Maser’s magical moment

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prinkled occasionally among the periods and shifts and shots and saves of the many hockey games in a long season are those extraordinary moments, when the spectators in the stands and the other players on the benches know they have witnessed something extraordinary, something they’ll tell stories about in the months and years to come.

The audience was not nearly large enough for Josh Maser’s performance Wednesday night at CN Centre but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in volume and appreciation for the accomplishments of the young man from nearby Houston.

He scored all four goals, including the overtime winner, for the Prince George Cougars in a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the visiting Vancouver Giants. The offensive output was impressive but the context in which it occurred made it even more phenomenal.

He certainly didn’t have fan support, with a tiny crowd of Cougar loyalists that braved a frigid January weeknight to see the same two teams play each other for the second consecutive night.

Tuesday night’s affair saw the visiting Giants paste the Cougars 5-1 and there was little to indicate Wednesday’s result would be any better. Over the last couple of weeks, leading up to the Western Hockey League trade deadline, the Cougars held a fire sale, trading some of their best players to contending teams. Earlier Wednesday, the team made its final move, sending its captain, 19-year-old star defenceman Dennis Cholowski, to Portland. The heaps of promising young talent and draft picks the Cougars picked up in return will help the team in seasons to come but will offer little in the way of immediate aid for the rest of the year.

The reigning B.C. Division champions, the Cougars were a nationally ranked team this time last year. Lacing up Wednesday, the team was at the bottom of the division, with just 15 wins in 40 tries, its general manager clearly rebuilding for better seasons down the road.

With a rink more than half empty, a poor performance the night before against a better team, their captain gone, along with a significant amount of talent, it would have been easy for the players to go through the motions, with little to motivate them.

It’s likely Cougars head coach Richard Matvichuk gave his young men the standard pre-game speech about the trades presenting opportunities for the remaining guys to step up their game, to use their increased minutes of playing time to make an impact, to show pride in their team and continue to play with maximum effort.

Maser and his teammates got the message. The Cougars dominated much of the first period but still found themselves down 1-0 at the intermission. When the Giants took a 2-0 lead near the midway point of the second period, the Cougars could have packed their bags and gone home.

Instead, Maser went to work, scoring less than two minutes later with what has been dubbed the “Maser Laser” this season, a bullet wrist shot into the top of the net.

Earning his team nickname of Moose, Maser scored just eight seconds into the third period, lumbering down the wing and tying the game with another laser past the Giants netminder.

Now the crowd was into it and there was a buzz in the building. Instead of a laser, Maser’s hat trick goal was simply hard work and puck luck, a quick shot that bounced off the goaltender, ricocheted off his own defenceman and then into the net. That brought a small shower of hats thrown onto the ice.

The lead wasn’t safe, thanks to a fantastic performance by Ty Ronning of the Giants, who finished a hat trick of his own in the final minute to force overtime.

Somehow, it seemed inevitable that either Maser or Ronning would finish it. As it had for much of the game, the crowd held its breath whenever Ronning had the puck. It was Maser who came through, not stopping when Ryan Schoettler raised his arms to celebrate when his shot had actually went off the crossbar. Maser jumped on the loose puck and put it away.

Maser turns 19 next week but showed maturity beyond his years Wednesday, demonstrating the determination to not only elevate his own game but to also inspire his teammates. In challenging circumstances, the inner fortitude of the former Cariboo Cougar came through. That’s what leaders do.

Much of the crowd stayed afterwards to reocgnize the game’s three stars. In a classy move, the fans gave a loud cheer for Ronning when he was announced as the game’s second star and he responded with class of his own, raising a hand in appreciation, even though he likely wasn’t happy with the loss.

If Maser lives another 80 years, he’ll still be able to hear the roar of approval the fans gave him when he stepped back on the ice as the game’s first star.

For fans, players and coaches, Wednesday night’s win was about character and resilience shown by Maser and his teammates.

For a team that will still likely lose more games than it wins for the rest of the season, it was a defiant vow from the players that they will continue to compete with passion and pride every night, no matter who they’re playing.

That’s the work ethic that brings about champions and championships.

Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout