Looking back on his team’s 2016-2017 BC Hockey League (BCHL) season, Powell River Kings head coach Kent Lewis said his biggest highlight was the hometown fans.
For game six of the BCHL Island Division final at Hap Parker Arena against Victoria Grizzles, 1,400 people packed the building, only to see the green and gold drop a 4-2 decision in the best-of-seven series.
Kings may have lost that game, and the series in a heartbreaking 2-1 double-overtime loss in game seven, but Powell River is seeing a renewed interest in the hockey team, according to Lewis.
“You could feel it,” said Lewis. “That was kind of cool.”
Lewis said the game seven loss was not his biggest disappointment of the season. It was mistakes in the 5-4 overtime loss at home in game four, when Kings held a 2-1 series lead, that stood out as a turning point, he added.
“My disappointment was with game four,” said Lewis. “That was a game uncharacteristic for any of my clubs at that point in a season. To make the mistakes we made cost us that hockey game.”
Kings still had a chance to close out the series in six games after playing their best game of the playoffs in game five in front of goaltender Brian Wilson, who posted a 3-0 shutout to put his team ahead 3-2 in the series.
“Game six was game six; it was full of emotion,” said Lewis. “We didn’t handle that emotion well. We didn’t deserve that game.”
As for the series loss, Lewis said he has been there many times before.
“I’ve always been proud of my teams,” he said. “The buy-in is always there. Whether or not you’re good enough or lucky enough or all of the above, we keep knocking on the door. We keep coming close. It can be pretty bitter.”
The end of the season was also bitter for his players, particularly for six 20-year-olds who played out their junior eligibility: Jake Kohlhauser, Tristan Mullin, Curtis McCarrick, Liam Lawson, Johan Steen and Wilson.
Kohlhauser, the Kings’ captain who played two seasons with the club, said losing game seven in double overtime was tough for everyone.
“You see that puck go into the net and it’s like, ‘Holy cow, it’s done,’” said Kohlhauser. “We had a really good team this year. It’s disappointing to see what happened. It would have been nice to keep going, but it was not in the cards.”
Kings brought in Wilson and he ranked among the top BCHL goaltenders throughout the season. The veteran said the final goal in game seven was a shock and, four days later, it had still not set in. For Wilson, the season was over and a chapter of his life, junior hockey, had come to an end.
“At the time it just feels like another goal against,” said Wilson. “Usually, you wake up the next day and you’re right back to work. It wasn’t until the next day when we arrived back in Powell River and you realize you’re not waking up tomorrow morning to go to the rink.”
This season was no different than other years, according to Lewis. He has yet to win the Royal Bank Cup, which is awarded to the top Junior A club in Canada.
With the season behind him, he said he’s looking ahead to replacing the players who will be moving on, some to commitments at American colleges and others to universities in Canada.
“We’ll make some announcements soon,” said Lewis. “We have a lot of work to do. There’s a good core on the back end and a good core of forwards returning. We have to fill in the empty spaces with some size, grit, character and some scoring. We have the ability to return some pretty prolific players as well. It’s going to be a work in progress until first skate at camp.”
Being a King is demanding, said Lewis. It requires players to be serious and places demands on their character and discipline.
“They’re in a town where they’re in a bubble,” he said. “They know that coming in. The demand here is very high, not just from the standards I set, but also from what’s expected by the community and what’s expected off the ice. To flourish in that environment takes a very successful person.”
Kings held an annual awards banquet on Friday, March 31. Winners will be featured on the Peak Weekender’s Scene Around Town page on Friday, April 7.
