After beating Santa Clara University the day before to escape elimination, the SRJC hockey team took on the number one seed UC Davis in the championship game. The Polar Bears handed Davis its only loss of the season in a 7-6 overtime win Jan. 25.

It was a battle from the start as both teams came out ready to fight for the title. Davis scored first but SRJC forward Josiah Nikkel tied the score soon after. The Polar Bears added two more goals to make it a 3-1 game at the end of the first period.

SRJC took command of the second period as defenseman Bryan Vrba shot one past the Davis goaltender to pad the lead. Davis took advantage of an SRJC penalty soon after but SRJC’s Chris Whitten got the point back a minute later. By the end of the period the Polar Bears extended their lead, 7-4.

S RJC forward Adam Johnson added a goal in the third period before SRJC goalie Chris Tomaszewski let one by with three minutes to go. Davis decided to pull its goalie in the final two minutes in hopes to make a comeback, but the team couldn’t pull it off . Breaking away from the scuffle on the Polar Bears’ end of the ice, Nikkel scored an empty net goal to seal a 9-5 victory.

As the final buzzer rang, the Polar Bears’ bench poured onto the ice. Helmets and sticks cluttered the rink as the Polar Bears celebrated the club’s first ever championship. Marcel Delagnes, Kulikouskiy, Blake Johnson and Cam Davis accepted the Adam’s Cup trophy on behalf of the team as SRJC hockey fans cheered on. Players took turns posing with the trophy, reveling in the team’s hard-fought victory.

“I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to play and win with. Everybody worked their tails off , and it paid off,” Johnson said. “I’m honored to be a part of SRJC’s first PCHA title.”

The PCHA title is the culmination of a season full of near misses and exciting victories. With a relatively rookie team, beating a dangerous team like UC Davis was just icing on the cake.

“I’m very proud of our players because they worked so hard this season and battled through the challenges we face in the first semester,” said coach Tom Billeter, who came close to winning the PCHA title two times when he played for SRJC in the early 2000’s. “The performance at the PCHA  playoffs is very sweet for our guys after all the adversity in the beginning of the season.”