A celebration was held at the Civic Centre in North Battleford, Sask., to honour the Battleford North Stars capturing the Canalta Cup.
The North Stars downed the Flin Flon Bombers 6-5 on Wednesday to capture the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) championship.
The North Stars dominated in winning their first championship since 2000, sweeping all three playoff rounds.
READ MORE: Battleford North Stars capture Canalta Cup
But there were a few anxious moments for North Stars head coach Nate Bedford.
“I remember smiling and shaking my head, going, ‘I can’t believe we’re going to win this way,’” Bedford recalled of when the team was down by two goals in the fourth game.
“We always believed we were going to win regardless.”
Shannon Lamb, whose son Owen plays left wing for the team, was at the championship-clinching game.
“I was there in Flin Flon for the final game and I watched the euphoria – it was amazing,” Lamb said.
“The energy that those boys had, the well-deserved win, it was the best feeling for them.”
READ MORE: Battlefords North Stars look to break 1st-place curse
There’s little time for the North Stars to rest as they will now head to Penticton, B.C., for the Western Canada Cup.
“We have the right mindset going into the Westerns,” North Stars goalie Taryn Kotchorek said.
“We’re not just going there for just to hang out for a week, we’re going there, we mean business and we’re going to compete.
“We think we have a good chance.”
The Western Canada Cup starts April 29, with the North Stars seeing their first action on April 30 when they take on the host Penticton Vees.
Also taking part in the tournament are the Portage Terriers (MJHL), Brooks Bandits (AJHL) and Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL).
The top two teams will advance to the RBC Cup.
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