The North Van Wolf Pack already enjoyed their delicious hot fudge sundae this season but they’ll have to do without the cherry on top.
The Pack, coming off the first PJHL championship in franchise history, finished fourth in last weekend’s four-team provincial championship tournament in Mission. The Campbell River Storm knocked the Wolf Pack off the championship scent early with a 6-3 win to open the tournament. The Storm went on to claim the Cyclone Taylor Cup and earn a trip to the junior B national championships with a 6-5 win over the Kimberley Dynamiters in Monday’s final.
“(Campbell River) definitely didn’t get to see the team that I know that we could be,” said North Van head coach and general manager Matt Samson. “It’s frustrating to know that we didn’t do the things we’re accustomed to doing, but in that short time span that’s how it goes.”
After losing their opener the Pack still had ample opportunity to make the final but fell short in a pair of games that went into overtime. In Game 2 North Van faced the Mission City Outlaws, the host team that also happened to be the team the Wolf Pack just raced past in the PJHL finals. North Van seemed poised for another win over the Outlaws in Saturday’s matchup but a late penalty opened the door for Mission City star Bryce Pisiak to tie the score 6-6 with two minutes left in the third.
Nothing was solved in overtime so the game went to a shootout — a bit of an odd ending considering that the PJHL played without shootouts all season long — where Mission City came out on top after an epic 11-round contest that was dominated by the goaltenders.
With just one point earned in two provincial championship games the Pack still had a chance to make the final with a regulation win over the Dynamiters on Sunday but fell short following a wild third period that saw seven goals scored between the two teams. North Van’s Spencer Quon scored with 1:39 left in the third period to make it 4-4 and the Wolf Pack pulled their goalie, pressing for the regulation win, but couldn’t find the winning goal. Going to overtime eliminated the Wolf Pack from championship contention and the Dynamiters made it official a few minutes later, scoring in the second overtime frame to earn 5-4 win.
In Monday’s bronze medal game the worn-out Wolf Pack packed it in, losing 7-0 to the host Outlaws in the eighth meeting between the two teams in the past three weeks.
The team will remember their first trip to the Cyclone Taylor Cup with mixed emotions, said Samson, adding that it was a little strange going right back to Mission for provincials after waging a six-game battle with the Outlaws in the PJHL final.
“It would have been nice to go somewhere new for the experience but hey, we were in the provincials,” he said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime for our 20-year-olds. I’ve been there once in six years — you definitely enjoy it. But obviously it was a tough pill to swallow. I thought we came in with some momentum. It was exciting to play a couple of teams from the other leagues.”
The tournament was the last hurrah for the six 20-year-old Wolf Pack members who helped carry the team this season: twins Spencer and Dyllan Quon, scoring leader Mitch Crisanti, captain Brodyn Nielsen, top-two defenceman Daniel Delbianco and second-line anchor Daniel Tait.
“Those guys, it was tough to see them play their last games for sure,” said Samson. “Guys become pretty close to you as a coach — you see them develop and grow as players. Whether it’s four years like the Quons, or having Brodyn for a big year at 17 and then getting him back and seeing the maturity and the development. Or a guy like Mitch who kind of fell into our laps partway through last year and then really matured into such a tremendous player in our league, such a leader on our team. All these guys. . . . It’s really tough because you know these guys, what they’ve been through in their careers. It was great that we won a championship together so we’ll always have that. It’s one of those things where you’re thinking back, ‘what if?’ These guys definitely wanted to keep playing. They’re just such great leaders for us.”
The long playoff run was a boon for the team but it also means that it won’t be long before the Pack brass have to start thinking about next season. Samson reckons he’ll only have about two days away from hockey business before he has to jump back into it. Recruitment camps and spring tryouts are already underway for teams across the province. It’s still too early to tell which of the team’s underage players will be back for next season but Samson knows he already has some big holes to fill with his graduating players.
“We know we’ve got six spots open for sure and we’ve got to be realistic, we’re not going to get everyone else back,” he said. “We’ve got to get out the depth chart and look at holes that need filling and things that need doing in the offseason.”
Despite the disappointing ending to the season the Wolf Pack’s strong run has helped cement their status as a North Shore staple in their fourth year here after moving from Squamish in 2011. Crowds grew to near capacity as the playoffs progressed and Wolf Pack games drew a lot of social media buzz.
“When you win you get a little more traction,” Samson said. “People see a team winning and everybody starts to get behind you, they come check out a game and have a good time. . . . It’s nice to see in the community people recognizing you and supporting you that way.”
