The Beaver Valley Nitehawks are provincial champions.
The Nitehawks won the Cyclone Taylor Cup on Sunday with a 5-2 victory over the Aldergrove Kodiaks at the Nelson Community Rec Complex to complete a year-long quest for the provincial Junior B title.
It was a fitting end to a season that had it's share of ups-and-downs, with the Nitehawks relinquishing the lead, then having to fight back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period to claim the championship.
The Nitehawks Dallas Calvin (the game and tournament MVP) had a four-point night including tucking the winning goal past the Kodiak goalie at 5:57 of the third period to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead and their third provincial title.
After a tight-checking first period, Riley Brandt would open the scoring on the Nitehawks first power-play opportunity, banging in a Dallas Calvin cross-ice feed to give the Hawk a 1-0 lead. However, the Kodiaks would reply when Kenny Prato walked in on a 2-on-1 and fired a wrist shot into the top corner at 12:49 to send the game into the third deadlocked at 1-1.
It was a fast-pace exciting match up, but the Kodiaks gained momentum in the second period outshooting the Hawks 10-6. They took the outright lead at 17:45 of the third on a power-play goal by Jonathon Philley to make it 2-1, before the Nitehawks mounted their comeback.
Braden Fuller would tie it on a Nitehawk power play, wheeling and firing a low shot from the slot that eluded Jordan Liem. Calvin would tie it late, and add an insurance marker at 3:54 finishing a nice 2-on-1 passing play with Fuller.
Mitch Foyle would net another with seconds left on the clock to leave nothing but the celebration.
The Nitehawks outshot the Kodiaks 25-21 with Brett Clark playing another solid game in net for the Hawks. Beaver Valley also went 3-for-5 on the power play while the Kodiaks were 1-for-4.
The Nitehawks leave Wednesday for Abbotsford to play in the Western Canada Keystone Cup.
See more on the Nitehawks in Tuesday’s Trail Times.