The Sicamous Eagles’ bid for the cup ended Monday night with a 1-0 loss to the Kamloops Storm.
Despite getting an enthusiastic sendoff from minor hockey players, the Eagles dropped game seven on the road, leaving the series at 4-3 and eliminating the team in the first round of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League championships.
The Storm secured the win in the first, scoring on a power play from Nathan Bohmer off of Jake Phillips-Watts and Ryan Larsen, with Eagle Josh Missfeldt in the box for roughing. Despite the team upping the pressure in the second with 14 shots on goal and a game total of 32, Kamloops goalie Colton Phillips-Watts managed to deflect them all for a shutout game.
Despite their early exit from the playoffs, the Eagles played a strong season at 44-31-12-1 that gave them 63 points and a fifth place finish in the regular season, in which they led the league for most of it.
“The boys really made us proud this year. It takes a special group living and playing together 24 hours a day,” team staff said on the Eagles Facebook page. “And we did a great job connecting with our community again this season and the resulting fan base at home games was fantastic.”
The Storm will now advance to the second round of playoffs where they’ll face off against the Revelstoke Grizzlies in the Doug Birks Division finals.
Read more: Sicamous Eagles sit 2-2 in playoff series against Kamloops