Giant Slayers open national AAA midget hockey championships

KELOWNA – It’s a first for the Okanagan Rockets, an appearance at the Telus Cup, the national AAA midget hockey championships.

What a season for the boys from Kelowna. The team won the BCMML championship for just the second time in franchise history and then went on to win the Pacific Regional championship.

The team is nicknamed the Giant Slayers because they got past the 5-time defending B.C. champion Vancouver North West Giants and the defending national champion Red Deer Chiefs to get to the 2014 Telus Cup.

The Rockets take on the Quebec champions, the Chateauguay Grenadiers, on Monday at 3 p.m. to open the tournament in Moose Jaw, Sask. The game is being live streamed at Hockey Canada’s website.

The Rockets scored 225 times during the regular season compared with the Grenadiers 161 goals.

The tournament schedule has the Okanagan Rockets playing host Moose Jaw at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, Prince Albert at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, Halifax at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 24 and wrapping up the round robin against Toronto at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 25.

The semifinals go Saturday, April 26 with the bronze medal and championship games on Sunday, April 27.