Was it a goal or wasn’t it?
The Vancouver Northwest Giants were convinced the puck crossed the line.
The Cariboo Cougars were certain it didn’t.
Referee Greg Taylor had the ultimate say in the matter Saturday afternoon at Kin 1. He ruled the puck shot by Vancouver Giants forward Hudson Schandor dropped behind the shoulder of Cariboo Cougars goalie Zach Wickson and rolled across the goal line for the game-winning goal, 12:33 into the second overtime period to give the Giants a 4-3 victory.
That forced a third and deciding game in the best-of-three B.C. Hockey Major Midget League semifinal series Sunday (9:45 a.m. start) at Kin 1.
Schandor accepted a high rink-wide pass from Liam Kindree as he entered the Cougars’ zone and his shot from the face-off circle ticked off the stick of Cougars defenceman Jeremy Gervais high and dropped over Wickson’s right shoulder off the post and down into the crease, then trickled out the opposite side.
“It was a great pass from Liam in the air and I just gloved it down and went to the net and good things happen when you go to the net,” said the 16-year-old Schandor.
“I took a shot and it went off (Jeremy) Gervais stick and floated over and off the crossbar and in. It was rolling so I think it bounced back out after it went in.”
According a several witnesses sitting in the stands near the Cougars’ goal, the puck did not go in, and the goal judge behind the net did not flip the switch to signify a goal. Cougars head coach Trevor Sprague was left wondering why Taylor did not consult the goal judge for a second opinion.
“The light never went on, I talked to (Gervais’ defence partner Brennan Malgunas) and he said the puck was on the goal line and said it never went in,” said Sprague. “It was right on the line and he pulled it off. Tom Baratta finds people to go in and be goal judges, no different than the Cougars or the Spruce Kings, and they don’t bother to utilize the guys who are doing it.
“We have to deal with the adversity and move ahead. We have one more game here for us to play (Sunday) and we have to come like men and play the game. We haven’t lost a lot of hockey games here and we’re going to come back stronger than ever with a lot more determination.”
Schandor celebrated as soon as he saw Taylor pointing at the goal and the Giants bench exploded in celebration and went right to the dressing room while the dumbfounded Cougars remained on their bench in disbelief, hoping the decision would be reversed. Giants coach Aaron Wilbur needed no explanation as to what happened.
“It squeaked in and crossed the line and our hands were up and the ref signalled a goal and he was in great position to see it,” said Wilbur. “That’s an absolute world-class pass from Kindree, it was an alley-oop and Schandor knocked it down and made a play on net. “We needed our best players to step up and make a play and they did. We hung on and we earned it today.”
The Cougars won Game 1 of the series Friday 7-1.
The Cougars dominated the first 10-minute overtime period, outshooting the Giants 7-1. Cats’ centre Darian Long just about ended it 13 seconds into OT, deflecting a shot right in front of the Giants’ cage. They had several great chances in the 10-minute period but couldn’t beat goalie Jesse Makaj. The Giants ended up outshooting the Cougars 7-3 in the second overtime session. The Cats outshot the Giants 40-26 in the game.
Two late goals in the third period forced extra time. Kindree scored his second of the game to give the Giants a 3-2 lead with 3:35 left in the third period, finishing off an odd-man rush with a quick shot that got behind Wickson.
Kindree, who shared the league scoring crown with Cougars’ centre Daine Dubois, didn’t get much time to savour the lead. Dubois’ persistence in front of the net led to his second goal of the afternoon with just 2:06 left in the period. He collecting his own rebound after Gervais floated a high wrist shot in from the point.
The Giants had the early jump off the opening face-off in the first period and caught the Cougars flatfooted, forcing them to take two minor penalties before the game was seven minutes old and they turned one of those advantages into a goal.
Kindree took a perfectly-timed pass through the crease from linemate Logan Doust for an easy tap-in. That came 7:44 into the first period, with Ty Kolle still in the box for interference.
The teams traded goals in the second period, both coming off deflections. The Giants made it 2-for-2 on power plays with a seeing-eye ricochet along the ice that found a small gap between the post and Wickson’s leg, 14:55 into the period.
But just 11 seconds later, the Cougars responded. Mason Richey won the draw and worked the puck across the line. Trey Thomas moved into position in front of the net and managed to get his stick on Richey’s shot to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Cougars cashed in their fourth power-play opportunity, 4:35 into the third period, to tie the game. Dubois blasted a one-timer just under the crossbar on a feed from the corner from Richey.
Both teams lost a key defenceman to injury in the third period. Cougars captain Jesse Pomeroy took a hard head-first hit sliding on his knees after he got tangled up with Giants forward Justin Fodchuk. Not long after that, Trevor Longo, the Giants’ third-leading scorer in the regular season, hurt his left leg after a collision at centre ice with Tyler Maser while the puck was heading into the Cougars’ zone.
