The Killarney Shamrocks are champions of the Tiger Hills Hockey League.
After falling in game three, the Shamrocks responded with a game four win on the road to capture the league title three games to one.
"It feels pretty good," Killarney goalie Brian Archibald said with smile when asked what it was like waking up Friday morning as a champion.
Archibald detailed the deciding game, one where he said his team showed it's heart and determination. "We didn't have our best game in game three, come game four, we wanted a better effort. The game didn't start great for us, we were down 2-0 after the first period. A lot of credit goes to the veterans in the room and guys who dug down to find another gear. Responding and finishing the second up 3-2 was massive. Every guy up and down the lineup contributed to this win, it was awesome."
Being down a pair of goals knowing there could be another game back in Killarney could have softened the blow and maybe made it easier to accept defeat, but the Shamrocks refused to quit and Archibald says making that comeback was special. "It was really great, it was kind of the theme of our playoffs. In earlier series, we were down 2-0 but guys didn't quit. They wanted to win and found a way to do it. I think that was the case last night, just finding a way to break through and get on the board. Not looking too far ahead, that was big, just taking it one shift at a time, one goal at a time and keeping our effort within our control."
Having the game on the road meant there were a few family members and hardcore fans that made the trip, which makes the celebration all the sweeter, according to Archibald. "It's always great, for sure. I've said it a lot this year, we have such great community support. Just waking up this morning to a lot of messages from people all over that were rooting for us, it's special. When you get to win a championship, it's not easy to do and I'm happy we were able to get it done and bring home a title to Killarney."
The Shamrocks will now move onto provincials which start this weekend. "Game one of the provincials goes this Sunday in Ste. Anne," Archibald explains. "Games at 3:30 p.m. It'll be a tough game, they're a deep team that's physical, they're solid top to bottom. It's a great test for us and we're excited for it. Having a chance to play provincials, game two will be back in Killarney, that'll be an awesome game. The town will come out and it's going to be a lot of fun and hopefully it's a great series."
Representing the Tiger Hills Hockey League means a lot to Archibald and his teammates. "We've had a lot of fun playing in this league for years and every year we've had a competitive team that could be there. When you represent the league, you want to put your best foot forward and be a good example. It's going to be a fun series and we look forward to being the representative of the Tiger Hills."