The turning point of the Richmond Sockeyes' remarkable playoff run didn't happen on the ice or even in the dressing room.
It was at a barbecue in South Surrey. Following a lethargic 4-2 game six loss to the Delta Ice Hawks in the Pacific International Junior Hockey League semi-finals, a players only meeting was held. Veteran Jake Roder took it a step further by inviting everyone to his house the next day for a team barbecue.
"There was no alcohol or even a party atmosphere," said Sockeyes co-owner Doug Paterson. "It was about bringing all the players together and determining if they were going to let the season slip away or do something about it."
The Sockeyes returned to the ice the next evening and put together their most complete game to date in a convincing 5-1 victory. They would never look back, winning their next 14 games to capture three titles including the Keystone Cup Western Canadian championship on Sunday in St. Malo, Manitoba. Richmond capped a 6-0 run at the tournament with a 5-2 victory over the Saskatoon Royals for their second Keystone Cup in five years.
Head coach Aaron Wilbur didn't even know about the players' barbecue until after the game seven win over the Ice Hawks.
"For them to go out and do that on their own just showed what kind of leadership this team had," he said. "From the start of the season to the playoffs, we came a long way as a team. The improvement from the start to the end of the playoffs was even greater."
Richmond's most competitive game in St. Malo proved to be its opener a 5-3 victory over Alberta champion Okotoks Bisons. The Sockeyes would go on to outscore their opponents by a whopping 44-12 margin.
"We had to figure out how to play in a rink that was basically a sheet of ice in a phone booth," said Wilbur of the small dimensions. "It was probably our third game when we figured out how to use our skill game and there was no looking back after that."
Celebrating their 40th season, general manager Richard Petrowsky and the club's ownership group made all the right moves in assembling this team, including the hiring Wilbur. They had proven veterans, such as homegrown 20-year-olds Sam Chichak, Jeremy Hamaguchi, Rudi Thorsteinson and Matt Wagner, along with Scott Wessa.
Petrowsky added to that group with mid-season trades for Adam Nishi and Stephen Campbell, while convincing proven sniper Jake Roder to return for his final year of junior hockey.
There was also plenty of young talent destined to move onto the next level of junior hockey including 17-year-olds Daniell Lange and Danton Heinen, along with leading scorer Dean Allison. Local product Kootenay Alder was a steady influence all season long in net.
After blasting the Royals 10-2 in round-robin play, the Keystone Cup final at least proved to be more competitive. Following a scoreless first period, the Sockeyes dominated the middle stanza, outshooting the Saskatchewan champions 24-4 and opening up a 3-0 lead on goals by Austin Adamson, Heinen and Roder.
Thorsteinson added his tournament leading 11th goal midway through the final period and Heinen's second of the game closed out the scoring for Richmond.
B.C. teams have now won four of the last five Keystone Cups with 2012 champion Abbotsford Pilots slated to host the 2014 tournament.
