Quesnel Kangaroos come back from one game deficit to claim CIHL championship over Terrace River Kings

 

The 2021-22 CIHL Champions are the Quesnel Kangaroos
(from the Kangaroos Social media stream)

There was some exciting hockey in Qusenal over the weekend, with the CIHL Championship series requiring all three games to declare a Senior Men's AA champion.

And when the final whistle blew on Sunday afternoon, the large crowd in attendance at the West Fraser Centre was saluting their hometown Kanagaroos, who came back from one game down on March 4th to take both Games Two and Three on home ice, knocking off the Northwest challengers from Terrace.

The River Kings had put the Roos on the spot one week earlier with a 6-5 Overtime victory at the  Terrace Ice Arena, setting the stage for the March 11 and 12 showcases of the CIHL finale.

The Saturday night matchup wasn't the high scoring affair of a week previous, but was still an intense experience for players and fans alike. The game going into OT and that only after the Home side  tied the game up at 2-2 late in the final period.

The OT marker and 3-2 win by the Roos sending the series to game three Sunday.

The final game for the CIHL playoffs did not disappoint a packed  arena, the River Kings keeping apace of the home side until late in the third, with Terrace pressing and with an empty net the Quesnel side put up a two goal lead at 5-3, holding off the River Kings to secure their championship. 

The Championship round win caps off an impressive season for the Quesnel side who had the best overall record of the 2022-23 season and combined both a strong offensive lineup and stingy defensive play to their work ethic.

The CIHL has yet to provide for the full game sheets for both contests, when they do, we'll add them to the storyline below.

The two teams will be back on the ice later this month, Quesnel is hosting the 2022 Coy Cup  Championship at the West Fraser Centre.  

Terrace gained one of the three other berths owing to their success in the CIHL playoffs,  they will now refocus on the work ahead to bring the Coy Cup to the Northeast once again.

The two other participants in the Coy Cup tournament have yet to be announced.

That competition will start on March 28th. 

BC Hockey awarded Quesnel the Coy Cup series last year, that after they had to cancel the 2020 championship owing to COVID.

You can keep up with what's ahead for the Coy Cup through the Kangaroos Social media stream.

A look back at the CIHL season can be reviewed through our archive page.