For the first time in four years, the Nicola Valley Minor Lacrosse Association has qualified a team for Provincials.
The NVMLA Thunder bantams punched their ticket to the B.C. championships on Vancouver Island by winning all three of their games at the zone play downs, held at the Shulus arena on the weekend.
The Thunder took the zone title in dramatic fashion, beginning and ending the weekend with a pair of 5-4 wins against tough opponents.
Saturday morning, Mack Stead scored the only goal of the third period in his team’s victory over the second-seeding Shuswap Outlaws.
Sunday afternoon, it was Gordon Ware with the game winner late in the second period as the Thunder edged the Penticton Heat.
In between the two nailbiters, the Thunder routed the winless Kamloops Rattlers 13-1.
Weekend scorers for the Thunder were Stead (6), Fred Ware (6), Gorden Ware (3), Tom Girard (2), Jessie Landerkin, Anthony Tulliani, Travis Simon, Tanveer Bansi, Parker Finch and Spencer Vaughan.
Kaelen Lester picked up all three wins in net for the Thunder.
The team heads to Victoria-Esquimalt for the Provincials, July 9-13.
