The Battleford Beaver Blues are the Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League champions for 2018-19.
They did it with a 4-3 overtime win in the decisive game three of the series at the Battleford Arena.
Mike George’s goal with over six minutes remaining in the first overtime won it for the Blues, who swept the series in three straight games.
The goal touched off a wild celebration in front of a capacity crowd at Battleford Arena, who saw their hometown team skate around the ice afterwards with the cup, the third for the Blues in their history in the SPHL.
While the series between Battleford and Edam ended in a sweep, it had been competitive for all three games with each contest decided by one goal.
The Blues took the first two games by identical 6-5 final scores. In the second game Wednesday in Edam, Tristan Deronoski got a hat trick while the Blues got two goals each from George, Blake Oborowsky and Brent Salzl.
The third game saw goals from Keegan Sparrow, Cody Danberg and Blake Oborowsky for the Blues, while Keegan McBride, Ty Anderson and Mitch Wall scored for the Three Stars. It was Wall’s goal that gave the Three Stars a 3-2 lead late in the third period before Oborowsky’s goal tied it up to send the game to overtime.
Danberg, who also got the assist on George’s winning goal in overtime, was named the playoffs’ Most Valuable Player.
