The Seattle Thunderbirds finally got to the top of the mountain.
And what did they find on the other side?
An even bigger mountain.
The T-Birds have fallen victim to the powerful Kelowna Rockets a couple of times in recent playoff encounters but earned their vengeance by sweeping the defending WHL champions in the Western Conference final.
Now they come face to face with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL championship starting Friday (7 p.m., Sportsnet West).
Thunderbirds superstar Mathew Barzal said beating the Rockets feels a little extra special.
“It was the hill we had to get over,” Barzal said of being eliminated by the Rockets in 2013 and ’14.