With the playoffs looming, the Abbotsford Pilots made a strong statement with a pair of impressive overtime wins on the weekend.
Colton Cowden – son of head coach Jim Cowden – played the hero on Friday night, scoring unassisted at 3:03 of the extra session to lift his team to a 4-3 win over the Richmond Sockeyes at MSA Arena.
It was a high-profile match-up, in light of the fact the two teams are in first place in their respective Pacific Junior Hockey League divisions. The Pilots are tops in the Harold Brittain Conference, while the Sockeyes lead the Tom Shaw Conference and are in first place overall in the PJHL.
Brady Lawlor, Ryan Parmar and Luke Venema also scored for the Pilots, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the third period, while goalie Aaron Oakley made 24 saves.
On Sunday, the Abby squad notched another OT win, edging the Grandview Steelers 3-2 on the road.
The Pilots (30-10-2) wrap up the regular season with two games this week – Wednesday at the Aldergrove Kodiaks (7:15 p.m., Aldergrove Community Arena) and Friday vs. the Port Moody Panthers (7:30 p.m., MSA Arena).