A Vernon hockey player is thriving on the 'border.'
Tyler Burke, a Vernon local, was the first star of the week ending Sunday, April 13 in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) as he helped lead his Grand Forks Border Bruins team to the Teck Cup Championship.
The 20-year-old forward accumulated five goals and five assists in four games, as his Bruins swept the Revelstoke Grizzlies to claim the KIJHL Teck Cup trophy.
In game one, the six-foot, 180 pound forward had two goals and an assist in the 7-3 win. Game two, he provided a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win and game three Burke was dangerous with two snipes in the 5-1 final. Finally, in the deciding game four, Burke would provide three helpers in the 5-2 victory, to also take home Teck Cup MPV honours.
Throughout the whole playoffs, Burke finished second in playoff scoring with 27 points in 17 games. He led the league in goals, with 13.
The Border Bruins season is not over yet. They will face off next against the Ridge Meadows Flames (winners of the Pacific Junior Hockey League) for the Mowat Cup. The best-of-five series is for the Tier 2 Provincial Junior A Final.
Games one and two begin in Langley on Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23, before the series shifts to Grand Forks with game three on Saturday, April 26.
