A double-overtime goal by Bret Wakabayashi helped the LJ Contracting Cougars make history at the Richmond International.
When Wakabayashi converted a rebound in front of goaltender Bobby Milligan about three minutes into a second extra session, the Cougars beat Terrace Totem Ford 5-4 and became the first Prince George minor hockey team to claim gold in the tournament's midget Tier 2 division. The game was played Tuesday at Richmond's Minoru Arena.
"This was one of our goals at the beginning of the year and I couldn't be more happy for the boys that we won it," said Cougars head coach Randy Potskin. "It wasn't easy because we were down a few players and we were down all the final game and they never quit."
The 15- to 17-year-old Cats trailed Terrace 2-0 after the first period and were behind 4-2 after the second. In the third, they got the tying goal from Nicholas Potskin with 1:16 to play. The teams went scoreless through a 20-minute, four-on-four overtime and then entered a five-minute, three-on-three OT. Wakabayashi ended the game when he pinched down from his spot on the blueline and knocked in the rebound of a Markus Plamondon shot.
"I was kind of holding my breath," Randy Potskin said of his reaction when he saw Wakabayashi heading for the net. "If he got caught, it would have been a breakaway going the other way but the rebound actually popped out to him and he didn't hesitate. It was on the stick, off the stick, and into the net."
The other goal-scorers for the Cougars were Tyson Ghostkeeper, Parker Dowhy and Drydon Barlow. In net, Jonathan French picked up the victory.
The win capped off a tournament that saw the Cougars post a 6-0-1 record. In their other games, they beat Alaska Wolves AAA 7-2, defeated Alaska Wolves AA 8-4, skated to a 1-1 tie with the Santa Clara Blackhawks, downed the Surrey Hurricanes 5-2, edged Orange County 4-3 and beat the Saanich Braves 7-3. There were 15 teams in the division.
Over the course of the seven games, Nicholas Potskin led the Cats in scoring with seven goals and 11 points.
On the injury front, the Cougars lost high-scoring forward Garrett Hilton in the first game because of a pre-existing knee problem. As well, they were without forward Koltin Chasse for the entire event because he was in Phoenix on a family holiday. Chasse is normally the club's top offensive player.
Other members of the Cougars are Trey Nichol, Myles Kazakoff, Gage Wasylyshen, Joshua Goyer, Mitchell Truefitt, Rob Raju, Trevor Clark, Carl Ewert and Alex Hinsche. Randy Potskin's staff is rounded out by assistant coaches Chad Ghostkeeper and Robert Hinsche, manager Wayne Sands and trainer Allison Sands.
The tournament victory was the third of the season for the Cats. Their next event is Jan. 10-12 in Kamloops. In February, they will be in Phoenix for the annual Presidents' Day tournament.
The Coast Inn of the North Cougars also skated at the Richmond International. In the midget Tier 1 division, they posted a 5-2 record.
