Chilliwack Chiefs captain Mateo Mrsic put on his cape, wired a shot from just beyond the face-off dot and transformed into the overtime hero in game three of the BCHL's Fred Page Cup on Tuesday (May 20).
Mrsic's goal at 13:39 of double overtime against the Brooks Bandits ended the Chiefs' longest game this decade and also put Chilliwack up 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
@Chiefs_Hockey Mateo Mrsic with the game winner at 13:39 of double OT. Chiefs take the 2-1 series lead, game four tomorrow at 7 pm pic.twitter.com/tHJyvMxnY6
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) May 21, 2025
It was a different story after 40 minutes, as Brooks led 4-2 and were just one period away from reclaiming home ice in the series.
Bandits forward Parker Lalonde scored a hat trick over the first two periods and opened the scoring at 7:59 of the first. Michal Liscinsky put the Bandits up 2-0 at 17:21 of the first, but Chilliwack's Dustin Renas cut the lead to one goal when he scored at 19:59 of the first.
Chiefs forward Caleb Malhotra tied the game up at 1:18 of the second, however Lalonde scored goals at 5:48 and 10:18 (on the power play) to give Brooks the 4-2 lead after two. Lalonde, a Merrimack College committed player, leads the BCHL playoffs. with 18 goals in 18 games. He also ranks first in points with 27.
Mrsic got the second comeback started by beating Brooks goalie Zach Zahara at 2:17 of the the third and Malhotra added his second of the game to tie it up again at 17:27. The first overtime solved nothing and Mrsic finally beat the deadlock deep into the second overtime.
The Fred Page Cup Final shifted to Chilliwack for Game 3️⃣ on Tuesday night, with the series tied 1-1. This one turned into an instant classic, needing double overtime! You don't want to miss the highlights.#BCHLTonight | @ChevroletCanada pic.twitter.com/RmAFg1tG5Z
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) May 21, 2025
The Bandits did have a goal in the first overtime period that was waved off due to goalie interference.
Renas led all Chiefs players with a four-point night, while Olivier Beaulieu, Malhotra and Mrsic recorded three points. Lalonde had a four-point night in a losing cause. Chilliwack out shot Brooks 51-50 and Chiefs goalie Quentin Miller made 47 saves for his 14th win in the playoffs. Zahara stopped 46 shots in the loss and his record drops to 13-4 in the playoffs.
Special teams weren't a deciding factor in the game, as Chilliwack went 0/5 on the power play and Brooks was 1/4. The Chiefs had two power plays in overtime, while the Bandits had one.
Bandits assistant coach Dakota Mason said it was a disappointing result for the visitors.
"Just not enough attention to details on the things we've been preaching all season," he said. "You score four goals in a playoff game, that should be enough to get the W."
Tuesday's game was the longest Chiefs game since the team's 3-2 double overtime loss to the Langley Rivermen on March 2, 2019. That game was decided at 15:01 of the second overtime.
Reported attendance at the Chilliwack Coliseum on Tuesday was 2,258, with many fans staying until the game was decided at 11:17 p.m.
Game four occurred on Wednesday (May 21), but results were not available at press time. The series shifts back to Brooks for game five on Friday (May 23). Game six, if necessary, returns to Chilliwack on Sunday (May 25). Game seven, if needed, is scheduled for Tuesday (May 27) in Brooks.
After last night's intense 5-period game... The Chiefs have taken the lead in the series and will look to extend their lead to 3-1
— Chilliwack Chiefs (@Chiefs_Hockey) May 21, 2025
Game 3️⃣ was one to remember! Don't miss tonight's game before the series moves back to Brooks
🎟️: https://t.co/ghvlQV3zrn pic.twitter.com/s7zprdfvVO
