It could truly be called a royal affair March 30 when the Terrace River Kings defeated the Powell River Regals for their first-ever Coy Cup win in a hard-fought 5-4 triple overtime victory.
With the Regals leading 3-2 in the third period, the two teams exchanged goals, but the River Kings battled back and tied it 4-4 to force overtime.
The tie was broken when Carter Shannon scored halfway into the third overtime, ending what had been years of second- and third-place finishes for the River Kings in their bid to claim the provincial men’s Senior AA championship.
The Williams Lake Stampeders and the Penticton Silver Bullets rounded out the four-team 2024 Coy Cup championship held Easter Week in Powell River on the Sunshine Coast.
Kings goalie Daniel Paul continued the solid play that awarded him the Most Valuable Player trophy during the 2023-24 Central Interior Hockey League season by helping the team to an undefeated first place finish during round-robin play.
Overtime wins are also proving something of a habit in showing the resiliency of the River Kings as they went into extra time last month in Williams Lake to defeat the Williams Lake Stampeders 4-3 to take home the Cameron Kerr Memorial Cup as champions of the Central Interior Hockey League.
The Central Interior Hockey League cup is named after River King Cameron Kerr who was killed in a hit and run on Hwy 16 just west of Terrace in 2018.