The Wranglers run in the playoffs has come to an end following a long back and forth series with the Kamloops Storm.
"You're not happy you lost but I certainly didn't mind the effort of the kids both games of the weekend to try and stay in it. So you know it's kind of bittersweet I guess," said head coach Dale Hladun.
Game 5 of the series - March 2
The first period saw no scoring with excellent powerplay kills by the Wranglers and the Storm who both kept a clean sheet despite facing two penalties each.
The second period saw more top notch defending and goaltending on both sides with six more fruitless power plays (two penalties against the Wranglers and four against the Storm), once again keeping the scoreboard empty.
Midway through the third period, the Wranglers got on the board with a goal from Rob Raju (assisted by Nick McCabe) at 12:43. Before the final buzzer went, however, Kamloops tied it up at one-all off a powerplay goal with 5:30 left, sending the game into overtime.
With 3:02 on the clock, and time ticking down in the first overtime period, Wranglers player Justin Bond secured the victory for the hometown team with the game-deciding goal (Stephen Egan).
"We tried to play a defensive game. We felt Kamloops could explode out of the zone ... They could counter an attack quickly so we tried to limit any odd man rushes.
"I thought the boys did a great job. I thought we shut them down and controlled the play. Early Kamloops had outshot us due to the power plays but the boys did a good job penalty killing and then you'll notice we starting taking charge of the game. We were way behind in shots early in the game but ultimately ended up outshooting them," Hladun said of the game.
Game 6 of the series - March 3
Seemingly feeling more confident on home ice, the Storm secured a lead in the first with a goal at 7:38 followed by a powerplay goal at 3:41. This sent the Wranglers to the locker room with a 2-0 deficit.
Showing they had some fight left, the Wranglers brought the score back to 2-1 in the second with a goal from Justin Bond (Egan).
The third period, notably the first full period in the series without any penalties on either side, saw the Wranglers tie up the series with a goal from Rob Raju (Riley Coish). However, the Storm came back with a goal at 9:47 and 6:19 before scoring an empty net goal at 1:46 to end the Wranglers playoff run with a final score of 5-2.
"We were down two nothing but there was still fire in the eyes and we were still buying in. They scored a power play goal which it is what it is, they are a good power play team.
"Unfortunately, they got a third goal on a goofy little rebound bounce. That one hurt when the game is that tight and that late to get a goal against. We kept buzzing but ultimately it just wasn't enough."
End of the series and season
With the series ending at 4-2, Hladun said the team worked hard but overall Kamloops was better.
"The team structurally, I thought Kamloops was a far better-coordinated team than we were. I take a lot of responsibility for that in terms of how our forecheck system worked and how we countered things. ... We had hardworking effort but too much running around and not enough sticking to the structure to beat a team five on five," said Hladun.
Looking Foward
According to Hladun, last year's success was because two years ago the kids were mad after being kicked out by Kamloops.
"I felt that we had a talented team this year but with so many guys new to the league and not really understanding the arch rivalries and the intensity that's required in playoffs after this series I got a whole dressing room of kids that are mad again. I think sometimes you gotta take a step back to take two steps forward and we got a good returning core of kids. Obviously, we're going to try and help as many get to the next hockey level as we can, but they always have a home here if it doesn't work."
"It's unfortunate we lost but I'll tell you what, I'm pretty proud of this crew. I mean success can be measured a lot of ways. For teenage men to be as classy as they are all the time in the community, in other communities, representing this town and this area and the Cariboo, I couldn't be prouder of the guys and I mean that. They are humble guys they thank waitresses, they thank hoteliers, they thank people in the community. They appreciate all they have. Win or lose, they are fine young men and the community should be really proud of them."