Wesley Berg's Game 7 heroics have helped the Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs take one step closer to the Minto Cup this month.
The club defeated the New Westminster Salmonbellies 12-8 Sunday night, with Berg factoring in 50% of his team's goals.
The 21-year-old Adanac opened the scoring with a short-handed marker midway through the first period, before adding his second six minutes later. By the beginning of the second period he had tied up the hat trick, but Berg was not done scoring yet.
He made it 8-5 two minutes into the third before assisting on teammate Evan Wortley's first goal of the game. Berg rounded out his stat sheet with a fifth goal later in the period to make it 10-6 for the visiting Coquitlam club.
He was not the only player to light up the scoreboard at New Westminster's Queens Park Arena Sunday night.
Tyler Pace also had a six point game, with a hat trick and three helpers.
He assisted on Berg's first goal of the game before scoring back-to-back markers later in the first period. Pace added his third goal of the game in the dying minutes of the final frame.
Goaltender Peter Dubenski stopped 30 of the 38 shots he faced in the win.
Sunday's victory allowed the Adanacs to bounce back from a 13-6 loss at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex Friday night, the club's third loss at home of the series.
The squad fell behind early when New Westminster's Nathan Stewart opened the scoring, before teammates Anthony Malcolm and Johny Pearson made it 3-1 for the visitors.
Stewart went on to have a six-point game, scoring two goals and pitching in for four helpers. Salmonbellies forward Connor Robinson also had two goals and four assists, while Josh Byrne scored one and notched three helpers.
Coquitlam's Brett Hawry brought the score to within one at the midway mark of the first, but New West closed out the period with four unanswered goals.
Berg made it 7-3 with a power play goal but another flurry of offence from New West widened the scoring gap further and Coquitlam was unable to mount a comeback.
Coquitlam's goalie Dubenski struggled, stopping 18 of the 28 shots he faced, while backup Anthony Dale stopped six of the eight shots he faced.
The Adanacs' James Rahe had one goal and four assists, while Berg scored two and had one helper.
With Sunday's win, Coquitlam now moves on to the Western Canadian finals against the Calgary Mountaineers. The series will be held at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex, with Game 1 starting on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 8 p.m.
Whichever team emerges from that series will move on to the Minto Cup Tournament.
For more information, go to www.bcjall.com.
