Mitch Williams used to score goals for the Cariboo Cougars.
Now he's doing the deed for the Vancouver Northwest Giants, as the 17-year-old forward prominently demonstrated Monday night in North Vancouver.
Williams scored the overtime winner 10 minutes into overtime to give the Giants a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Northeast Chiefs in the third and deciding game of their B.C. Hockey Major Midget League quarterfinal series.
It was the second goal of the playoffs for the six-foot-one, 198-pound native of North Vancouver and it locked up a berth in the semifinals for the Giants this weekend at Kin 1 against the Cougars. Game 1 is set for today at 5 p.m.
In two seasons with the Cougars before he moved back to his hometown, Williams scored 17 goals and picked up 32 points. This season he ranked ninth overall in the BCHMML with 46 points in 38 games, including 26 goals.
The Cougars, who finished second in the regular season with a 29-8-3 record, swept the South Island Royals 6-0 and 5-2 last weekend at Kin 1. The Giants (27-9-4) placed third in the league, three points behind the Cougars.
The teams last met in February at North Shore Winter Club, where the Giants won the first game 8-4 then lost the rematch 4-3, Back in November in Prince George, the teams tied 2-2 and the Cougars won the second game 4-3.
Dating back to the start of the league in 2004, the Cougars have only beaten the Giants once in a playoff series.
"I think we have the team to do it, that's for sure," said Cougars head coach Trevor Sprague.
"These guys are ready and had a really good first series and they just need to keep bringing it in the second series. We just have to play well defensively and we have to be disciplined, we've been preaching that all year, and our goatending has to be good. With the Giants, you have to capitalize on the opportunities because they don't give you many."
In fact, Vancouver Northwest was the stingiest team in the league, allowing just 84 goals, an average of 2.1 per game.
The Giants' offence is not too shabby either. They scored 193 goals in 40 regular season games, second only to the first-place Valley Hawks. Justin Wilson (28-40-68) and Josh Latta (19-49-68) each collected 68 points (tied for second in the league scoring race) to lead Vancouver Northwest offensively.
Game 2 goes Saturday, also at 5 p.m. If a third game is needed, it would be played Sunday at
11 a.m. The winner goes on to play in the league championship series against this weekend's Valley Hawks-Okanagan Rockets series winner.
"A lot of teams don't like coming here and playing us," said Sprague. "As a staff, we've been working hard to get them ready for playoff hockey and for a series like this."
Sprague said Dorrin Luding will get the start in goal for Game 1.
"He's a guy who has played in the league two years now so it's time for him to shine and be the Number 1 guy in the league," Sprague said.
