Looks can be deceiving as the Greater Vancouver Canadians once again proved in their final game before the holiday break.
Sitting seventh in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League and a game below .500 (11-12-2), the regional rep team looked to be in tough against the high-flying Cariboo Cougars who brought a sparkling 22-2-1 record to town that included a current 13-game win streak. The Prince George squad scored three unanswered goals in the final period to take the series opener 5-1 and was looking to complete the sweep at Planet Ice in Delta.
The teams were tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes when the Canadians rose to the challenge and were rewarded for their hard work on a pair of goals from Gary Dhaliwal to complete his hat trick. The second-year foward broke the deadlock midway through the frame, then added an empty netter with 11 seconds remaining.
It marked the second time this season the Canadians have defeated the league frontrunners and, in fact, they have played them tough in all four meetings, splitting a pair of 3-2 games up north in October. Greater Vancouver has taken at least a point from every team this season and only consistency over 60 minutes is preventing the opportunity to make a serious move in the league standings.
Head coach Phil Alalouf plans to change that in the new year.
"(After the second period) I talked to these guys about how every time we go play a team like this we keep getting reminded how soft we are," he said. "When they come out and play a little more aggressive, they are a heck of a lot stronger team. Today, we put (that label) behind us and the boys played very hard.
"We can compete for sure with any team in this league. You just can't sit back against anyone especially one that has firepower like that."
Hurting the Canadians' status in the standings was the league taking away three points for what Alalouf describes as "really grey administration error." The ruling also impacted the Vancouver Northwest Giants and the North Island Silvertips. Add those points to their total and the locals are sitting sixth and just four points out of third.
Instead, they are going to have to pick up the pace in the new year to improve their playoff positioning. They will be well-rested after not qualifying for the annual Macs Midget Tournament in Calgary. Only the top five teams in the BCMMHL at the time of the event's deadline received invites.
"There was a little disappointment but the boys get to spend time with their families and our goal all along has been the Telus Cup (as league champions).
There are a lot of strong teams in the league this year and we will have to be ready."
Besides, Dhaliwal's big afternoon, linemates Owen Seidel and Kyle Uh chipped with three assists each. Seidel, 16, has signed with the WHL's Swift Current Broncos and currently sits fourth in league scoring with 40 points in 24 games. Uy is also among the top scorers with 36 points and has played five games as call-up for the BCHL's Surrey Eagles.
Vancouver Giants prospect Tyler Shugrue, 16, was terrific in net.
Icing...
The Canadians played without the services of Seafair grad and Kelowna Rockets prospect Tyler Sandhu who was at a U16 Team B.C. camp at the Richmond Olympic Oval in preparation for the 2015 Canada Winter Games, slated for February in Prince George.
For the second straight year, Canadians alumni Nic Petan is playing for Canada at thea World Junior Hockey Championships.
The Portland Winterhawks standout and Winnipeg Jets prospect is the fourth GVC grad to play in the tournament, joining Evander Kane, Brandon McMillan and Brendan Gallagher.
