The New Westminster Salmonbellies are headed back to a Minto Cup final for the first time since 1994.
The junior A 'Bellies broke open a tightly played first 40 minutes, scoring five unanswered goals in the final period to defeat the Coquitlam Adanacs 11-7 in the tournament semifinal and earn a spot against Ontario champion Whitby Warriors in the best-offive Minto championship series. The first game of the series began on Thursday (after NOW deadlines) at Queen's Park.
Game 2 is set for tonight (Friday), with Game 3 on Saturday.
If necessary, games will also be played on Sunday and Monday nights at Queen's Park.
All games are 8 p.m. starts. Minto Cup scoring leader Eli McLaughlin sparked the thirdperiod rally, tallying a pair less than three minutes apart, including the go-ahead marker on a low bounce shot midway through the frame.
Minutes later, New West keeper Frank Scigliano made a big save on Andy Taylor on a breakaway, and Luke Gillespie took the ball right up the floor before dishing off to game MVP Josh Byrne, who buried his second of the game to give the Salmonbellies a 10-7 lead.
Jimmy McBride and Alex Bohl finished off the A's with empty net goals in the final moments of the 10th meeting between the two B.C. clubs this season.
"This is poetic justice. We should have won the league," said New West club president Walt Weaver. "The key is (the players) didn't quit. The kids didn't realize they weren't supposed to be that good."
But New West clearly proved themselves the better team in the final two meetings, including New West's 9-7 win over the A's on Sunday.
"We did it as a team," said transition runner Brendan Ranford. "We're a good third-period team. We came out strong."
In what proved to be the norm in the late-season meetings between the 'Bellies and A's, momentum swung back and forth with both teams taking leads before B.C. final MVP Kevin Neufeld came off the bench to tie the contest 3-3 on a two-on-one in the final minute.
The second period was more of the same with co-scoring leader Anthony Malcom giving the home team a 5-4 advantage midway through the period.
But Coquitlam countered, scoring three times, Reid Reinholdt potting his second of the game in the final minute to put the visitors two goals up.
But a big goal by aged-up intermediate Jeremy Bosher 30 seconds later allowed New West to go into the interval trailing 7-6. "You can't let your emotions get the best of you at a time like that. My team needed me," said Scigliano after the game.
Scigliano stopped 29 shots for the win, including all 13 in the final period.
Byrne led all scorers with two goals in a five-point night, while McLaughlin had a four-point outing.
First-year junior Nathan Stewart continued his inspired play, collecting his seventh goal of the Minto and 11th point in just three games.
Cole Chafer was the game MVP for the Adanacs with two goals and two assists.
"(Coquitlam) is a great team, they're well coached, and it's unfortunate the injury to (Wesley) Berg. But we had an awesome lineup, we're a family, and we're going to battle night in and night out. It's the mentality in this dressing room," Scigliano said.
