The Heli-Riggen Flyers and Code Blue Chiefs proved this week there is still exciting hockey to be found despite the NHL labour dispute and the Kelowna Rockets elimination of the Vancouver Giants.
The Chiefs were a win away from clinching their first ever Men's Hockey League championship after a 4-3 win last Friday (April 1) to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five final series.
The Flyers proved they have what it takes to win despite being down with a 5-1 win in game 4 Sunday (April 3).
The Flyers opened the scoring late in the first period Sunday and didn't look back. Seven minutes into the second period they scored three unanswered goals to make it 4-0.
Brandon Reilly put the Chiefs on the board but it was far too little far too late. Dan Sargent put the puck in for the fifth Flyer goal and guaranteed the two teams would skate again on Wednesday (April 6).
The Chiefs hit the ice in game 5 determined to prove the last place team over the course of the regular season can turn it around and take the championship. Mike Bishop opened the scoring for the Chiefs but Scott Jensen answered less than two minutes later for the Flyers.
Reilly moved the Chiefs back into the lead with just over two minutes left in the period.
The strong play of the Chiefs picked up even more when Kyle Lang intercepted a bad Flyer pass. Lang jumped on the puck at his team's blue line and he skated toward Flyer goalie Steve Wuthrich to tuck it past the Flyer net minder.
Reilly found the back of the net for the second time of the night when he wristed the puck over Wuthrich's glove hand on a difficult angle.
A scramble in front of the Chiefs net resulted in a goal credited to Miles Rosser to put the score at 4-2 with more than 14 minutes left in the final.
Momentum was shifting towards the Flyers and Leon Renfrew helped tip the scales in favour of the Flyers by making it 4-3. Rosser followed 45 seconds later by converting a perfect pass from the Chiefs blue line into the tying goal.
Renfrew found the back of the net for the second time of the night to put his team in a 5-4 lead with 8:14 left.
Things started getting rough as the Flyers concentrated on defense while the Chiefs turned up their physical game. Flyers big guy Travis Moyle was sent to the ice after a hard hit against the boards near the centre line.
The last few minutes of the game were penalty-filled with a total of five players in the box at one point.
Chief Mike Bishop was ejected for leaving the penalty box near the end of the game during a late game shoving match at centre ice.
Despite a strong effort in the final seconds and an extra skater, the Chiefs couldn't get any decent shots on net.
Chiefs captain Ora Ramage said there was no reason for his teammates to hang their heads.
"There's nothing wrong with second place for us," he said at the final buzzer.
Last season's championship also came down to the Chiefs and Flyers but last year the Flyers swept the series.
-with files from Bianca Peters
