From Game 2 of his junior hockey career until Game 4 of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, Cranbrook product Jace Coyle finished his career a game removed from the same ice surface he began it in 2007.

On the losing end of a 7-2 defeat and a series sweep at the hands of the Kootenay Ice Wednesday night at the Cranbrook Rec Plex, Coyle watched his junior career come to a close on a sour note.

"It was a tough series and a tough way to lose," said Coyle, the last Tiger out of the dressing room Wednesday. "After Game 1 we had a chance to win and we didn't. We fell behind in Game 2 and that took a lot of wind out of us."

Coyle was limited to just one assist in the four-game sweep, and his Tigers were never able to push back following the demoralizing 6-5 overtime loss in Game 1. With names like Linden Vey and Emerson Etem on the ice, one of the most feared line-ups in the league wasn't able to score when it counted.

"That's something we almost prided ourselves on throughout the year," said Coyle. "We were really good at it. But coming into this barn with their systems and their trap, even tonight with a one-goal lead, they're still sitting back waiting for you."

Listed by the Spokane Chiefs as a 16-year-old while playing for the KIJHL's Fernie Ghostriders, Coyle's first year in the WHL saw him take part in the Chiefs' magical run to Memorial Cup victory in 2008.

But it wasn't until the trade that brought him to Medicine Hat the next season that he truly blossomed. Finishing the 2011 playoffs with three goals and 12 assists in 15 games, even his best playoff showing wasn't enough against the Ice.

"We worked on some things but it was frustrating, especially for our top-end guys. We like to come with speed and go wide and then work plays like that but they shut that down."

Teammate Cole Grbavac, back from a two-game suspension after a blindside hit on Steele Boomer in Game 1 that knocked the forward from the series, lamented his actions and pointed to it as a possible series turning point.

"I'm extremely disappointed in myself when I got suspended for that hit," said Grbavac. "I think about it but I don't know if there's a whole lot I could've done (to avoid it) it happened so quick. I had no intention of running into him but if I could have stepped out of the way, I wouldn't have been suspended and we probably could've won that first game. But that's the past and there's not much I can do. I wish Boomer well."

For Coyle, the 20-year-old soaked up the last of his junior career in his hometown. Signed by the Dallas Stars last summer in a three-year, $1.6 million NHL contract if he makes the big club, Coyle will now prepare for his first season as a pro next September.

"It'll be a hard summer but I'll get ready for camp next year," he said. "I come back (to Cranbrook) in the off-season in the summer but it'll be hard. I'll come back in a week or so and the Ice will be playing whoever comes out of the U.S. Division. It'll be tough to come watch a game but I'm sure I will."