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| B.C. Major Midget League post-season report: North West Giants beat Cariboo for league title |
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By Adam Dunfee /
The Vancouver North West Giants defended their BC Major Midget League title knocking off the Cariboo Cougars in two straight games to win their third title in four seasons.
“It’s a bit overwhelming,” says Giants coach Jon Calvano.
The Giants took the first game of the best-of-three series 6-2. Curtis Loik opened the scoring in that game on a penalty shot 5:55 into the first period. Loik finished the game with a goal and three assists.
The Cougars had to play much of Game 2 without defenceman Alex Roach who was ejected from the game late in the first period for checking from behind. Being down a defenceman didn’t hurt the Cougars though in the second as they scored the only two goals of the period to take a 4-2 lead into the third.
But in the third, the Giants stormed back with goals from Matt Bellerive and Connor Rankin to tie the game at four. Rankin had a chance to give the Giants the lead late in the third period when he was awarded a penalty shot but his chance was thwarted by Cougars’ goalie Marcus Beesley who stopped him with a poke check to force overtime.
The game was finally decided in the third overtime period when Connor Rankin scored his second of the game to give the Giants the win and the Provincial banner.
“The bounces in the last game didn’t go our way and we didn’t capitalize on the opportunities we had, especially late in the game,” says Cougars coach Trevor Sprague.
“Going into the third overtime I told our guys it was going to be an ugly goal that wins it, regardless of what team scores it, and that’s what happened.”
Looking back on the season Sprague says he’s proud of what his team accomplished.
“We had a great season. We projected that we’d probably be in the top six but by November we knew we could finish in the top two so we overachieved in my mind for a bunch of guys from the North who don’t get to see the AAA hockey very much. That’s kind of what the Cariboo Cougars do, put a good team together every year and challenge for a provincial championship.”
The Giants weren’t heavy favourites either to be in the final at the beginning of the season.
Over the summer the Giants lost several high-end players to higher leagues including the MML’s most dynamic player, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who joined the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels, and some wondered if the team would continue to be a force.
“To pull off a provincial championship, whether you’re expected to win it or not is a great accomplishment,” says Calvano. “Going into the season we weren’t a favourite after losing some of the guys that we did.”
Going into the Christmas break, the Giants were hovering around the middle of the MML standings but that I’ll changed after a trip to the Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey Tournament
in Calgary.
The Giants won the tournament and returned to finish the MML season off on a 12-1-1 run which put them in the top spot in the MML heading into the playoffs.
The Giants now await the winner of the Alberta Major Midget League final between the Lloydminster Tanroc Bobcats and the Red Deer Optimist Rebels. The Giants will travel to Alberta to take on the winner of the Alberta final in a best-of-three series to determine who will represent the Pacific region at the Telus Cup, Canada’s national Midget championship.
Last season, the Calgary Buffaloes knocked the Giants out of Telus Cup contention at the Pacific regionals. The Buffaloes went on to finish second in the Telus Cup tournament.
This seasons’ Telus Cup runs April 19-25 in Levis, Que. |
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