The talk of the Division 1 League this season was the re-emergence of the Saints who had rolled up 67 goals in the regular season, losing only one game. They were the clear favorite going into the playoffs and defeated the defending champion USA Women’s team in the semi-finals to reach the Championship Final. EIBC reached the Final by defeating a tough Tsunami Ice team in an exciting OT shootout. In the Championship game, the Saints quickly rolled to a 3-0 lead which held up deep into the second half, and it appeared they were going to pull off a well -deserved victory. However, the East Isles Bandy Club somehow found the energy to claw their way back into the game in the last 15 minutes. Their hard work paid off and they were eventually able to tie it up 3-3 with only a few minutes left on a goal by Mike Wersall which sent the game into an OT shootout. In the shootout, the teams traded goals. But after the Saints missed on a shot, it came down to EIBC needing one more goal to capture the title. Up stepped veteran Chris Halden to take the crucial shot. Halden had buried a high pressure shot in the previous OT shootout in the semi-final game vs Tsunami and was ready.  With the season on the line, he calmly stepped up and buried the shot past Saints keeper Adam Talatinick to give the EIBC the D-1 Championship and the Crystal Cup. For these efforts he was named D-1 Playoff MVP.

Congrats to EIBC on their Division 1 Championship!