CALGARY - Team Alberta narrowly missed out on another gold medal at the WHL Cup, falling 4-3 to Team BC in overtime on Sunday.
Alberta opened up the scoring once again, with Kaiden Guhle scoring his fifth goal of the tournament on the power-play halfway through the first, with Connor McLennon adding to the lead midway through the second.
BC answered back minutes later on the power-play, before scoring again late in the second period and early in the third to take a 3-2.
McClennon scored his sixth, and most important goal of the tournament on the power-play with just 1:44 left to tie the game, and force overtime.
It was the second straight year the WHL Cup would be decided in overtime between Alberta and BC, but this time it was BC who sealed the victory, as Ben King scored 2:37 into the extra frame.
In his second start of the tournament for Team Alberta, Sebastian Cossa saw 31 shots come his way, allowing four goals. His counterpart, Dylan Garand, stopped 24 of Alberta;s 27 shots in the victory.
Kyle Crnkovic added to his tournament-leading points total with two assists in the game, giving him a total of 12 in five games. Assists were also tallied by Jake Neighbours (2) and Guhle.
Boxscore > | Game One Recap > | Game Two Recap > | Game Three Recap > | Semi-Final Recap > | Team Alberta Roster >
McClennon was fittingly named Team Alberta’s player of the game for his efforts,, while King earned the honours for BC.
The gold medal is the second for Team BC in the tournament’s seven year history, last winning it in 2012.
Earlier on Sunday afternoon, Team Manitoba took the bronze medal after defeating Team Saskatchewan 4-2.
2017 WHL Cup All-Stars
G - Bryan Thomson (Team Saskatchewan) - Moose Jaw, Sask - Lethbridge Hurricanes
D - Kaiden Guhle (Team Alberta) - Sherwood Park, Alta. - Prince Albert Raiders
D - Daemon Hunt (Team Manitoba) - Brandon, Man. - Moose Jaw Warriors
F - Justin Sourdif (Team British Columbia) - Surrey, B.C. - Vancouver Giants
F - Kyle Crnkovic (Team Alberta) - Chestermere, Alta. - Saskatoon Blades
F - Connor McClennon (Team Alberta) - Wainwright, Alta. - Kootenay ICE
Leading Scorers
1. Kyle Crnkovic (AB; Saskatoon Blades) - 3G-9A - 12pts
2. Connor McClennon (AB; Kootenay ICE) - 6G-4A - 10pts
3. Kaiden Guhle (AB; Prince Albert Raiders) - 5G-4A - 9pts
4. Jake Neighbours (AB; Edmonton Oil Kings) - 1G-6A - 7pts
5. Tyler Horstmann (BC; Edmonton Oil Kings) - 0G-5A - 5pts