When the Seattle Thunderbirds ended it overtime, Chase Witala disappeared on his own down the tunnel which leads to the Prince George Cougars' dressing room.
The 20-year-old winger couldn't bear the thought that his Western Hockey League career is over.
After five seasons playing for his hometown Cougars, Witala struggled with saying goodbye to his teammates and the fans who have been behind him for so long.
"My stomach kind of dropped there as it hit me that my career is done here and it kind of hit me pretty hard there, it was a pretty crazy feeling for sure," said Witala.
"I was pretty lucky to spend my five years with my hometown team. I got to stay home with friends and family and it was a lot of fun doing that."
Before he left the ice Wednesday night, the most prolific scorer in the Cougars' 22-year history in Prince George raised his stick to salute the CN Centre crowd, joining the team's other two overagers -- defenceman Joe Carvalho and right winger Luke Harrison -- in one final tribute.
Witala joined the Cats in 2011 after graduating the major midget Cougar ranks and went on to play five seasons, finishing with 40 goals and 79 points in 2015-16 to lead the team.
"I have so many mixed emotions, it's obviously sad to be done your junior career, but also exciting to be starting a new chapter (playing pro hockey)," said Witala.
"There's a lot of excitement for the future here and I wish I could be a part of it but my time is done here. That 1997 core group will be one year older and it should be a pretty good year for them and I'll be following them for sure."
Witala capped a five-year career with the Cougars by becoming the franchise's all-time regular season leader in goals (120) and points (239). According to head coach Mark Holick, he'll soon get snapped up by a pro team.
"He's a hometown boy and he's a kid who, when you look up what it's like to be a Prince George Cougar, his picture will be there," said Holick. "He's got some pro offers and I would expect him to be on a flight here in the next day or so. He's going to get a chance to play in the American League quickly. There's a lot of interest moving forward."
Carvalho had his most productive season in four years with the Cougars, finishing with two goals and 29 assists, having played all 72 games for the first time in his career. The native of Burnaby stands just five-foot-eight and weighs only 170 pounds but used his astute hockey instincts, speed and quick reflexes to blossom into one the Cougars' most effective defenceman. Carvalho became one of Holick's go-to guys on defence at the end of his first season and despite his small body played a large role in the team's success.
"Joe is five-foot-nothing and (weighs) 100-nothing and he plays in one of the best junior leagues in the world," said Holick. "This kid played hard and competed hard every single night."
Carvalho says he will likely end up playing university hockey in the CIS next season.
"It's crazy how fast those four years went by -- I came to Prince George as a 17-year-old boy and now I'm leaving as a 20-year-old man, so I'll never forget this city and what it's done for me," said Carvalho.
"I have no regrets over my career. It's been the best four years of my life and I wouldn't change a thing. It's been a helluva ride."
Harrison joined the Cats Nov. 25 in a trade for a sixth-round pick from Brandon, after starting the season with Spokane and Kamloops. The well-traveled native of Kelowna also played 2 1/2 seasons in Victoria. Although he played just 49 games in four months with the Cats, he made the most of his time in Prince George.
"When I got here I fit in right away," said Harrison. "The players, the fans, the coaches, the trainers, they're awesome and they made the final season of my career a great one.
"We came pretty close to winning it (Wednesday) and I can't say enough good things about our effort during the series. It was tight at times and it shows because we went into overtime twice. We knew this could be our last game and we went in knowing we had to leave everything on the table and show lots of pride and I think we did that."
Harrison, whose father Rob made the trip up from Kelowna to watch him play his last WHL game, plans to use his WHL scholarship to explore playing in the CIS. Six of his 10 goals and all of his 12 assists this season came while playing for the Cats and he became one of the team's go-to penalty-killers.
"We knew how hard Luke played in Kamloops when we had games against him last year and our team kind of changed when he got here, he solidified that top nine (forward group) for us," said Holick.
"Certainly there's bigger and better for all three, moving forward, and I enjoyed my time coaching them. They were great leaders on and off the ice."
