West Van wins second straight Bantam Varsity Division championship

Chase Valliant set up Justin Ivanusec to clinch the Canadian Sport School Hockey League’s Bantam Varsity championship, 4-3 for the West Van Warriors over the BWC Academy. It’s the Warriors’ second championship in a row.

“It feels so amazing,” says Warriors defenceman Ethan Riml on winning. “You think back to the start of the year, all the stuff we put in, all the effort we put in. All the early morning jogs. All the weight training. They all pay off. This is just a surreal experience.”

After a scoreless first period, the Warriors exploded for three goals from Valliant at 19:21, Carter Lundie at 7:07 and Ivanusec on the power play with 2:45 left.

The BWC Academy got back in with goals from Parker Alcos, with 48 seconds remaining in the second and Josh Kelly at 12:21 of the third. Nate Crema made it 4-3 with 14 seconds remaining in regulation time.

“It was just awesome. We were all working hard,” says Riml, adding it’s a dream come true getting his hands on the trophy. “We were all battling just the little things and it paid off in the end.”