The game was over but the Prince George Cougars didn't want to leave the ice.
They all hung around to watch Todd Fiddler, Klarc Wilson and Peter Kosterman take their final spins around CN Centre to acknowledge their selection as the three game stars.
As tough as it was for the three 20-year-olds to say goodbye to their season, the crowd of 1,805 spectators was also having a hard time coming to grips with the fact they won't get to see the Cougars in action again until next season. They wanted a lot more games like the spectacle they'd just witnessed, seeing captain Troy Bourke become the team's all-time point leader, then watching Fiddler score four goals to reach the 50-goal plateau in an 8-3 win over the Kamloops Blazers.
"In terms of the standings, the game didn't mean anything but we wanted to end it on the right note," said Kosterman. "Troy gets the all-time points lead, Todd gets his 50th and Klarc has this sick goal, the fans were loud and it was an all-around great night. With what the situation was, it was as good of an ending as you could ask for."
Kosterman, a solid stay-at-home defenceman, came to Prince George in a late summer trade from the Calgary Hitmen after helping them win the league championship in 2013. He picked up seven assists in 45 games this season for the Cougars and came close to scoring his first goal if Saturday's finale.
Wilson played most of the season on a line with Fiddler and finished with career-high totals of 27 goals and 60 points, fourth in team scoring. His goal Saturday was a thing of beauty as he deked out both Kamloops defencemen with a move into the slot to score the Cougars' fifth goal. Wilson joined the Cougars in January 2012 after a trade from the Edmonton Oil Kings. As an 18-year-old he won the WHL championship in 2012, but his WHL career Saturday with no chance of playoff success with the Cougars.
"It took me a few games at the start of the season but I kind of got going in December and January," said Wilson. "The season didn't get as we'd hoped but it was a great ride. I'm happy we got the win and happy how we ended it and it's crazy to think it's over. Five years went so fast. Hopefully it's the start of something else."
Fiddler, arguably the most gifted natural goalscorer to ever play for the Prince George franchise, ended up sixth in the WHL scoring race with 50 goals and 98 points in 66 games. He joined the Cougars in October, traded from Moose Jaw for a conditional fifth-round bantam pick. In 52 games in a Prince George uniform he picked up 48 goals and 88 points. Fiddler was a 42-goal man last year with Spokane, giving him 92 goals in two seasons.
As good as the 20-year-olds were, Fiddler said the Cougars sorely missed forwards Jari Erricson,19, and David Soltes, 18, who were out most of the season with injuries. The team also had to deal with longterm injuries to goalie Brett Zarowny, defencemen Kosterman and Joseph Carvalho, and forwards Chase Witala, Alex Forsberg and Brett Roulston. With so many keys players out of the lineup, there's no doubt it cost the Cougars points.
"I would have loved to make the playoffs," said Fiddler. "We had such a good team this year and it's tough we didn't make it and tough we had so many injuries. I wasn't around to watch Jari play but I played against him when he was in Everett. He's a hard physical player and we were missing that some nights. I was only here a couple weeks with David but his skill set is so high, he's so great with the puck and has a great shot. Hopefully they can come back next year and help this team get to the playoffs."
Wilson has heard at least one pro team wants his services and he'd welcome a chance to pick up where he left off last summer when he attended the New York Rangers rookie camp. Kosterman has applied to play university hockey next year, either in Calgary or Edmonton. Fiddler will almost certainly end up playing this spring with an American Hockey League team.
"I really want to play pro somewhere and if anything comes up I'll obviously jump on the opportunity," said Fiddler.
