In the end it was hard work, determination and teamwork that paid off for the Williams Lake Bantam Female Timberwolves, according to head coach Ben Pierce.
Williams Lake defeated the Prince George Bantam Female Cougars, 2-1, in game three of a best-of-three nailbiter series Sunday at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the final buzzer sounded and the girls and their families realized they’d won a Cariboo Amateur Hockey Association championship and earned a berth at the upcoming provincial championships in Castlegar.
“[It feels] awesome,” Pierce said. “It was a hard-working, well-deserved win.”
In fact, the girls have been the underdogs for most of the season with just five wins under their belts.
“We beat the odds,” Pierce said. “Nobody expected us to be here.”
Assistant coach Marco Passeri added it was the team’s first back-to-back victories of the season, however, noted they came through when it mattered the most.
Bronwyn Pocock tallied first for the T-wolves in the first frame after a setup from Adriane Kennedy, before Karena Sokolan tallied the game winner almost six minutes into the second period.
Assists on the winning goal went to Emma Pittman and Dylan Passeri.
In game two on Saturday it took a shootout, after one full period of overtime, to seal the deal for Williams Lake.
The team is made up of peewee and bantam girls from Williams Lake, as well as six players from 100 Mile House.
Provincials begin March 14 in Castlegar.
