The season is over for the Lac la Hache Tomahawks after a 4-2 loss to Williams Lake Stampeders on Feb. 2 squashed the squad's hopes of continuing its quest for the Central Interior Hockey League Coy Cup.
The two teams did battle on Williams Lake ice in their second game of a best-of-three series in round 1 of the playoffs. The Stamps went in with one win under its belt and now advance to round 2 of the playoffs and will now face Quesnel Kangaroos.
Hawks coach Al Navrot says his team was confident going into Saturday's game, fortified by Wade Balbirnie's opening goal in the first period, assisted by Drew Rose.
The Stamps answered with a power play goal to tie the score before the end of the period.
The second stanza went scoreless but produced a steady stream of penalties for both sides, and lighting the fuse for a heated third period.
"It got very emotional and intense. There were lots of sparks flying," says Navrot, who along with Stamps coach Cliff Philpot, was tossed from the game in the third period.
That final frame saw Williams Lake get one past Hawks goalie William Sellars just over a minute in, then turn on the red light again for a 3-1 lead.
Robin Gilbert, assisted by Balbirnie narrowed the gap with two minutes left on the clock to leave the Hawks trailing 3-2. Navrot pulled Sellars for a six-man advantage, but it backfired with an empty-netter for the Stamps in the final 20 seconds of the game.
Navrot was still intensely proud of his team.
"The boys played hockey until the very end. The passion and dedication were there."
He says Sellars played unbelievably well all season and number 2 goalie Mike Judd, who attended every game and practice, but played only once in the entire season, showed the commitment and dedication needed.
"Our boys played hockey until the very end and that shows class. We're a second-year team and we definitely built some self-respect as a team this season. We'll be back and we'll be better."
Smithers Steelheads and Kitimat Ice Demons are the other two teams left in the race for the cup.
All four of the second-round teams finished in the top 4 in regular season league play.
