The Fort St. John Flyers finally got to share in a hockey tradition that started 102 years ago.
They took their first victory swigs out of the Allan Cup.
Icing a lineup that included five players with ties to Prince George, the Flyers were crowned Canada's senior triple-A hockey champions Saturday afternoon after a 4-1 win over the defending -champion Bentley Generals of Alberta.
And how sweet it was for Tyler Brough. The 31-year-old former Prince George Cougars winger returned to the city of his birth and was on the ice when linemate Ryan Carter scored an unassisted goal 17:04 into the third period to put the Flyers ahead 3-1. They never looked back.
"The Allan Cup has a lot of history behind it and with the battle we went through the last three years it's just such a great feeling to win it," said Brough, who now lives in Prince George. "We've got a great thing going with this team and it was just great to finish it off with a huge win.
"This city deserves it. They've been behind us and filled the barn since Day 1 and it was great to win the Cup for these people. This team is nothing but hard workers, we've never been given anything we've gotten. It's a great feeling."
The previous two seasons, the Generals denied the Flyers a crack at the Allan Cup, beating them in the Savage Cup B.C.-Alberta final. The Brian Sutter-coached Generals had made it a one-goal game in the third period and were pressing a few minutes later when Brough got caught hooking, his second minor penalty of the period and third in the game. But the Flyers' penalty-killers did their jobs.
"They were the defending Allan Cup champions for a reason and they have a strong team and strong coaching, but we knew we were so deep and we kept pushing them, each line," said Brough. "When Carter scored it was like a load of bricks off our shoulders and when Roddy Stevens scored (an empty-netter) it was a celebration from there."
Flyers captain Todd Alexander scored the only goal of the first period. Chris Stevens, the former Spruce King, added to the total in the second period. Scott Hood gave the Generals some life with his goal 9:09 into the third period.
"When it was 2-1 the boys were kind of panicky -- we didn't want overtime -- but the boys didn't play panicky," said Flyers forward Adam Loncan, who played junior hockey in Prince George for the Spruce Kings and Cougars. "The rink was packed (2,200 fans) and they were loud and cheering and the boys pulled it off.
"It's pretty sweet right now. For the last three years we've had such a hard time trying to beat Bentley and finally it's our time. The Allan Cup has been around for more than 100 years and to win this at home is one of the biggest accomplishments a guy could have."
Backed by goalie Clayton Pool, who played all but one of the game in the tournament, the Flyers outshot Bentley 33-25.
Former Spruce Kings Gerard Dicaire and Tyler Loney, both defencemen, also played for Fort St. John in the final.
