The junior A Salmonbellies proved themselves in the regular season, they proved themselves again in the B.C. playoff final and they proved themselves once more in the Minto Cup.
Although the New Westminster Salmonbellies had no trophy or banner to show for their efforts, or the wild abandon of hoisting the coveted Minto Cup above their heads,
the New West club spoke volumes to the people that counted - their fans, and most importantly, themselves.
The 'Bellies were deprived of the league title on a default. New West also dropped the final playoff game to Coquitlam, despite bettering the defending B.C. champions in four of the last five meetings between the two.
That included an emphatic five-goal punctuation in the final period of New West's 10-8 victory over the A's in the semifinal game at the Minto. But in the best-of-five Minto Cup final, where few gave the home team even a glimmer of hope, they showed their collective spirit again, winning Game 2 9-7 and then taking the Whitby Warriors to overtime before reluctantly surrendering the national title to the worthy Ontario champs.
Doug Zack was a proud general manager after the final game.
"Very much so," he said. "Nobody thought we could do that from the start of the year. The goal was to get here. It's tough, Ontario teams are just loaded and well coached."
After losing the handle on a good first-period start in Game 1, New Westminster put together a complete game the following night, evening the "We knew we could play with them after that," Eli McLaughlin said after Game 2. "Everyone believes in us, we believe in ourselves, and everyone in the dressing room believes in each other."
Some might have considered McLaughlin's thought overly sentimental, after Game 3's miserable 13-4 outcome. But the championship final provided no doubt in this writer's estimation that what I saw in Game 4 was the best in both teams.
"(New West) put up a good fight, but nothing comes easy. They're a great team," said Whitby captain Curtis Knight. "They played the game the way the coaches wanted them to," said junior Salmonbellie president Walt Weaver. "I'm really positive on our future."
"I was proud of the boys. ... I'm proud of the effort," added New Westminser head coach Dan Perreault.
And who wouldn't be.
Trailing 5-3 in the final period, New West conjured up three goals in a two-minute span to take the lead.
The junior 'Bellies kept the heat on the Warriors, regaining the lead on two more occasions in the period before Whitby sent the game into extra time with a goal off a penalty that, in another time and space, might not have been called.
"It was a process, and (New West) certainly did not disappoint anyone," added Perreault.
Perreault also praised his assistant coaches Derek Dixon and Clayton Richardson for their patience and long hours.
"They committed to the players. It was a team. What they were teaching, the players bought into."
My choice for Minto Cup MVP, Alexis Buque, knew all about what New Westminster was all about.
"You have to have confidence in yourself to do anything," he said. "I have my family behind me, and these boys were here to back me up. I'm gonna miss it. This was the best shot, and I'm glad I could
