Gavin Garland’s third-period stop caps four-game series finals streak over Wolverines
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The oldest (and winningest) franchise in the Alberta Junior Hockey League has returned to the top of the provincial circuit.
After 25 long years, the Calgary Canucks clinched the AJHL title — and the coveted Inter Pipeline Cup — with a 3-2 victory Wednesday night, capping the best-of-seven championship series with a sweep of the Whitecourt Wolverines.
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Gavin Garland’s goal, on a partial breakaway, midway through Game 4 was the game and series winner for the Canucks.
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“It’s surreal,” Canucks forward Riley Bracko said amid the emotional and lengthy post-game on-ice celebrations at the Max Bell Centre, which included dozens of friends and family in attendance for the Alberta champions.
“You dream about this when you’re a kid.”
It was the 10th AJHL banner claimed by the Calgary club and the first since 1999, when Bracko’s grandfather, Ken, was a cornerstone of the franchise.
“It’s a special moment for my grandfather,” Bracko said. “What he’s done for this organization and hockey in this city was unreal.”
This championship comes with a direct bye to the Centenario Cup, which is scheduled for May 9-19 in Oakville, Ontario.
The host Oakville Blades will welcome the champions of the SJHL, MJHL, SIJHL, NOJHL, OJHL, CCHL, LHJAAAQ, MHL and of course the AJHL, being the Canucks, to the Sixteen Mile Sports Complex. for the Canadian Junior Hockey League tournament.
“It’s hard to put into words what this means,” Canucks general manager and head coach Brad Moran said. “The way these kids played and the way they came together and what we’ve been through and to finish like this is very special for a lot of these guys, special for me and special for the organization.”
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Moran’s Canucks dominated, winning four straight games in the finals series.
They won Games 1, 2 and 3 by scores of 5-1, 5-2 and 5-4, with the first two tournaments hosted by the Wolverines, before reaching Wednesday night’s decider at the Max Bell Center with considerable confidence.
And that translated into a game-long effort from puck drop.
“The guys peaked at the right time,” Moran said. “We got better and better each round, and once we found a way to win a couple games in a row, the guys really believed they could finish this.
“The sweep was not expected. But the way they played, there was no doubt.”
It was Bracko who scored a rebound past Wolverines goalie Nicholas Avakyan for the first goal of the game nearly 11 minutes into the deciding game.
Three minutes into the second half, a shot by Chris Kobelka was finished off by Cody Pisarczyk to make it 2-0 for the hosts.
But midway through the frame, the Wolverines got on the board with a Spencer Rheaume goal that beat Canucks goalie Julian Molinaro.
Then, early in the third stanza, Evan Arnold tied the Wolverines at 2-2.
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However, the hosts recovered and returned to the top when Garland broke away and beat Avakyan to win the game and the series.
“It was a loose puck where our defensive man came up the middle and made a good play,” Garland said. “And I saw that he had a footrace with his defense. He just had to get the boots moving. I had to work harder than him to achieve it. Without a doubt an exciting goal. “It was electric.”
Such were the final moments, with Molinaro, along with the help of his teammates in front of him, preventing the never-dead Wolverines from tying the score again.
“Just amazing,” Garland said. “Is awesome.”
Ty Hipkin, a Canucks forward who led the league with 18 points in 13 postseason games, was named playoff MVP.
While it is their 10th AJHL championship, it is only the Canucks’ second trip to the Centennial Cup; This one was easier than previous offerings after the AJHL lost five of its strongest teams this winter to the BCHL and the absence of the Doyle Cup, played previously. annually between the AJHL and BCHL champions in a step to reach the CJHL year-end event.
Their trip in 1995 resulted in a championship win.
But we will dedicate the next few days to savoring this victory.
“We’ve come a long way from the start of the season for this,” Garland added. “And this is only going to get better. I know that we have the Centenario Cup and we all have it in mind to win it. But right now we are excited about this.”
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