A dream season has reached even higher levels for Joe Antilla of Madeira Park.
Last Friday night, Antilla and the Kootenay Ice captured their first Western Hockey League championship since 2002 and booked a spot in the Memorial Cup, which starts today (May 20) in Mississauga, Ont.
The Ice, who finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, dispatched the Moose Jaw Warriors in six games in round one, then went on an incredible run, winning 12 of their last 13 games over Saskatoon, Medicine Hat and Portland to claim the league title. The clinching win came May 13, a 4-1 win in Portland.
Antilla has nine goals and eight assists so far in the playoffs. The 20-year-old forward is in his fourth season with the Ice and said he has never played on such a great team before.
"This team is something special," Antilla said. "The guys here will go through a wall for each other. Throughout the playoffs, if we needed a goal, someone stepped up. If we needed a big hit to change momentum, or someone to drop the gloves, someone did that. The team pulled together, and we battled every night to get the job done."
But the job is only partially complete, a fact that Antilla does not take for granted.
He said he is looking forward to the Memorial Cup and the experience of playing on the national stage. And the team has a clear goal in mind - to win the national title.
"It's going to be a pretty cool experience I'm sure, one that I won't ever forget," he said. "There is going to be lots of television cameras and media, and the games are all huge. Every game is do or die, but we're a pretty relaxed group. We have to go in with the mindset of playing each game one game at a time, and as long as we stick with our systems and keep playing the way we have been, we're going to be really tough to beat."
Antilla said he is also looking forward to playing in front of family and friends who will be making the trip out to Ontario.
"The support from my family is just amazing," he said. "I remember going to the rink every day in Sechelt. I moved to Saskatchewan when I was 13 to get a better shot at hockey, and it's paid off.
"In a way, winning this championship and playing for the Memorial Cup is a chance for me to reward my family for all their hard work and sacrifice in getting me here. I've been getting a lot of text messages and phone calls from all my buddies and my family. It's great to have so much support."
The four-team round robin tournament starts today with the host Mississauga St. Michael's Majors taking on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Saint John Sea Dogs. The Ice open play on Saturday against the Ontario Hockey League champion Owen Sound Attack, then play Mississauga on Sunday and wrap round robin play on Tuesday, May 24, against Saint John.
If a tie-breaker is needed, that game goes May 26 with the semifinal on May 27 and the final May 29. The top three teams from the round robin make the playoffs with the top seed following the round robin advancing directly to the final. All games start at 4 p.m. Pacific time and will be broadcast live on Sportsnet.
