Coquitlam curler Nicholas Umbach is bringing home some hardware after his Team B.C. rink defeated Team Saskatchewan in the bronze medal match of the Canada Winter Games in Prince George last week.
The rink was undefeated heading into the semifinals on Thursday, but came up short against Manitoba in a close 6-5 loss.
Undeterred, Umbach and his rink, which is skipped by Surrey's Tyler Tardi, bounced back against the prairie opponents, downing the team 11-2.
"They played terrific and I am so happy for them," said Paul Tardi, the coach of the team. "A B.C. boys team has not placed in the medals at a national event at this level for many years, so it was added motivation for this team to capture a medal here."
Umbach was not the only Tri-City athlete to medal at the Games.
Port Coquitlam gymnast Haley de Jong was part of a team that also grabbed a bronze medal. De Jong, who practices at the Flicka Gymnastics Club in North Vancouver, went on to qualify for the bar event finals, where she placed eighth in the country.
In total, Team BC finished the first week of the national competition with 41 medals, including 12 gold, 16 silver and 13 bronze.
Other Tri-City athletes were also participating in the Games this week.
Port Coquitlam Team B.C. ringette captain Angela Cichos said that while her team may have missed the podium with a sixth-place finish, it did not diminish the experience she and her teammates shared in Prince George.
"I think we had a really solid tournament," she said. "There were some very tough games and we had our ups and downs. I'm proud of my team. We did a really good job of never quitting."
The 18-year-old has competed in several large tournaments during her young career, but said she had never felt the same level of support as she did in Prince George last week.
The crowd at the Prince George coliseum was behind the Team B.C. squad the whole way, she added.
"It was amazing and I loved it," she said. "The first couple of days got us really pumped and excited."
Port Coquitlam's Shannon Morris-Reade, the assistant captain to Team B.C.'s female hockey squad, echoed some of Cichos remarks.
The 17-year-old said her team appreciated the support from the fans in Prince George, on their way to two wins and four losses at the tournament.
"We came here with a dream and the outcome isn't what we wanted," said Morris-Reade. "We were aiming for a medal but I think our team play in general has been really good. Our forecheck has been really strong."
More than 348 athletes, coaches and staff are representing B.C. at the 2015 Winter Games, which are taking between Feb. 13 and March 1. They will compete against more than 3,300 athletes from across the country in 19 sports.
@GMcKennaTC
