The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds have capped off an incredible season, winning the BC Hockey Major Midget League (BCMML) Championship by defeating the defending league champion Cariboo Cougars two-games-to-none in the final in Prince George.
In Game 1 of the Championship series, the Thunderbirds jumped out to an early 2-0 first period lead and did not look back. They were led by Matthew Konrad of Abbotsford, who had two goals and an assist to help Fraser Valley to a 5-2 win in the series opener.
In Game 2, Fraser Valley’s special teams were the difference as they scored three power-play goals in a 4-2 win to claim the series win and the Cromie Memorial Trophy. Another Abbotsford naive, Justin Plett, had a pair of goals for the Thunderbirds, including the game-winner, before Dylan Stoltz (Abbotsford) would seal the victory with an empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining in the game.
The win for Fraser Valley marks a new champion for the sixth straight year as the Cougars were looking to become back-to-back champions. Fraser Valley knocked off the Vancouver NW Giants with a decisive 8-2 victory in Game 3 of the semifinal. The Cougars beat the Vancouver NE Chiefs in two straight to advance to the final.
The Thunderbirds will now face the Lethbridge Hurricanes, winner of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL), at the Pacific Regional Championship at home this weekend in a best-of-three series. The winner of that series will earn a berth in the TELUS Cup, Canada’s National Midget Championship, April 23-29 in Sudbury, Ontario.