Trail native Riley Brandt and Team B.C. brought home its first gold at the 12th annual National Aboriginal Hockey championship in Kahnawake, Que. on the weekend.
Team B.C. Beat Ontario 5-3 in the final game Saturday to clinch the championship. Brandt, who played with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks last season, scored four times and assisted on four others during the tournament.
The fifth seed to start the tournament, Team B.C. suffered only one loss, 7-2, in the round-robin to host Quebec’s Eastern Door and North, before taking out Saskatchewan 5-4, Team North 7-0, Atlantic 7-1, and Manitoba with a 4-3 semifinal victory in overtime to send them to the final.
Fruitvale’s Lindsay Swanson played on Team B.C.’s Female team but did not fare as well, going 0-5 in the tournament.
The Team B.C. program provides an opportunity for the province’s top Aboriginal hockey players to compete at the National championships, which celebrates sport excellence as well as cultural unity and pride.