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Rocket, Steam and Grizzlie get Hot in the KI selections
Golden Rocket Dominic Turner grabbed the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s (KIJHL) Hot in the KI first star with 10 points in three games.
Turner, 20, of Calgary helped the Rockets close out the season winning two of three games. He collected two assists in a 9-7 loss to the Creston Valley Thunder Cats on Feb. 18. Against the Columbia Valley Rockies on Feb.21, he potted a hat-trick and added an assist in a 9-5 win. He had the game-winning goal and was named a game star. The next night, Turner had two goals and four points in a 9-5 win over the Osoyoos Coyotes. He buried the game-winning goal in that game.
Turner finished sixth in Rockets scoring with 16 goals and 28 points in 31 games.
Read: Hot in the KI-ending Feb. 16
The second star goes to Summerland Steam captain Cody Swan. In an 11-2 win over the Coyotes, Swan racked up seven assists, breaking the previous KIJHL record of assists (six) in a game by Thomas Abenante of the Fernie Ghostriders in 2011 and Darian Long of the 100 Mile House Wranglers in 2019.
“It was pretty cool. I didn’t actually know how many I actually had until after the game,” says Swan. “It was also a little emotional for me, coming back from an injury and being able to do it in my second game back meant a lot.”
Swan added getting into the record books is incredible.
“In the history of the league, there’s some really good players so to hold a league record is really cool and only speaks to how great my linemates and teammates were that night to help me accomplish it,” says Williams Lake product.
Swan led the Steam in scoring with 19 goals and 55 points in 39 games. That total puts him 14th overall in the league.
The third star goes to Revelstoke Grizzlies goalie Noah Desouza, who earns the honour for a third time. Desouza made 27 saves in a 3-0 win over the 100 Mile House Wranglers. It’s his seventh shutout of the season, to lead the league. Desouza was also named the Doug Birks Division’s top goalie.
Desouza finished the season with 21 wins, a 1.69 goals against average to go with a .933 save percentage.