Sooke Thunderbirds blanked Saanich Braves by a 6-0 score to open Atom A tiering roundrobin play at SEAPARC Leisure Complex arena on Saturday.
It was the second straight game that the local minor hockey league club has kept its Saanich rival off the scoreboard.
“I’m excited for the year,” said Thunderbirds coach Nick Szadkowski. “We can only go up.”
The Thunderbirds have only six returning players from last year’s club, and Szadkowski expects a bit of a learning curve for this year’s team.
The Atom A division (ages 9 and 10) is a young player’s first foray into competitive hockey.
So far, Szadkowski has been encouraged by his young team and the leadership it’s shown on and off the ice.
“I think we’re doing great. We have a good mix of kids,” he said. “This is really where you see the competition come out in the kids.”
Along with Saanich, the Thunderbirds will also play tiering games against Nanaimo,
Kerry Park and Port Alberni.