RDP Kings hockey head coach Trevor Keeper knows how to build a championship team ... as if there was any doubt.
Keeper and the Kings captured their third straight Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference title with a 3-1 victory over the Briercrest Clippers in front of over 1,000 fans at the Gary W Harris Canada Games Centre Friday.
It was an impressive run for the Kings to say the least.
After losing all four games to the Clippers in the regular season, the Kings were forced to play the first three games of the best-of-five final on the road in Caronport, SK.
All they did was win 3-2 in double overtime, then after losing 5-0, came back to win 2-1 to send the series back to Red Deer. Both winning goals came off the stick of Nolan Doell.
“I’m really proud of these guys,” said Keeper just before being doused with a celebratory water shower.
“Over the past three years, we won 15 in a row before losing once and then winning twice more. That’s an impressive record.”
Keeper mentioned he stole a quote from college basketball legend John Wooden.
“I told the guys the first time you win a championships it’s all about skill. The second and third it’s more about character, not skill. Briercrest had a super-skilled team, they worked hard, but we had so much character right through the finish.
“We also have a lot of experience, being there before. It’s a different path every single year. Regular seasons aren’t the same, the playoffs aren’t the same, but we kept trying to fine-tune things and get back.”
The Kings needed every ounce of their character in what turned out to be a championship game. They fell behind 1-0 when Lucas Lapalm scored on a breakaway with nine seconds remaining in the second period.
But instead of panicking, the Kings pulled it together. Ryland McNinch evened the score 1:34 into the third period, shovelling home a loose puck during a wild scramble in front of Clippers outstanding netminder Dominik Tmej.
Deegan Mofford, a third-year forward out of Rocky Mountain House, notched the championship-winning goal while on the power play at 14:35.
McNinch sealed it with an empty netter at 19:44.
Mofford didn’t take any credit for slamming home the puck into the open side after a strong play by Chase Haygarth.
“All the credit to my teammates,” said Mofford. “Chase for a beautiful pass and (goaltender) Kristian Lyon for a helluva playoff run. Everybody chipped in.
“I think our team knows when it matters and we turned it on. The playoffs mattered to everyone. We back-checked as hard as we could, we were throwing our bodies and getting in front of shots. That’s a big part of this.”
Mofford added the team didn’t worry when they fell behind 1-0.
“Every single game we won in these playoffs, it was a single-goal game, so the guys know how to play in those games and get the job done.”
The Kings captured their 11th ACAC title and have become one of four teams to win three straight titles, one behind both NAIT and SAIT.
While Mofford was celebrating his championship-winner, Lyon was named the playoffs MVP.
He followed in the footsteps of Arik Weersink, who was brilliant the previous two years.
“Arik was my mentor. I’m glad I could get this third one for him,” said Lyon, who is in his fourth and final season with the Kings.
Lyon believed he shouldn’t be the only name on the MVP trophy.
“It’s more of a team award,” he said. “They all played so well in front of me.”
Lyon also understood the team philosophy.
“We were committed ... we wanted to win once the playoffs hit,” he said. “We did it twice before, so we knew how to get the job done.
“We have lots of character. Look at the wins over the past three years. It doesn’t happen in a month or a year. It’s a process. And it feels good. It’s what we wanted all year to three-peat.”
The Kings had eight new faces on the team this year. They also went through a string of injuries.
“We had a lot of young guys in the lineup who played a lot of minutes,” said Keeper. “The first half they got better and better. Then gradually, the (injured) veterans came back, and we were getting better (as a team) in the second half.”
One of those who kept improving was Lyon.
“For goaltenders, it’s a matter of believing in themselves,” added Keeper. “Lyon has the capabilities to do what we needed of him down the stretch and he was solid in the finals.”
Lyon finished with 38 saves while Tmej made 36.
The Kings played a disciplined game, taking just one penalty while the Clippers took four.
Danny Rode is a retired Advocate reporter and member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame who can be reached at danrode@shaw.ca
