By Jason LaRose, Hockey Canada
CHILLIWACK, B.C. – Will Calverley was a one-man show, scoring all four goals – including the overtime winner 4:55 into the extra period – to lead the Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) to their first win at the 2018 RBC Cup, a 4-3 triumph over the Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL) on Sunday night.
Calverley scored once in the second period and twice in the third before his overtime heroics, bringing the Chiefs back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits with one of the best single-game performances in tournament history.
With the midway mark of overtime approaching, Calverley cruised through the slot and got his stick on a Powell Connor point shot to send the pro-Chiefs crowd at the Prospera Centre home happy.
His last three goals were almost identical – redirections in the high slot, all from point shots taken from close to the exact same spot on the right side.
Penalty trouble was the story early for Ottawa; the Jr. Senators took six minors in the first period, but headed to the intermission with a lead thanks to Gabriel Morin, who tipped in a Devon Daniels shot at 11:34.
Nick Lalonde doubled the advantage just 3:05 into the second period, taking a cross-ice feed from Danny Pion and beating Chilliwack goaltender Daniel Chenard to the far side to make it a 2-0 game.
Calverley got one back before the end of the middle frame, finishing a set-up from P.J. Marrocco by rifling a wrist shot past Ottawa netminder Connor Hicks with the Chiefs enjoying a two-man advantage.
He tied the game at 9:32 of the third period with a redirection of a shot from Kyle Yewchuk, but Finn Evans drove down the right wing and snuck a sharp-angle backhand under the arm of Chenard less than two minutes later to restore the Ottawa lead.
Calverley brought Chilliwack even again with 5:51 remaining on another tip, this one off a Jake Gresh shot, setting up his overtime winner.
With both Saturday results coming in overtime, it marked the first time in tournament history that three of the first four games needed extra time, while the Jr. Senators became the second team in as many years (after the Cobourg Cougars) to open their schedule with back-to-back OT games.
Both teams get back to action Tuesday – Ottawa takes on the Wenatchee Wild (BCHL) in the matinee (2 p.m. PT), before the Chiefs take on the Wellington Dukes (OJHL) (7 p.m. PT).
