The Delta Ice Hawks have won the Pacific International Junior Hockey League championship for the third time in franchise history.
Captain Cody Smith's first goal of the series with 3:01 remaining gave the Ice Hawks a 4-3 win game six over the Abbotsford Pilots on Friday night at MSA Arena. Both teams will advance to the Cyclone Taylor Cup junior "B" provincial championships which will get underway April 12 in Abbotsford. The Pilots advance as the hosts, while the four team tournament also features champions from the Vancouver Island and Kootenay International leagues. The winner will represent B.C. at the Keystone Cup Western Canadian championships.
After falling behind 1-0 in game six, the Ice Hawks opened up a 3-1 second period lead on goals by Alex Martin and Aaron Merrick. The Pilots answered with a pair of their own, just over two minutes apart, and the teams headed into the second intermission tied at 3-3.
Kody Botterhill had the other goal and Glenn Ferguson got the win. Including a pair of neutral ice games, the Hawks finished the PIJHL playoffs with a 7-4 record away from the Ladner Leisure Centre.
The core of this team reach the finals in 2010, only to lose to the Aldergrove Kodiaks, then last season lost a seven game conference final heartbreaker to the Richmond Sockeyes.
The championship is the first for the ownership group, headed by George Georgeopoulos, along with general manager Peter Zerbinos and head coach Dave McLellan.
The Ice Hawks two previous championships came in 2001 and 2006. The 2001 team feature current Chicago Blackhawks star Brent Seabrook who led the PIJHL playoffs in scoring that year as a 15-year-old defenceman.
