The double knockout format was perfect for the Langley Top Ched.
After all, three times during tournaments this past season, the midget hockey team came up short in the semifinals.
And that is what happened once again to the club during last week’s Langley Cup playoffs, after they lost 4-3 to the Langley Tropics, with a spot in Sunday’s championship final at the George Preston Recreation Centre on the line.
But with one more chance to claw their way back to the title game, the team did not waste that opportunity.
Facing the Langley Ones — a team which had just defeated them in a tournament semifinal game in Cowichan prior to the Langley Cup — the two local squads were tied at one after regulation. And after neither team could score in overtime, the game went to the shootout, with Top Ched prevailing for one more shot at the championship.
After a scoreless opening period, the Tropics opened the scoring, but less than a minute later, Top Ched got on the board and then added two more goals for a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. The team tacked on another pair of goals to win 5-1.
Top Ched, which won both the league and playoff banners, had a bye in the first round of the Langley Cup. In their opener, they edged the Langley Hawks 2-1.