The Bombers let loose a fearsome barrage of aggressive goal-scoring at the Lakeside pitch on Friday afternoon, ultimately taming Cranbrook’s Mount Baker Wild with a 4-0 victory in the high school tournament.
“This year’s team has been practicing together for two months and has now played all the teams from the East and West Kootenays,” said coach Simon Lidell.
“The only loss so far was a very close 2-1 decision to the team from Cranbrook, so this Friday’s tournament gave the boys a good chance for a rematch.”
The Bombers first game of the day was played against Creston’s Prince Charles Secondary School. They rocketed to a decisive 3-0 victory.
The boys were pitted next against Trail’s JL Crowe Hawks.
“Trail had a very big team made up of mostly Grade 12s. The game was very close until midway through the second half when Ryan Lewis scored two goals in quick succession to put LVR ahead,” said Lidell.
Meanwhile, Cranbrook beat Creston 6-2, paving the way for the final showdown.
“The final matchup between LVR and Cranbrook was a back and forth until Andrew Tranfo scored to put LVR up 1-0.”
Both Spencer Atkins and Ryan Lewis contributed goals over the course of the neck-and-neck competition.
Lidell said he’s thrilled with his team’s performance.
“Nick Wethel and Dylan Bennett were solid defensively, allowing very few shots to go through to goal. Nigel Ziegler was a formidable force in midfield throughout the tournament,” he said.
But it was player Ryan Lewis who really shined.
“Ryan Lewis was the outstanding player of the tournament as voted by the coaches of the four teams,” said Lidell.
Next week the Bombers will zip off to Creston, where they will compete against the other East and West Kootenays teams for the single provincial spot.
“If LVR wins, it’s off to Burnaby for the provincials in mid-November,” said Liddell.