The Northwest Giants toasted the New Year with a second AAA midget boys' hockey title at the 35th annual Mac's Cup tournament in Calgary on New Year's Day.
Jackson Cressey scored the game-winning goal in double overtime in a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Junior Hurricanes at the ScotiaBank Saddledome.
Brandon Del Grosso was the hero of the gold-medal final, garnering two points, including the game-tying goal with just 12.5 seconds left in regulation time.
With goalie Bo Didur on the bench for a sixth attacker, Malik Kaila moved the puck to Jarid Lukosevicius, who made a short pass to Del Grosso, who roofed the puck past Carolina player of the game Sean Kuehn.
The Giants won their first Mac's Cup in 2009.
After a scoreless first 10minute overtime period, Colton Kerfoot sent Eric Margo and Cressey away up the right side on a two-on-one break.
Margo left a drop pass to Cressey, whose return pass glanced off a defence-man's skate past Kuehn for the winning goal.
Giants' player of the game Anthony Conti scored the Giants' first goal, tying the score 1-1 on a power play late in the opening period.
Didur was also a big factor, stopping eight of 32 shots in the Giants' net in the first period of OT.
Cressey was also the hero in the Giants' 4-2 win over Pirati Chomutov from the Czech Republic in the semifinals. Cressey scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner in the middle frame, in a three-point effort.
The Giants knocked off the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs 8-5 in a quarter-final matchup.
Lukosevicius and Conti both scored twice for the
Giants in the high-scoring playoff.
The Giants won their pool with a perfect 4-0 record against the Leduc Oil Kings, Alaska Junior Aces, Tisdale Trojans and Calgary Flames.
Margo was named a second team all-tournament all-star.
