Thunder, Ice lose opening games at Atlantic AAA championships

The Tricom Thunder had a rough start as they began defence of their Atlantic AAA peewee hockey championship as the 2018 event got underway Thursday in Edmundston, N.B.

The Thunder lost 8-2 in the tourney opener to the Moncton, N.B., Hawks.

It was an unusual occurrence for the Thunder, who lost only two games — both in overtime — in the regular season of the Newfoundland and Labrador AAA Peewee Hockey League.

The Thunder won the provincial championship last month in Bishop’s Falls, beating the St. John’s Hitmen 4-2 in the championship game.

Tricom’s Mitchell Wagner dominated the league with 60 goals and 89 points in only 33 games.

The Thunder defeated the Pictou County Crushers of Nova Scotia 5-0 last year to win the peewee AAA Atlantics in Conception Bay South, capping off an undefeated run. That title was the second straight Atlantic championship won by a Newfoundland team.

Tricom had a second game Thursday, a night-time contest against the host Nord-ouest Pionniers. They take on the Bedford, N.S., Blues today and the Charlottetown. P.E.I., Abbies on Saturday, the final day of preliminary games.

The playoffs are Sunday.

A second Newfoundland and Labrador team is in the Maritimes at an Atlantic championship this weekend. That’s the Tri-pen Ice, who are competing at the bantam AAA female tourney in Charlottetown, P.E.I. The Ice were blanked 3-0 by Metro West Force of Nova Scotia in their Thursday opener.

Tri-pen plays twice today, against the Western Phantoms of New Brunswick and Mid-isle Wildcats of P.E.I. They face off against the host Central Storm on Saturday.