It was a hard fought series, but in the end the Terrace River Kings took the CIHL Championship in overtime Sunday afternoon on the road in Williams Lake.
The best-of-three series began in Terrace March 9, with the River Kings taking the first win.
Saturday night (March 16) in Williams Lake was a barn burner with the Stampeders battling back for a 2-1 win in front of a full house.
The first two periods of Sunday’s Game 3 was all River Kings, with a 3-0 score going into the third.
But the Stamps rallied back, with Dawson Foerster scoring the first goal for the Stamps at 18:33 on a power play in the third period with an assist from Brendan Pigeon and Jaydon Merritt.
At 9:42 Cole Zimmerman followed up with an unassisted goal.
At 7:01 Jaydon Merritt tied up the game with an assist from Cam Flinton, sending the match into overtime.
With seven minutes left on the clock in OT, and solid chances from both teams, the River Kings found the back of the net to bring home the CIHL banner, and the Cameron Kerr cup.
River Kings coach Derek Jurista said it was a great series.
“It’s probably the best hockey we’ve played all year. Williams Lake is a great team, they’re coached by good guys and it’s a battle and we look forward to seeing them in the Coy Cup.”
Jurista said the River Kings said the win has special meaning as the team was playing to win the cup named in honour their former River Kings teammate Cam Kerr who was struck and killed by oncoming traffic in a hit and run Nov. 18, 2018 as he walked along Highway 16 near Terrace. The case remains unsolved.
Kerr was a sheet metal worker by trade, but he was also a former player for the Terrace River Kings and an avid outdoorsman who loved paddling, hunting and fishing and was known for being kind and compassionate.
“We wanted to win it for him and that was our motivation to win this trophy,” he said. “It can’t put it into words. It’s feels awesome.”
- With a file from Jake Wray/Terrace Standard
