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HillsHaveHats · 07-20-2024, 06:56 PM

It’s not every day you can accomplish your dream.
When Oliver Cornwall stepped onto the ice for Game 6 of the SMJHL finals, he knew that today had the potential to be a day of destiny. He had just watched the New England Wolfpack, the team that had taken him and his teammate David Vent in the last SHL draft, win a Challenge Cup in seven games after overcoming a 3-1 series deficit. The elation of watching his comrades raise the cup was mirrored with some apprehension as Ottawa had begun making similar inroads in the series against VAN, bringing what had been a 3-0 VAN series lead within striking distance at 3-2. Oliver knew that that today was a day that would be looked back on for the rest of his career, one way or another.

Vancouver is a squad that has come together in a big way in the last two seasons. In S75, the Whalers finished in the dregs of the league, allowing them to draft stud defender Trevor Lopez at #2 overall. They also added David Vent in that draft, picking up Oliver on waivers as the season began. The three blue liners quickly came together with veteran Groaty Bronson to become one of the premier defensive corps in the SMJHL. This standout top four on defense melded well with an upstart group of attackers, led by NoNo Jo, Robo Sven, and Niclas Wastlund.

The group came together, showing management that the rebuild was over ahead of schedule, winning a playoff round and putting the league on notice in the S76 playoffs. With the knowledge of the budding group on his hands, Seany swung for the fences over the offseason, acquiring sophomore forwards MattyJ and Olafur Atlason via trade and picking up forward Ville Sato-Maki and standout rookie goaltender Galton Woggins in the draft. With that, the S77 Vancouver core was set.

It was an up and down season for the Whalers, ending the season below expectations at sixth overall with a 35-27-4 record. But there were great signs within the Whalers organization. Woggins had stolen the starter crease from veteran goaltender Masked Stranger on the back of play well above expectations, Sato-Maki had melded well with MattyJ and Atlason, and the scoring problem that had plagued the Whalers for several seasons was pretty much absent. The group kept their heads, determined to keep the good going and to improve on the bad as they stepped into the playoffs.

The Whalers were a completely different team from the regular season to the playoffs. They stepped into the playoffs authoritatively against the Yukon Malamutes, sending them home in five games.
The next series was a scary one for the Whalers, a rematch against a Quebec City Citadelles roster who had swept them the previous year and who looked to be about as competitive this year. Well, the Whalers proved they had a taste for revenge, returning the favour as they brought out their brooms and swept the Citadelles, wrapping up the series in four games.
Moving on to the Conference Finals, the Whalers faced a hungry Regina Elks squad, looking to cap off their final season before relocation with a Four Star Cup. Unfortunately for them, the Whalers were just far too hot, once again bringing out the brooms to cap off hunting season a little early after only four games.

This brings us to the finals as the Whalers faces off against a very, very confident southern conference champion Ottawa Highlander squad. Early in the series, it looked like the Whalers would continue their dominance, winning three straight to start the series. Ottawa battled back, snapping the Whalers win streak at 14 games and winning two straight games to bring the Highlanders within striking distance of a reverse sweep. Not going to lie to you all, it was a little nerve wracking in that Whalers locker room. However, we were extremely fortunate to have a veteran leadership group who settled the nerves and reassured the squad of their place, demanding their best and that we all believe in our mission, and that’s what they did.

It was a back and forth start to Game 6, with Niclas Wastlund leading the way for the Whalers to strike first, before Hockey Player answered for the Highlanders. Star forward MattyJ restored the one goal lead for the Whalers in the second period, before the Highlanders responded once again with a marker by Spaceman Spiff. The third period was all Whalers with Ville Sato-Maki scoring what would turn out to be the championship-winning goal less than two minutes into the third, followed up by an insurance marker by MattyJ and an empty netter by captain NoNo Jo.

It’s been an incredible start to Oliver Cornwall’s SHL career. When Seany contacted him to inquire about his willingness to join a rebuilding Whalers squad, nobody would have expected that less than two seasons later they would be lifting the cup. “I really can’t express how much of a joy it has been to be a part of this locker room. Our entire leadership group are some of the best pros I’ve ever played with, our new acquisitions stepped up and were integral to our success on and off the ice immediately, our role players did their job and put us in a position to execute, and our rookies showed a lot of guts and did more than we could have ever hoped.” Said Oliver after the win.

The Whalers will lose some core players this offseason with Niclas Wastlund and Groaty Bronson moving on to the SHL, but more development from a still young core group leaves the Whalers in a position to make some noise into next year. “I don’t want to think too far ahead right now, I want to make sure I soak in this victory with the people in this room, but yeah I still don’t think we’ve peaked. Vancouver is going to be a fun place to be this offseason.”

No matter what the future holds, the Vancouver Whalers have already secured their place in history.

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