The Terrace River Kings lost 7-3 in a crazy and physical semi-final Coy Cup game last night, March 31.
The Whitehorse Huskies really took it to them in the early part of the game, said coach Kevin Legros.
“They were on a mission. They came out hard, they took it to us physically, got a couple of early goals,” he said.
“We battled.”
Caption: Ben Reinbolt battles with Huckies opponent in a chase for the puck last night, March 31.
The River Kings were down 0-4 by the end of the first.
A goal by Josh Murray put the guys on the board, but the Huskies countered right away to make it 1-5. They buried another goal at the end of the second to leave the River Kings trailing by five.
“It seemed like we just couldn’t find our game until the third period,” said Legros, adding that the River Kings stepped it up in third and dominated the play for good chunks at the end.
The Terrace team scored two early goals in the third, but the gap was too much to recover.
The Huskies scored one more to finish the game 7-3 and send the River Kings home with third.
The Huskies went on to beat Kelowna Sparta in the finals and win the 2017 Coy Cup for an enthusiastic home crowd.
Caption: William Orrey skates the puck around Huckies defenceman.
Legros said it was tough to end with the loss, but the boys played hard.
“I’m pretty proud of the buys, they didn’t quit. They played with class and they played right to the end of the game,” he said.
The River Kings head home today, and tonight the Huskies play Kelowna in the finals. Game live streamed here, with a story to be posted here.
“It was a good tournament,” said Legros looking back. “It’s always fun to win but unfortunately somebody has to take a loss.”
Overall, he says it was a great season, and he felt it has been a pleasure to coach the team.
“It was a real pleasure for me to be around these kids this year,” he said, adding thanks to co-coach Derek Jurista and everyone else who contributed to the team.
“I couldn’t have done it without Derek’s help… and kudos to the guys on the outside, who don’t really get the accolades they deserve — like Luis (Teixeira), Ray (Hallock) and Ross (Smith). They do an incredible amount of work for the team… it seems like not much, but we really need those guys on the back end,” said Legros.
