An instant classic - that's the best way to describe the championship final of the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association's Atom spring break tournament last weekend in Gibsons.
The Sunshine Coast Oilers edged their rival Sunshine Coast Ducks 3-2 in an overtime thriller that had the crowd in the stands on their feet cheering from start to finish.
Tied 2-2 after two periods, the final frame offered intense action with many close calls for both teams. Ducks' goalie Noah Sheldon and Oilers' goalie Liam Allen were both solid, making several saves to keep both teams deadlocked into sudden death four-on-four overtime.
But it didn't take long for the dramatics to end as Oilers forward Landseer Enga broke free from his own blue line, split the Ducks' defence and fired a low wrist shot past Noah into the corner of the net for the winning goal.
Aman Smarson scored the other two Oilers' goals with assists going to Landseer and Seth Goodison. Declan Cole and Brandon Bezaire scored the Ducks' goals with assists credited to Noah and Braeden Service.
The gold medal game was just another chapter in a great rivalry between the two teams this season. During the last month of league play, the teams traded wins and played in the league championship final, which the Ducks won in a shoot-out.
"This team has tons of heart and did more than I could ever ask for," said Ducks' coach Albert Bezaire after helping hand out the silver medals to his team. "Every game, every practice - it was a great pleasure to coach these guys."
Oilers' coach Steve Brooks was equally proud of his gold-winning Oilers as he announced his players to skate over to claim their medals after the game.
"It was a pleasure to coach the Oilers this year - I will remember it forever," he said. "Hats off to your hard work and dedication."
The six-team tournament started Friday afternoon and featured two divisions, the Baker Division (Ducks, Sunshine Coast Panthers and Powell River) and Scoular Division (Oilers, Sunshine Coast Sharks and Surrey Flames).
The Ducks finished first with a 1-1-1 round robin record with the Panthers and Powell River tied for second at 1-2, while Surrey won its division with a 3-0 record followed by the Oilers at 2-0-1 and Sharks at 0-3.
The Ducks beat the Panthers 5-2 Sunday morning to earn a spot in the final, while the Oilers knocked off Surrey 3-2.
Powell River beat the Sharks 6-4 in the consolation game and Surrey beat the Panthers 6-4 in the bronze medal game.
