For the fourth time in six seasons, the Kitimat Ice Demons are the B.C. Senior Men’s AA Coy Cup provincial hockey champions.
The Ice Demons defeated the Williams Lake Stampeders 8-5 on Saturday night at Prince Rupert’s Jim Ciccone Ice Arena in the championship game.
For the Ice Demons the win served as sweet revenge after losing to the Stampeders in the third and final game of the Central Interior Hockey League playoffs.
“The guys were really pumped to play Williams Lake [in the Coy Cup final],” said Kitimat coach Mike Steponavicius, who stepped in at the last minute to relieve Ice Demon’s head coach Danny Baker after he was admitted to hospital prior to the tournament.
“Williams Lake had a fantastic season. The fact that two CIHL teams were in the final is great for our league but we were pumped, ready to go and we played our hearts out.”
Steponavicius, who coached the Ice Demons to two Coy Cups in 2005 and 2006, said he was happy to help the team out to come back and coach for the Coy Cup in relief of Baker.
“That was kind of why I stepped in — they didn’t have a coach on the bench for the playoffs in Williams Lake,” he said.
“When they started phoning me a few days after that it took me a day or so to contemplate whether I wanted to do it again, but because the guys were looking forward to it I thought I could certainly spend my time to help them out.”
Steponavicius said Baker arrived to the tournament on Saturday and witnessed his club win the championship.
“He saw exactly what was going on,” Steponavicius said. “I went and got him after the game and brought him on the ice so he could receive a gold medal and be part of the celebration. He didn’t want to at first, but I said you got the guys here, I just finished it off for them.”
Kitimat and Williams Lake also met in the first game of the tournament with the Ice Demons claiming a 3-0 win.
In the final, Kitimat took an early 2-0 lead after one period with goals from Daniel Mayer and Jeff Mildenberger, taking advantage of a Williams Lake club playing its fifth game in five days.
Kitimat’s Ben Rego picked up right where his club left off in the second, slipping one by Williams Lake netminder Justin Foote to put his club up 3-0 early in the frame.
Stampeders Gilbert Robbins and Wilfred Robbins would light the lamp for Williams Lake; however, Kyle Madsen and Terry Whelan would put the Ice Demons up 5-2 heading into the final frame.
There, Williams Lake crept within a goal after Jeff Gagnon and Phillip Simoes both found the twine on Ice Demons goaltender Jamie Moran, before Craig Hewiston and Kory Finn restored the Ice Demon’s three-goal lead.
Robin Gilbert would add another for the Stamps, before Blaine Markwart would convert an empty-netter to cap off the championship win for the Ice Demons in the 8-5 contest.
Stampeders head coach Kelly Kohlen said despite the loss, he was pleased with his club’s effort throughout the tournament.
“I thought it went pretty good, overall,” he said. “We were a bit fatigued, though, playing five games in five days. It would have been nice to have that one day off.”
The Ice Demons, for finishing first after the round robin portion of the tournament, received a bye into the final.
Williams Lake’s path to the final, after losing its first game to Kitimat, consisted of a 4-1 win over the Powell River Regals, an 8-6 win over the Prince Rupert Rampage and another 6-4 victory over the Regals.
“We just didn’t get the bounces [in the final],” Kohlen said. “We had the scoring opportunities but it just wasn’t bouncing our way. The hockey gods were on their side.”
To their credit, Williams Lake won the CIHL playoff title and finished second in the province among senior men’s AA clubs — a result Kohlen said he’s pleased with.
“It was a very successful year,” he said. “Everybody played well.”