Nitehawk explosion rallies Beaver Valley to 2014 Cyclone Taylor Cup
By Bruce Fuhr
Beaver Valley Nitehawks sure know how to keep team supporters on the edge of their seats.
Trailing by one with 10 minutes remaining in the game, the Hawks struck for four goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the Aldergrove Kodiaks in the final of the Cyclone Taylor Cup Sunday afternoon before more than 1,200 fans at the NDCC Arena.
The victory ends a 13-year BC Junior B Hockey Championship drought for the Hawks.
The last time the Fruitvale-based club won the Cyclone Taylor Cup was in 2001 with current skipper Terry Jones at the helm.
“This is an unreal feeling,” said Hawks sniper Dallas Calvin, who led the charge back with a pair of third-period goals.
“I really don’t know how to explain this . . . it’s just unreal.”
“It’s very satisfying . . . it’s what we set out to do August 25th,” said Hawks head coach Terry Jones minutes after the final-buzzer celebration.
“When Archie (McKinnon) and Ryan (Edwards) told me they decided to come back I said “let’s build our team for a Cyclone.”
“I tell you we worked hard all year long,” Jones added, “and this is a real culminating feeling because you worked so hard and we’re down 2-1 with 10 minutes left and we find a way to win.”
Trailing 2-1 after Adam Callegari scored an unassisted goal to give the Kodiaks the lead early in the third, the Nitehawks tied the game when Braden Fuller jammed a loose puck past Aldergove goalie Jordan Liem.
Liem was instrumental in getting the Kodiaks into the Gold Medal game after shutting the door on Nelson Leafs during the final round robin game.
It was then time for Beaver Valley game MVP Dallas Calvin to take over the game.
The 6’5″, 205-pound forward scored unassisted with six minutes remaining to give Beaver Valley the lead for good.
Calvin, finishing the game with four points, then combined with Fuller to give the Hawks some breathing room less than two minutes later.
Mitch Foyle scored a shorthanded marker into an empty net to complete the comeback.
“We just really got into our game . . . we found our rhythm and just started getting pucks deep and went from there,” said Calvin, who has been plagued by injury throughout the playoffs.
“Once we got that first one (in the period) it builds momentum,” Calvin added. “As soon as you get that first one you start flying and you just want to get more.”
The teams played through a scoreless first period before Riley Brandt opened the scoring on the power play for Beaver Valley.
Aldergrove captain, and game MVP for the Pacific Junior Hockey League champs, Kenny Prato tied the game five minutes later.
Aldergrove out shot the Hawks 27-22 in a contest that saw the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League winners start a lot slower than the first time the teams met during the round robin part of the four-team tournament when Beaver Valley opened the scoring 12 seconds into the game.
“(Aldergove) is a great team,” Jones explained when asked about the slow start of the Hawks.
“Every team here is tough. To win this is just an incredible feat. There are four good teams battling over four days. . .. Our guys are spent. They spent everything they had and Aldergrove came out and really took it too us.”
Beaver Valley now advances to the Keystone Cup, which begins in just a few days in Abbotsford.
First up Thursday morning at 9 a.m. is the host Abbotsford Pilots.
Beaver Valley then meets Saskatoon Quakers later in the day.
But that’s in a few days. Now is the time to celebrate and enjoy what is an incredible feat for the Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
“We’ll get a good rest and get ready to have some more fun next week,” said Calvin when asked about the upcoming Keystone Cup tournament.
And what about those injuries, Dallas?
“I’ll will be good to go next weekend,” he said with a smile.
TOURNAMENT NOTES: 2014 Cyclone Taylor Cup chairperson Russell Stocks said attendance for the four-day tournament in Nelson topped the 6,500 mark with the best crowds happening Friday when Beaver Valley and Nelson played to a 2-2 tie and during Sunday’s Final. . . .Dallas Calvin’s gold medal game explosion powered the forward into the lead in Hawks’ scoring with six points on three goals and three assists. Riley Brandt, with five points — three goals and two assists — was second while Ryan Edwards and Dan Holland each had three points. . . . The Cyclone Taylor Cup now moves to Mission for 2015 with the Outlaws of the PJHL playing host to the tournament.
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