Salmon Arm Silverhawks teams soared on the weekend with U11 and U13 teams clinching championships after sweeping through the OMAHA Female Super League playoffs undefeated.
The playoff weekend, held March 7 to 10, was well represented and made history with female teams in all age divisions 鈥� U11/U13/U15/U18 鈥� and some with two, for eight teams altogether.
"Our league play saw all SAMHA (Salmon Arm Minor Hockey Association) teams finish in top three positions, with two playoff banners secured in playoffs," SAMHA vice president of female hockey Val Kloska reported.
First up, the U11 Team 2 'Hawks placed at the top of their initial round robin tournament before moving on to face the Kamloops Team 2 in a semi-final game in Lumby where they took a 7-2 win. From there, they went up against Kamloops Team 1 to score another win in a tight 5-3 battle.
"This playoff championship added to the league championship for the U11 Team 2 Silverhawks after going 13-0-1 over their season," assistant coach Chris Larson said in an email. "The U11 OMAHA League saw strong competition with strong play from two U11 Silverhawks teams placing first and third after battling throughout the season."
The U13 Silverhawks also brought home a championship banner over the weekend after an undefeated record through their OMAHA Female Super League Playoffs after finishing second in regular season play.
Though the U15 and U18 teams had strong seasons and made it to their final playoff games, they came up just short, with the U15 team taking the loss in an "overtime heartbreaker."
"It was an outstanding season for female hockey in Salmon Arm," Larson added. "The Silverhawks battled hard at all levels through the season and the playoffs, with no team finishing lower than third place through league play, and with teams making their playoff finals at all levels."
That hard work will be recognized a the SAMHA Awards Night and AGM on Tuesday, April 22 at 6 p.m. at the Hucul Pond dry floor in Rogers Rink.
