KCs outlast Hawks in tournament final

The host KC ‘AA’ PeeWee rep team nipped the Neebing Hawks 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in the championship final of the 12-team tournament at Memorial Arena.
After a scoreless first period, the KCs jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by A.J. Tucker and Kris Esselink. Neebing’s Shawn Wood scored with 6:15 to play but the Hawks couldn’t get the equalizer.
The KCs, who breezed through round-robin action with a perfect 4-0 record, reached the final with a 6-0 shutout over fourth-place International Falls in one semi-final early Sunday morning.
Tucker paced the KCs with three goals and an assist. Esselink (two) and Nathan Miller also scored. Dustin Tkachyk recorded his second shutout of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Neebing reached the final after doubling the Dryden Apollos 4-2 in the other semi-final game.
The KCs were impressive all weekend, opening action Friday morning with an 8-0 whitewash over the Elks. Esselink and Donald Kellar led the way with two goals each while Bryce Witherspoon, Tucker, Miller, and Jeff Friesen added singles.
Friesen also recorded three assists.
The KCs then edged International Falls 3-1 on Friday evening, getting goals from Friesen, Tucker, and Miller.
Andrew Dault scored for the Falls midway through the third, spoiling Jason Flatt’s shutout bid.
Then the KCs exploded for a lopsided 11-0 shellacking of the Westfort Rangers on Saturday morning, jumping out to a 5-0 lead before the game was even 14 minutes old.
Tucker had a hat trick and an assist while Friesen, Esselink, and Kellar each added a pair. Singles went to Witherspoon and Ira Ottertail.
The KCs then clinched top spot after dumping the Current River Comets 5-1 in their final round-robin game. Friesen scored a pair while Kellar, Miller, and Tucker netted singles.
Tucker also added four assists for a five-point game.
The KCs were tied with the Norwest Stars after the round-robin, both with 4-0 records, but the local squad got top billing based on its better for-and-against goals ratio.
The KCs outscored their opponents by an astounding 27-2 margin in four games during the round-robin while Norwest outscored their opponents 19-10.
KC team manager Bob Miller said the team played well all weekend. And though they have had success at other tournaments this season, he said he was surprised they dominated their opponents like they did.