It was quite a ride, but the ending still seemed sudden.
The Vancouver Northeast Chiefs’ run in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League playoffs came to an end Saturday in a 4-3 loss to the Cariboo Cougars. The Cougars advance to the league final to face the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds.
The Chiefs didn’t go easily, forcing Game 2 to overtime on James Bohn’s tally with 5:41 left in the third. But Cariboo prevailed four minutes into extra time on Mason Richey’s second of the day, finishing the series 2-0 sweep, after Friday’s 5-2 decision. Burnaby’s Jackson Murphy-Johnson scored once and set up another on Saturday, while Ryan Denney notched the other marker.
On Friday, the Chiefs trailed 3-0 early in the second period and never managed to cut the deficit deeper than two. Justin Scott and Quinton Hill scored in the loss, with Burnaby's Zach Abernante collecting an assist on the latter tally.
The Vancouver Northwest Giants, meanwhile, were bumped from the semifinals 2-1 by the Thunderbirds, falling 8-2 in the deciding third game. Burnaby's Christian Buono finished with three goals over three games for the Giants.
