A remarkable playoff run by an expansion team in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League has come to an end.
The 100 Mile House Wranglers were downed 3-1 at home in Game 4 of the Doug Birks Division final on March 12 against the Kamloops Storm, which is moving on to the conference final.
Luke Santerno scored the Wranglers lone goal, with an assist by Lane van de Wetering.
As the Storm had done all series long, it fired a ton of shots at 100 Mile House goalie Kristian Stead, who saw 60 in total.
The game was 1-1 going into the final frame, and down three games to none, there was hope around the South Cariboo Rec. Centre of, if not winning the series outright, at least taking it back to Kamloops.
However, the Storm notched a power play goal at the 19:12 mark of the third, followed by another tally just over a minute later, to put the game out of reach.
“We're an expansion team and no one really expected us to make it to the playoffs, and we made it to the second round,” says Wranglers forward Connor Sloan after the game. “It's tough to lose, but we should be proud of our accomplishments all season, and how far we went.”
For more of the story, and more comments from players and coaches, read the March 19 edition of the 100 Mile House Free Press.