Corey Koop now might be able to relate to the infamous 2004 New York Yankees.
The Squamish-born goalie and his teammates on the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League's (VIJHL) Victoria Cougars had a 3-0 stranglehold in the VIJHL finals series against the Peninsula Panthers, but just like the '04 Bronx Bombers in baseball's American League Championship Series, they saw the advantage dwindle and eventually disappear, losing in seven games.
"We got away from our game plan," Koop said. "The Panthers started playing how we were playing at the start of the series and we just couldn't stop them."
According to Koop, the tide in the series began to turn after the Cougars lost Game 4.
"We seemed to get pretty down after that first loss," he said. "And I think the turning point might have been the Game 5 loss."
Game 5 saw the Cougars, up three games to one, have an opportunity to clinch the VIJHL championship on home ice, but the team suffered a critical collapse in the third period. Up 2-0 heading into the period, the Cougars gave up three unanswered goals to lose the game and they seemingly couldn't recover from that devastating setback.
Koop said the mood in the locker room after the Game 7 loss was quite somber.
"It's not a lot of fun to lose like that," he said. "Everyone was pretty quiet but I think we know that we battled hard right until the final buzzer. It's just disappointing to be so close and work so hard only to come up a little short."
Despite the disheartening end to the season, Koop said it was an experience he will never forget.
"I wouldn't have traded this whole experience for anything," he said. "This was the best group of guys I've ever had to be on a team with and I think what we accomplished was pretty special."
It was an outstanding campaign for Koop, who was playing house-league hockey in 麻豆社国产this time last year. He dominated the VIJHL, winning the league's top goaltender award and putting up some mind-boggling statistics. He had the league's top goals-against average, the second-best save percentage and ranked second in wins. He also helped backstop the Cougars to the top record during the VIJHL regular season.
He continued his solid play in the playoffs, posting three shutouts and posting a goals-against average under two.
Koop, 18, said his hockey season might not be over just yet. His Junior A rights belong to the Powell River Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and with the Kings in the midst of a deep playoff run, he might join them on their drive to a championship.
"It would be another kick at a championship and allow me to get a taste of what Junior A is like," he said, noting that he would be a third-string goalie and could see action in the case of injuries.
He stated his goals for next year are simple.
"I want to crack a Junior A roster and really want to be ready for next year," he said. "I'm going to be doing a lot of off ice training this summer and really work hard to get in great shape."
For more information on Koop's spectacular season, visit www.victoriacougars.com.
