It was not as big of a stage as the Canada-USA Olympic men's hockey gold medal game, but for the fans in attendance at the Steiner Ice Rink on Monday night, it will be just as memorable.
Skyline beat Viewmont 7-6 in overtime to take home the 2010 Joe Rogers Cup Championship in what will go down as an instant classic.
After the first period, Skyline led 2-1, thanks to goals by Thomas Itchon and Dean Wilson. Wilson's goal was particular impressive as it came from behind his own blue line and one hopped over Viewmont goaltender Aaron Jorgensen's glove.
"Man I still can't believe that one went in," said Wilson. "You never know what happens when that puck gets around the net."
The second period got off to a furious start. The two teams combined to score three goals in 70 seconds. Viewmont's Kody Rodriguez scored the first two goals in 35 seconds. Skyline's Daniel Brickley answered back 35 seconds later and left the teams tied at 3 apiece.
"We were clicking there in the second, and everything was going good," said Rodriguez. "But then they came back and kind of took our momentum away."
Skyline would add two more goals, but Rodriguez came back and had an amazing goal, winding his way through two Eagle defensemen for a hat-trick goal that made it 5-4 Skyline after two periods of play.
Viewmont tied it up at 5-5 with 7:11 to go in regulation on a Kyle Shegrud goal. Skyline added another goal, which set the stage for Viewmont's Sam Kitchen to tie the game at six with 1:19 left in regulation time on a wrist shot.
In extra time, both teams had chances to score, but Wilson, came up with a wrist shot that snaked its way past Jorgensen with only 57 seconds left in the first overtime.
It was Wilson's third goal, and the Skyline student section showered the ice with hats in tribute to the Skyline captain.
"This is what hockey is all about," said a jubilant Wilson. "Viewmont was undefeated up until Saturday. Then we beat them twice in three days, and all of sudden we are the champions like out of nowhere. It doesn't get much better than this man."
