The Kitimat Ice Demons, after an 8-6 win in game one of the Central Interior Hockey League playoff final on Tamitik Ice on Feb. 17, dropped game two to Williams Lake in Williams Lake, Saturday night, but the defending champions turned on the after-burners Sunday, scoring three goals in 29 seconds in a dramatic come-back third period of game three, to knock out the Stampeders, 8-5.
Williams Lake’s Senior AA team enjoyed its two biggest crowds of the season (despite a Saturday night Junior A game) and they beat on drums and cheered on their Stampeders wildly.
Kitimat's captain Chris Vilness, second from right, received the Kal-Tire Cup for the third season in a row, from Kal-Tire rep Steve Capnerhurst, centre. demons won game three of the foinal 8-5. Also in the photo are team assistant captains, Gerard Baldo, left and Doug WEilson, second from left.
The Stamps earned a lot of respect from the Demons in the three-game final, but they just weren’t prepared for the experience of the Demons’ accelerated third period burst, opting to try and sit back and dfend a second period 4-3 lead.
Kitimat-born referee, Bill Taylor, didn’t show the Demons as much respect on Sunday afternoon, as he piled on a total of 26 penalty minutes to the Demons, against only 18 for the Stampeders.
But, when the game came down to the crunch third period, he seemed to put his whistle in his pocket, allowing the players to settle the issue. Demons had only four minutes in penalties in the third period, compared to two minutes for the Stampeders.
Demons assistant coach Barry Boudreault, said, “The boys went to the well in the third period, down 4-3, and dug deep to dredge up the energy for a great come back. It was a real team victory, with everybody on the ice doing their bit. Defensively and offensively it was our best period of the playoffs and the effort came at the right time.”
After winning 8-6 on home ice at Tamitik Arenma last week-end, with a late empty-net goal by Ian Coleman to clinch it, Demons found the Stampeders in a confident mood Saturday at home and they took the lead at the 6.50 mark of the first period on a power-play goal scored by Robin Gilbert, assisted by Ryan Fehler and Wilfred Robbins, with Jeff Mildenberger in the penalty box.
Demons had been down to three on five, with Trent Bossence also in the box for a slash, but he was back on the ice about 30 second before Stampeders opened the scoring.
A couple of happy goalscorers .. Steve Venman and Trent Bossence
The power play was important to the Stampeders over the weekend, with a total of five of their goals with the man advantage. Kitimat’s power play clicked once Saturday, but hit the twine three times on Sunday.
Demons replied to the Lakers’ opening goal within a minute, as Trent Bossence jammed home a shot by Mike Fisk, but the Stamps took the lead back just four minutes later on a goal by Nathan Zurak, assisted by Francis Johnson, and went to the locker rooms up 2-1.
Steven Venman got the Demons even with only three minutes gone in the second period when he gobbled up a rebound on a Craig Hewitson shot and put it behind Willie Sellers in the Stamps net. The two teams went to the second intermission tied at three after Wakita deflected a shot by Brad Owen past Sellars, (second assist to Daniel Mayer), to tie the game at three, after Stamps and league scoring leader, Francis Johnson had restored the lead at the 13-minute mark (Robin Gilbert, Wilfred Robbins).
Demons again allowed a quick goal a minute into the third, by Robin Gilbert ( (Wilfred Robbins) but Demons got that back 11 minutes later, when Trent Bossence scored his second of the night on a Demons power play. Jeff Baker and Jeff Mildenberger assisted.
Stampeders got the winner, on a power play, with Chris Vilness in the penalty box for hooking, at 10.27 of the period, on a rocket shot from Francis Johnson that deflected past Brett Vilness of Jeff baker.
Back in the hole Demons responded, but a Craig Hewitson goal was waved off by referee Cam Cochran, resulting in a melee, which saw Kitimat coach Mike Steponavicius tossed from the game for a sarcastic overhead applause to protest the ruling. Demons’ comeback was hampered by another penalty in the late stages of the game, two minutes for hooking to Brent Mailloux and but Vilness stood tall. Demons launched an all out attack in the final minute, with Vilness pulled for the extra attacker, but this time Sellers was up to the challenge. Demons had 28 minutes in penalties in the game, compared to only 12 for Stampeders, an element that coach Steponavicius said turned the game in the Stamps favor.
It looked Saturday as if the Demons were totally determined to regain the Kal-Tire Cup as they scored twice in the first period of the game, first a power play goal at 7.32 from Craig Hewitson, from Jeff baker and Ian Coleman and then Trent Bossence again weighed in, assisted by Daniel Mayer and Brent Mailloux, but the Stamps came back to within a goal with just for minutes left in the period on a goal by Francis Johnson, from Wilfred Robbins.
Late penalties saw the boxes filled near the end of the period, but with the opening face-off of the second being taken with Blaine Markwart still needing to serve the last 189 seconds of a high-sticking penalty. Williams Lake took advantage of the power-play, as Jeff Mildenberger was hooked down off the face-off and Wilfred Robbins finished off a pass from Aaron Zurak to tie the game at two.
Demons stayed in penalty trouble in the second period being short-handed 12 minutes,
And Stamps had two more power play goals, by Robin Gilbert, (Wilfred Robbins and Nathan Zurak) at 5.16 and Gilbert again at 10.34, also from Wilfred Robbins. Demons answered with a goal by Brent Mailloux, from Mike Fisk, on a power play of its own, with Francis Johnson serving an interference penalty. The period ended with the Stampeders up 4-3.
Whatever coach Steponavicius said to the players in the intermission, they came out hard and pummeled the Stamps net and were rewarded wit the first of three goals in 29 seconds, by Ian Coleman, who deftly tipped a Jeff Mildenberger cross behind Sellars as the Demons tried to staunch the flow of trips to the penalty box.
Off the face off Paul Plante sent Craig Hewitson in alone and he blasted a five-hole shot along the ice that gave Sellars no chance, just seven second after the Coleman goal tied the game.
In the next sequence a diving play by Brent Mailloux punched the puck to Daniel Mayer who out-skated the defense and neatly deked Sellars to put Demons up 6-4. A second assist went to Trent Bossence.
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| Williams Lake Stampeders' assistant captain, Francis Johnson, was selected as the CIHL playoffs most valuable player, Sunday, by team coaches from Williams Lake and the Kitimat Ice Demons. Johnson who was a dominant scorer along with line-mate Wilfred Robbins, in regular season and the playoffs, and became the first player from a losing team to be honored with the CIHL MVP trophy. Demons beat Williams Lake 8-5 in game three on Sunday in Williams Lake. Previous winners were Craig Hewitson (Kitimat Ice Demons - 2005 playoffs) and Jeff Mildenberger (Kitimat Ice Demons- 2006 playoffs). |
Stamps kept fighting and got one back at 16.50 on a goal by Gilbert Robbins (Tyler Williamson) but Craig Hewitson almost had a fourth goal when Sellars was pulled for an extra attacker in the last minute. His goal-bound shot was picked out of the air by Zurak, but Trent Bossence picked up the puck and finished the Stamps off with the 8-5 empty netter, with 19 seconds left, to clinch Demons third CIHL Kal-Tire Cup championship in three years.
The trophy was presented by Kal-Tire dealer, Steve Capnerhurst, to Demons’ captain Chris Vilness.
There was one more piece of business and coaches Al Navrot and Mike Steponavicius agreed that Williams Lake’s Francis Johnson deserved the CIHL playoff MVP trophy, which was duly presented.
