The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds have advanced to the British Columbia Major Midget League finals after a clean sweep of the Okanagan Rockets over the weekend.
Fraser Valley posted wins on Friday and Saturday at MSA Arena to eliminate the Rockets in two games and move on to the league finals occurring this coming weekend.
Friday’s game one saw the Thunderbirds edge the Rockets 3-2 in a game decided that lasted four overtime periods.
The Rockets scored the lone goal of the first period, but Dawson Good tied the game up early in the second. The Rockets grabbed the lead again midway through the second.
Jude Wessel tied the game up again early into the third, and the teams remained tied until 12:17 of the fourth overtime period, when Jacob Wright was the overtime hero. The marathon game was the longest so far this season in the BCMML.
BCMML Game 1 vs OK Rockets Goal Highlights. Birds win in 4th OT. pic.twitter.com/yIDSb3X0YI
— Major Midget Thunderbirds (@MMLThunderbirds) March 23, 2019
The teams met again the very next day, but game two was all Thunderbirds.
Fraser Valley scored five consecutive goals, and eliminated the Rockets with a 5-1 win.
Zackary Funk scored four, while Wessel added the Thunderbirds other goal.
The semifinal series win puts the Fraser Valley in the BCMML final against the Cairboo Cougars. The Prince George-based team finished third overall in the regular season.
The clubs squared off three times during the regular season, with the Cougars winning once and the Thunderbirds winning twice.
The BCMML championship series, a best-of-three, opens on Friday at MSA Arena. Game two is set for Saturday, and game three, if necessary, occurs on Sunday. Game times are still to be determined.
It’s Official… FV Thunderbirds will face-off vs Cariboo Cougars in the BCMML Championship Series for the 2nd straight year in a row. The BCMML Champions will then travel to Alberta to play in the Regionals before advancing to the @HC_TELUSCup. ðŸ†ðŸ¦ Game Times Announced Monday! pic.twitter.com/reqJnEPfXv
— Major Midget Thunderbirds (@MMLThunderbirds) March 25, 2019
The winner of the championship series then moves on to take on the top major midget team in Alberta in the regionals, with the winner of that series advancing to the Telus Cup.
The Telus Cup runs from April 22 to 28 in Thunder Bay, Ont.
