The Burnaby Winter Club breezed to victory at the recent Bauer World Invitational hockey tournament in the Windy City.
The peewee A1 Bruins won the elite division, while the atom A2 took the AAA division banner and the atom A1 squad lost 3-2 in the semifinals of the elite group to eventual champion Vaughan Kings from Ontario at the elite tournament in Chicago.
"It was a pretty remarkable weekend for all three teams out there. We really showed well there," said peewee coach Brad Reynolds. "It was pretty special."
The peewee Bruins went undefeated in seven games. The team's only blemish a 3-3 draw against Westchester, New York, which tied with Burnaby for first place in Pool F play.
In the final 16, the winter club outscored its combined opposition 20-4, including a 6-1 win over the Toronto Marlies in the gold-medal game on Nov. 4.
Burnaby dominated the matchup, scoring the first four goals in the final.
Ilijah Colina and Christian Buono, with the eventual game-winning goal, got the Bruins off to a 2-0 first-period start. Liam Ryan and Christopher Douglas added a goal apiece in the middle frame before Toronto got itself on the scoreboard.
Tyler Popowich put the game away for Burnaby with a pair of markers in the final period.
The peewees also defeated Richmond, Virginia 6-1 in the semifinals.
In the quarter-finals, Burnaby blanked Honeybaked from Missouri 2-0 with two late goals in its toughest match of the tourney to move on.
Burnaby goalie Nick Lee and defenceman Brendan Kim were also key contributors in the wins.
"I think the kids confidence in each game just escalated as they were that much closer to winning the championship," said Reynolds. "They were just bringing on the intensity."
In the Bauer tournament atom division, Burnaby A1 placed second in Pool B to eventual finalist Chicago Mission.
In quarter-final play, the winter club doubled Pool A winner St. Louis AAA Blues 4-2, before falling 3-2 to the eventual elite champion Vaughan Kings in the semifinals.
The atom A1 Bruins posted two shutout wins in pool play, blanking Tampa Bay, Florida 5-0 and Providence, Rhode Island 6-0.
In the AAA atom division, the atom A2 Bruins won Pool C despite a 2-1 loss in their opening game against DYHA from Arizona.
The A2 atoms then strung together six straight wins to take the AAA divisional banner following a 4-2 win over Twin Bridges from Illinois at the world invite in Chicago.
Burnaby edged Oakville, Ont. in the semifinals, 3-2.
The winter club also got past the Winnetka Warriors from Illinois by a 3-2 scoreline in the quarter-finals.
In Pacific Coast association tiering round play, Burnaby Winter Club A1 and A2 teams are currently sitting first and third, respectively.
Elsewhere that weekend, the BWC peewee A2 team won a tournament banner in Salmon Arm.
