues hope to secure a spot in the prestigious Peewee International Hockey Tournament next February in Quebec City. They served notice recently they deserve the honor by repeating as champions of the Gil Martin tournament in Langley.

The Blues fought through a tough round-robin game against Abbotsford before securing convincing wins over  Vernon and Hollyburn to advance to the playoffs round. Finishing first after round-robin play,  Richmond eliminated Coquitlam in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 win and then edged Abbotsford 4-3 in the semifinals.

Strong defensive players Courtney Vorster, Matthew Leduc, Travis Trottier, Magnus Cheung and Hayden Hurst—backed by excellent goaltending by Jordan Naylor—gave up just two goals in the round-robin and a total of seven overall. Coupled with creative play, excellent team work and confident offensive play by forwards Tom Sweeney,  Michael Araki-Young, David Queree, Michael Farren, Gabriel Suessenbacher-Fu, Andrey Krasnoperov, Emerson Kostner and Christopher Harcourt. Blues' captain Vorster moved in off the blueline and ripped a shot from the high slot for the winning goal against Abbotsford.

Out to avenge their 2011 loss in the final to Kelowna, the Blues came out with confidence scoring their first goal just 20 seconds into the game.  Two more quick power play goals followed giving the Blues a quick 3 -0 lead in the game. A consistent and disciplined game by the Blues followed, leading to a 5-2 victory.

Tom Sweeney scored twice in the final to extend his team scoring lead, while assistant captain Michael Araki-Young netted a hat trick. The Blues goaltender Jordan Naylor  took home the game MVP for his strong and consistent play throughout the tournament.

The Blues have checked off as accomplished their first three goals for the season—winning the Abbotsford Peewee Ice Breaker and the Gil Martin tournament and earning a spot in Flight 1 for this season’s league play.