Well ladies and gentle its has come to this. The Prince George Firebirds and the Kelowna Knights will take part in what should be an epic game 7 showdown to determine who will win the Western Conference Championship and earn the right to face the Detroit Falcons for the Four Star Cup. This series has been everything you could ask for in a playoff battle. The Prince George Firebirds came into the series heavily favored after finishing the season as one of the most dominant clubs in the league. Kelowna on the other hand came in ranked as a fifth seed but has suddenly gained a load of momentum after beating the L.A. Angels in seven games and now by forcing the Firebirds to the brink of elimination. The Kelowna Knights were down in the series 3 games to 1, however, after a big win in game five Kelowna put on possible its biggest show last night in game six. Down by two goals in the third period The Knights Onni Lehtinen Scored mid-way through the period to make it a one goal game. It didn’t appear to be enough though as the Prince George defense held the Knights for the remainder of the period. Just as fans started to pile out of the stadium and Firebird players could be seen patting each other on the back in swooped Onni Lehtinen. With only 14 seconds left on the clock the Finnish phenom lets loose a rocket of a wrist shot that found its way just over the right shoulder of goaltender Noah Robinson.


“You have to battle through adversity.” Said Lehtinen after the game. “That’s all I was doing. Im the kind of player who doesn’t stop until the buzzer sounds and as the Americans say until the fat lady sings. Im not ready to go home yet, so I did what had to be done. I cant wait for the opportunity in game 7 to do it again.”


As the game moved to overtime you could tell that the momentum of the game had shifted. The Knights were flying around the puck and appeared to have found another gear. The Firebirds you could tell had been dealt a massive blow as they chased Knights forwards around the ice. It wasn’t long into the overtime period when the Kelowna Knights stuck the game winning blow. Once again it came in the form of the Knights high flying first line of goal scorers. After putting a big move on the Firebirds defensemen winger Ryan Carlsson finished the birds off with a rocket of a slap shot to end the game.


“It was absolutely insane. Ive never been so full of energy and adrenaline in my life. The crowd was going insane, our team was going insane. It was one of the best moments of my life.”


Kelowna Knights celebrate OT win

The Knights had pulled off one the greatest come from behind upset of the season and now are poised to strike once again tonight. If they are going to move on though they will have to take down the Firebirds in Prince George . This task is one that is easier said then done.


“Its embarrising.” A frustrated Noah Robinson said in a postgame interview. “You battle all game just to have it fall apart in the final seconds. We will regroup though. We are strong team. We wont just let them come into our house and take away from us what weve worked all season to get. I promise you that.”

When asked if he was nervous Robinson replied.

“Nervous? No not nervous. Im angry and fired up but im not nervous. This is what players live for. A chance to play in a game 7 is a dream come true and we need to sieze the moment. I couldn’t be more excited, I wish the game was hear now.”


Last nights game even seemed to rekindle some of the bad blood between these two rival clubs. During the pre-game it was reported that Tillikainen and Robinson had been trash talking to each other even more so then in a normal game. One on-locker reported that he heard Tillikainen call Noah Robinson a “Vatty”, apparently a very insulting term in Finland . Noah Robinson responded by telling asking Tillikainen if he was “Ready to stroke out yet?” a quip referring to Tillikainens jittery and nervous habits through out the game. There were also several fights on the ice and some vicious hits being dealt out.


Tillikainen Vs. Robinson after last night jawing.

“It’s a physical game. You want to pound your opponents into submission.” Big hitter Willie Weber reported after the game. “Both teams are fighters with guys who like to hit. We weren’t physical enough and tonight they got the upper hand. Tommorrow we will get back to our style of play and we will finish the game the way we started it. If I have to bury ever player on that team myself I will but im not going home tomorrow night. Ive got a date with the Four Star Cup.”


I don’t know what you guys will be doing tonight but as far as this reporter is concerned there is only one spot to be, and that’s watching game 7. The final game of this series should prove to be an excellent one and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Be sure to catch the live broadcast starting tonight at 8:00. Welcome to big time playoff hockey!!!



910 words 2 pics