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Stockton Cougars Take Championship The Stockton Cougars were the odds on favorite at the beginning of the season, and they ended the year as North American Champions. Along the way, their younger, less experienced opponents let them know they weren't invincible, however. Despite the most veteran-laden roster and an offense that averaged over 12 goals per game, the Cougars lost to four different teams along their road to success. The Cougars finished the regular season 12-4 and beat Edmonton 10-9 in OT in the semifinals and Cincinnati 13-5 in the final at Stockton Arena. Bernie Lilavois led the league in scoring with 68 points and led the playoffs, too, with four goals and seven assists in the two games. Aaron Susi scored the overtime game-winner in the semifinals and the eventual game-winner in the final. Susi, Lilavois and Ato Leone each had a hat trick in the clinching game, giving each of them their first career indoor championships. Championship Weekend PASL-Pro Championship Weekend kicked off Friday with a see saw battle between the Edmonton Drillers and La Cabana de Baja. One-goal games have been Edmonton's specialty this year, and the game went to overtime tied 7-7. The Drillers dominated and Joe Costouros finally ended the match at 4:17 of overtime. La Cabana rallied from 3-1 and 6-4 deficits led by former Cougar Eduardo Velez, who had four goals and two assists and scored in each quarter. Friday evening's quarterfinal between the Denver Dynamite and Tigres Dorados MRCI Oaxaca looked like a runaway, as Tigres built a 10-4 lead with a seven goal third quarter explosion. But Denver did not go down without a fight. The Dynamite, led by Chris Handsor's four goals and an assist and Garth Archibald's two goals and two assists chipped away with aggressive play, could only get as close as 10-9 on a goal with five seconds left, giving them no time to go for the tie. Saturday's first semifinal saw Oaxaca face top-seeded 1790 Cincinnati. 1790 played a brash style, overpowering the finesse of Tigres's small midfielders. Tigres cut the lead to 8-6 before 1790 closed out the game with two empty net goals. The marquee match of the weekend was Saturday night, when the Drillers faced the host Stockton Cougars. The game was marked by hard words and rugged play. The referees had their hands full separating heated confrontations on several occasions. The Cougars rallied from 4-2 and 7-5 deficits to see the game tied 9-9, when Majell Aterado hit a blistering shot that appeared to give the Cougars the win as time expired. The officials ruled, however, that the shot came late, and the game went into overtime. Both teams had to kill penalties in overtime and Aaron Susi sent Stockton Arena into delirium at the midway point of OT with a high rising shot that sent the Cougars to the final in sudden death. About Professional Arena Soccer League
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