There was more than fatigue weighing down Jamie Jackson’s voice as he discussed his team’s run through the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League semifinals on Tuesday.
Disappointment carried a heavier toll than the three-games-in-three days series that his Vancouver Northeast Chiefs had just endured, falling Monday 3-2 in overtime to the Vancouver Northwest Giants.
You don’t get so close to upsetting a provincial powerhouse, having taken a 1-0 series lead and forcing extra time in the deciding game, without raising expectations.
“No, there was no satisfaction,” said Jackson of his team’s 2-1 semifinal defeat. “We went into the series wanting to win and wanted to close it out (Monday)... Absolutely I’m (proud), we really just started to find our way as a hockey team, we pushed them further than they probably thought.”
Coquitlam’s Logan Bromhead and PoCo’s Chong Min Lee supplied the offence for the underdog Chiefs, while Mitchell Williams counted the series’ overtime clinching tally for the Giants.
Although thoughts of repeating as BCMML champs fuelled a lot of the talk at the start of the season, the Northeast club admittedly started slow in building chemistry, said Jackson.
“We struggled, struggled a lot, actually,” he noted. “We didn’t gel (after the Mac’s Midget tournament in Calgary at Christmas) the way we thought we would, and we were quite battered from that.
“With such a young team, it was tough on our confidence.”
The squad, which draws talent from east Burnaby, New Westminster, the Tri-Cities and Ridge Meadows, won its final four regular season games to finish sixth overall at 17-15-8 -- 10 wins back of the Giants, who were third overall.
That they shocked the higher ranked rival 3-2 in Game 1, thanks to standout netminding from Coquitlam’s Kolby Matthews, was a boost for their confidence. But the Giants replied swiftly in Game 2, skating to a 7-2 victory to force a deciding contest.
Monday’s deciding game, which began at 9:30 p.m., didn’t wrap up until 12:30 a.m. and ended moments after the Chiefs had successfully killed a penalty.
“We got some real good goaltending, (Matthews) made a strong showing and we played a tight-checking game... At that stage of (overtime) you’re just trying to get the right people out on the ice.”
The team only had four veterans returning from last year’s Cinderella B.C. championship run. Among them were Lee, 17, who finished the regular season tied for 12th in league scoring with 14 goals and 28 assists over 32 games. One point back was fellow PoCo native Harris Pearce, who tallied 15 goals and 26 assists over 37 games.
Only four players will age out of the major midget circuit, providing Jackson a strong core to build around -- although a number of eligible-to-return players will try out for junior hockey clubs. It’s an end-goal and how success is measured, so the coach knows that what he can instill in them during the year could carry them away come next August. But while half the team may tryout at junior camps over the next few months, the number who take the next step could be less than a handful.
“It’s really hard and early, as we haven’t even held exit meetings (with the players),” he said. “We’re trying to prepare them for those options, and in the end we want them all to make the next jump.”
Among the new players this year were a pair of New West talents -- forward Liam Ryan, 16, and defender Emilio Salas, who two weeks ago turned 17.
Jackson was impressed with the strides both made over the season.
“(Ryan) struggled at first to adjust to major midget but put in lots of work and began to trust us as coaches,” noted the coach. “He really excelled as the season went on, we moved him from left to right (wing) and he was a positive addition. He brought great energy to the group.”
The area most need of attention during the season was the blueline, but Jackson noted Salas became a steady defenceman who was eager to learn.
“(Salas) worked extremely hard to improve specific areas of his game, and it really showed come playoff time.”
Salas contributed three assists over 37 games, while Ryan, skating on one of the top-two lines most of the year, tallied eight goals and 21 assists over 36 games.
The squad’s two Burnaby players enjoyed varying degrees of success.
Defenceman Jonny Sheardown played a big role, scoring four times and assisting on 23 others over 39 games.
“(Sheardown) was really consistent guy for us and made a lot of plays we needed as a group. His preparation work was outstanding for a 16-year-old,” Jackson said of the 5-foot-9 blueliner.
Sean Gulka, meanwhile, demonstrated a lot of grit and skill over the season, scoring five times and assisting on 14 others while accumulating a team-high 112 penalty minutes. A nagging injury saw him miss the postseason.
“(Gulka) was sick for two months and missed the whole playoff run. Previous to that I thnk Sean was disappointed in his production but we weren’t unhappy with the progress he made before his season ended.”
The club, which was awarded the east Burnaby and New Westminster zones prior to the start of last season, believes the changes were a big benefit and should pay off in the coming years.
“We collected a bunch of guys who were ready for this level and I think without them we’d have really struggled.”
