There was no quit in these soldiers from northern Alberta.
The Edmonton KC Lancers rallied three times from two-goal deficits to defeat the hometown tournament hosts, the Vernon Watkin Motors Mustangs, 5-4 in overtime in the opening game of the 53rd Vernon Coca Cola Classic Pee Wee Hockey Tournament Thursday, Feb. 12, at Kal Tire Place North.
Kaiden Brodyk’s second goal of the game at 2:50 of extra time gave the Lancers the comeback victory.
The tournament could not have started better for the Mustangs as Isaac Carlson scored eight seconds after the national anthem. John Johnstone made it 2-0 Vernon at 6:05 before Brodyk got the Lancers on the board 97 seconds later.
Mustangs captain Hunter Smithson – the lone returning Vernon player from the 2025 squad that won the B Final of the eight-team event – scored his first of two on the game to put the home team up 3-1 after 20 minutes.
Jet Stiksma’s goal at 9:17 of the middle frame pulled Edmonton to within one. Smithson restored the Vernon lead to two goals with a marker at 10:53.
Casimiro Cordeiro cued the KC comeback with a goal at 11:18 of the second, and the period ended with the Mustangs ahead 4-3.
It stayed that way until late heroics from Edmonton’s Zain Sadiq, who scored with 1:34 left in regulation to force overtime.
The Mustangs return to action in the tournament’s featured game of opening day when they face the Anaheim Jr. Ducks from California at 5:45 p.m. The game starts immediately following the tournament’s opening ceremonies at 5:30 p.m.
The Sylvan Lake West Central Tigers of Alberta are the other team in the Coca Cola Division.
Teams in the Sun Valley Division include the Kelowna Rockets, Calgary Northstars, East Kootenay Avalanche of Cranbrook, and last year’s tournament silver medallists, the North Island Bears of Courtenay.
The complete schedule can be found here.
All games in the tournament are being played at Kal Tire Place North.