鈥淭wo years in a row, we鈥檝e played in the last [Junior B] hockey game in the province,鈥� said the Cougars鈥� team governor.
The Pacific Junior Hockey League-champion Richmond Sockeyes defeated the Island-champion Cougars 4-1 Sunday at the Comox Valley Sports Centre in the 2013 Cyclone Taylor Cup final for sa国际传媒 Junior B supremacy.
The Sockeyes won their fifth Cyclone Taylor Cup, to go with previous titles won in 2009, 2004, 2003 and 1992, to advance to the Keystone Cup Western Canadian championship beginning this week in St. Malo, Man.
The Cougars were looking to avenge last year鈥檚 3-2 double-overtime loss in the Cyclone Taylor Cup championship game to the Abbotsford Pilots, who went on to win the 2012 Keystone Cup Western crown.
鈥淲e lost to an extremely good Richmond team,鈥� said Boyer, who has been the Cougars鈥� governor for eight years after coaching the club for three seasons.
鈥淭he PJHL has three or four teams of that calibre and the Sockeyes had the experience of playing teams of our [Cougars] strength 10 to 12 times over the season. We didn鈥檛 have that and weren鈥檛 pushed like that in our [Island league] season [in which the Cougars went 45-1-2].鈥�
The Cougars will lose five 20-year-olds to graduation.
鈥淎nd a few players move on up to Junior A [BCHL], so it鈥檚 not uncommon to turn over half your roster [in Junior B],鈥� said Boyer.
鈥淏ut our coaches [led by head coach Mark Van Helvoirt] recruit far and wide.鈥�
The Castlegar Rebels edged the host Comox Valley Glacier Kings 5-4 in the 2013 Cyclone Taylor bronze-medal game.
