Jarret Tyszka and the Seattle Thunderbirds are set to play for the Memorial Cup.
Tyszka and his Thunderbirds teammates captured the Western Hockey League championship on Sunday night with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Regina Pats in game six.
2016-17 Western Hockey League Champions#WinTheCup pic.twitter.com/vtmKK8TY5z
— Seattle Thunderbirds (@SeattleTbirds) May 15, 2017
The game was played at the Brandt Centre in Regina.
Alexander True scored the decisive goal 12:36 into the extra frame as Seattle won their first-ever Ed Chynoweth Cup in the team’s 40-year franchise history.
I have been going to @SeattleTbirds games my entire life. I have to be close to 2,000 games. Never thought I would see the day. WOOOOOOOOOO!
— Ryland Spencer™ (@RylandNEI) May 15, 2017
The Thunderbirds won the final three games of the series to prevail four games to two.
“Just such a grind, so it feels good to get the last win,” Tyszka said.
“The key for the team was for us to stick to the game plan and keep grinding it out and never stop, for us to just keep battling, no matter the situation.”
Tyszka, a six-foot-three, 191-pound defenceman from Langley, had six goals and 25 points in 54 regular season games for Seattle.
In 20 playoff games, he has two goals and seven points.
Tyszka, 18, had been selected to skate in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top Prospects Game back in January, but a shoulder injury sidelined him from taking the ice.
He is ranked 41st among North American skaters for next month’s NHL entry draft.
Another Langley hockey product, Jordan Hollett, is ranked 15th among North American goaltenders for the draft.
And the 18-year-old Hollett was on the Regina roster which lost to Seattle, serving as the team’s backup goaltender.
The six-foot-five, 193-pounder went 15-2-2-0 with a 2.83 goals against average and a .901 save percentage during the regular season for Regina.
Seattle joins the Saint John Seadogs (QMJHL champions), the Erie Otters (OHL champions) and Windsor Spitfires (host team) at the 99th edition of the Mastercard Memorial Cup.
The championships run May 19 to 28.
