The Nanaimo Tigers' hard work paid off in gold medals, gold cupcakes and golden memories to last a lifetime.
The city's floor hockey team won gold at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games last week in St. Albert, Alta. The players finished the tournament with a 7-1 win over Ontario's York South in the final.
"I couldn't be more proud of them, both on and off the floor, the way they represented Nanaimo and Team B.C.," said Dave Forrester, the team's coach. "Everybody's over the moon and there's a ton of great memories from the trip so we're ecstatic about the way it played out."
The final, he said, was the best game the Tigers have ever played. The score was still 2-1 halfway through, but Nanaimo wore down the competition. Bill Polz's hat trick paced the offence.
"Our team outworked all the other teams," Forrester said. "We have talented players but it generally comes down to hard work and the guys left it all on the floor."
The team tied for the best record in pool play with three wins and one loss, so two shutouts by goalie Jason Mills helped the team advance through the round-robin to the final.
There were plenty of other highlights in the week. The coach said his players enjoyed the opening ceremonies, trading pins with other athletes and getting a chance to meet Team B.C.'s honourary captain Travis Lulay.
"There were great athletes out there," Forrester said. "It kind of blows you away, the level of competition, not just in floor hockey but we were able to see a couple of other sports, as well."
One of the other sports contested at the Games was cross-country skiing, and Nanaimo's Dennis Lynch won a gold medal and a bronze medal on the nordic trails.
The Nanaimo contingent returned home this week to proud family, friends and fans.
"Golden cupcakes waiting for us," said Forrester. "So you can't beat that, right?"
sports@nanaimobulletin.com