The Northwest Giants reign as the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League champion came to an end this weekend.
The regular season winners were edged 4-3 in Game 2 of the best-of-three playoff final by the Okanagan Rockets at the Burnaby Winter Club on Saturday.
The loss, coupled with a 2-1 defeat to the Rockets just the night before, ended the Giants’ five-year dominance atop the elite midget hockey league.
The Giants were forced to play from behind in both contests.
On Friday, Okanagan broke open a scoreless matchup early in the second period on Tanner Browne’s opening goal of the final from Tanner Wishnowski and Liam Finlay.
Finlay, who topped all goal scorers in the post season with 11, tallied his 10th of the playoffs in Game 1 for the eventual game-winner later in the period.
Earlier in the middle frame, Owen Thompson momentarily tied the game assisted by Giants defenceman Dante Fabbro and forward Justin Szeto of Burnaby.
In Game 2, it was more of the same. Okanagan jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Finlay and league and playoff scoring champion Tyson Jost.
The Giants managed to knot the score 2-2 on goals by Tak Anholt and Owen Stout, before Okanagan’s Carter Hikichi and Thompson exchanged counters in the final minute of the middle stanza to take a tie game into the third period.
Jake Kryski scored the Rockets title-winning goal on a breakaway goal at the five-minute mark of the final period, beating Giants Tavin Grant high to the blocker.
Grant had a strong series despite the back-to-back losses in goal, giving his team a chance to come back in the final period in both games.
“It was tough. We wanted to play a containment game,” said Giants head coach Clint Thornton. “We had our opportunities, the difference was when they had their opportunities, they buried theirs.”
The Giants outshot the Rockets in both games.
The difficulty proved to be, stopping Okanagan’s big line of Jost, Finlay and Kryski.
The Rockets top line garnered four goals and five assists in the two-game playoff against the Giants, including three goals and four helpers in the final game on Saturday.
Jost led all scorers with a goal and two assists, while Finlay and Kryski both finished with two-point nights.
“(The Rocket’s No. 1 line) is extremely skilled and they work hard,” said Thornton.
Despite being banged up in the playoffs, Jost led all scorers with 18 points, including nine goals. Finlay was next with 11 goals and 15 total points. Kryski, a physical first-year player, placed fourth overall with 11 playoff points.
In comparison, Fabbro led all Giants with 10 playoff points. Thompson and Szeto both finished up with eight points, including six and one goal, respectively.
League scoring runner-up Colton Kerfoot registered just six points in the post season, including a single assist in the final series against the Rockets.
“The toughest part is the season ending with this group of kids,” Thornton added. “We enjoyed being around each other. They gelled together, they liked each other. … All the kids created some (future) opportunities for themselves.”
The Rockets will now wait on the winner of either the Red Deer Chiefs or Lloydminster Bobcats from the Alberta midget AAA league final. The best-of-five final is currently tied at one game apiece.
The Pacific midget regional championship will take place at the rink of the winning Alberta team from April 4 to 6.
