Last week the Sooke Midget boys played a tough league game at Pearkes Arena for the League Pennant against the Saanich Braves.
The two teams were tied coming into their last game against one another, so this was the big game for all the marbles.
Each period they kept responding back and forth until the third period with 5:36 remaining, when the assistant captain Mike Turcotte scored the winning goal clinching the League Pennant.
For Sooke, the final score was 4-3, with low penalty minutes.
It was a very exciting game and both teams worked very hard.
After such a nail biter of a game, none of us ever expected to see another game like that for quite some time until the last weekend, which was for the Playoff Pennant.
This was hosted in Sooke at the SEAPARC arena and had the top four teams.
Sooke came in seeded number one, so they played the fourth seeded team, which was Juan De Fuca.
It was another incredible game. Who would have thought they were in for another ride, but they pulled it off with a 7-6 win.
Now having basically no nails left, Sooke was faced playing the only remaining team, Kerry Park, an inconsipcuous sleeper team, originally seeded third.
The game started at 3:30 p.m. on March 11, and ended in a double overtime.
Yes, double overtime! What a game!
These two teams wanted that pennant bad and showed it.
They raced up and down the ice like they were in the NHL, OK Junior World, and went back and forth with scores.
Every period they answered back until they tied it up at 5-5, and then they went for their first overtime and no one scored -- many shots on goal though, from both teams and many rings, but nuttin’, so they headed into the second overtime.
Then with both teams taking a few time outs and raising the anxiety of all the fans, the game went on once again, bells aringin’, and whistles ablowin’ when suddenly the puck hit the side of the boards and bounced out for a perfect break away for Brendan Kumar.
When he grabbed the puck his whole body language just said it all, ‘We’re goin’ downtown,’ as he had a defender catching up and hot on his tail.
Kumar slides it in nonchalantly between the goalie’s legs and it was all over!
It ended 6-5 and the Sooke boys were so happy they dog piled one another, and also showed such great respect for not only for their own team players, but also for their opponents.
Once the boys positioned themselves as well as the Kerry Park team, they lined up on the blue line and I handed out the Playoff Pennant to Sooke with great admiration and respect for the Kerry Park Team.
Never in my life have I seen what I saw after that game which was both captains and players sharing a moment of respect for one another and with their own words they asked to share a picture with one another.
The maturity and respect from both teams could have brought tears to many peoples eyes, due to the fact we were all so proud of these growing young men from two different associations.
How awesome is that? That’s what Canadian hockey is all about, what a great day!
Thank you to all the referees, who did such a great job, the many scorekeepers and game recorders, fans, managers, and most of all the great coaches that both these teams have. Keith Brooks, Mike Madill, Steve Millwood, Randi Jonnason, and Mandi Lott for without all of you none of this would have happened.